In response to your questions...

It needs partial shade, is everblooming during the warm months, can get as large as 10'x10', and is a constant attractor for butterflies and others. Also, cuttings from this plant root very easily.

Here's a picture of mine...

Tom, my experience has been drooling. I sure hope they do VERY well for you! :)

I guess I haven't found the right spot for one. The first one was in partial shade and dwindled slowly away to nothing and now I have one in more sun doing the same thing. Every year it is less and less. I hope your does better then mine. ;o)

Mine has been in the ground, in late-morning/early-afternoon sun now for about 7 months.
It has grown considerably, but blooms are scarcer than at first planting.
I still love it, tho...the interesting blooms just knock me out. LOL

Here's mine:

I'm getting the impression that this is not a very profuse bloomer. Does anyone have a picture of the entire bush in bloom?

Tom, I don't have any pictures of mine, but it bloomed heavily in halfday sun. Sadly, it froze the first winter we were here and didn't come back. It was about 4' by 4' that year. I would definitely try it again, as it was truly beautiful and unique.

Marcia

tom,
This plant can be an incredibly profuse bloomer if pruned somewhat regularly. Just search google images or something. There is no shortage of pictures of this one.

gatermomx2 gave me cuttings of hers (that's right, it's from you, isn't it mary?)... roots very easily. all of my cuttings took. they're even blooming right now, just 5" tall.

i'm going to put it in a shady area of my yard...

I think I have a great spot for them.

They benefit greatly from deadheading, Musicman?

Marcia, I think you are a little north of me, no? You are in north Orange or Seminole? We don't get too many hard freezes here. Yours died completely with a mild freeze? Makes me wonder if I should plant them now or leave them in pots and wait until spring...

tom,

Yes, they flower on new growth, and grow very fast, so trim them back as you like. They will keep coming at you with more flowers. and I say go ahead and plant them. They should have enough time now to get established before we experience any freezes.

Tom, I'm in Sanford, so a bit north of you, and the freeze we had the first year in this house was hard enough to freeze water in my birdbath solid (about 3" to 4" deep), so I don't know if that qualifies as a mild freeze or not. It was the hardest one we've had since moving here. And the plant had only been in the ground about 8 months or so, so it may not have been established well enough to come back. I seem to remember one branch was TRYING to still be alive when I got impatient and pulled the whole thing out. My guess is that it will often survive the winters in central Florida with no problem, and that an established plant will probably come back. Sort of like most clero's in that regard, I would think.

Good luck with yours. It is truly a conversation piece with the butterfly shaped flowers. And they are a nice shade of blue. (How is your bog sage doing, speaking of blue? I never got mine to take! *sniff* But I seem to remember yours was very prolific.)

Marcia

I finally got rid of most of that bog sage, Marcia. It was growing all over. I do have some that pops up once in a while.

What you are describing was clearly a hard freeze. Did it happen right after Christmas about 15 years ago? I remember that one; I went fishing with a new girlfriend-- cured her from wanting to ever fish again. We froze our butts off. When I got home the ferns in the porch of my condo had frozen solid.

I've already ordered the glory blowers, so we will see how they do.

I went shopping today at Biosphere, which I know you love, Marcia. Got more firespikes, bronze fennel, larval plants for White Peacocks and a different milkweed called "Oscar" which is Asclepias physocarpus.

I also bought another Rue. I didn't have much luck with it last time, but I'm going to try it again; supposedly it gets both the Eastern Black and the Giant Swallowtails to use it for a larval source.

How are you Marcia? Up and around a bit?

Hi, Tom! I'm pretty much confined to my Comfy Chair, still, since my foot swelled up Saturday and the suture line split apart! ACK!!! But as long as I don't stand for more than five minutes now and then, I can keep the swelling down, and it seems to be healing now. I'm being VERY good. (Only checking the computer once a day for a few minutes).

The freeze I'm talking about was the first year in this house, so four years ago. It was only the one night, but I definitely had solidly frozen birdbaths. I think it went down to about 27 or so here.

Yep, I love to go to Biosphere and wish I were closer to it. Since Jim has added the big room and the birds, etc, it's especially fun to visit. And I always find interesting things there. Last trip, I got some hardy gloxinia (sinningia sellouii which doesn't look like a glox at all), and blue sage (eranthemum pulchellum) and really love them both.

I think you'll enjoy the new clero!

Nice to see you posting a bit more often!

Marcia