A sweet, small flower

I like simplicity. Small groups of friends. Soft classical music. Quiet evenings with the kids, grandkids, and great-granddaughter. And simple, small flowers that just kinda catch your eye from the background – back there where I’ve pulled up my lawn chair.

I’m describing Mexican heather. The plant itself grows to be 15 to 24 inches tall and wide (larger in South Texas where it sometimes overwinters intact). Its leaves are tiny (1/4- to 1/2-inch long and not quite as wide). And its tiny purple flowers are borne freely along its arching stems – they’re not much larger than English peas, and a rich shade of lavender-purple.

Botanically it’s Cuphea hyssopifolia, a member of the Lythrum family. It’s native, as you might have guessed, to Mexico, also Guatemala.

Mexican heather can be used as a patio plant or even in large hanging baskets so that they can be brought into a sunroom or greenhouse as needed in the winter. It does best with morning sun and shade from late morning on through the entire afternoon.

It can also be planted in the ground as a bed-bordering plant. It blooms from the first warmth of spring through the first freeze of the fall. It’s winter-hardy to Zones 9-11, meaning that we’ll have to use it as a tropical annual anywhere north of the Lower Rio Grande Valley or right along the Gulf Coast.

The plant is propagated from tip cuttings. Its profuse blooms are attractive to hummingbirds and butterflies.

Pink and white selections are also sold, but purple is prettiest.

Other than that, there’s not much to say about Mexican heather. After all, it’s just a simple, beautiful little plant waiting its turn to shout out a smile in your garden.