Showstar Melampodium is a compact flowering cultivar that brings cheerful, reliable color to gardens across zones 9-11. This heat-loving annual reaches just 10 inches tall but spreads to 18 inches wide, creating a dense, floriferous mound from summer through fall. From seed to first blooms takes 84-98 days, rewarding patient gardeners with months of continuous flowers without fussing. It thrives in full sun and handles both drought and moderate watering with equal grace, making it one of the most forgiving annuals for warm-season gardens.
Full Sun
Moderate
9-11
10in H x 18in W
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Moderate
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Showstar produces an abundance of small, golden blooms that persist reliably from June through November, even when temperatures soar and water is scarce. Deer leave it alone, and it shrugs off drought stress that would wilt other annuals. The compact, spreading habit means it works equally well spilling from containers or anchoring the front of a bed without requiring deadheading to stay full and flowering.
Showstar Melampodium works beautifully as a edging plant along borders, a reliable filler in mixed containers, or a groundcover for sunny, dry spots where other annuals struggle. Its low, spreading habit and uninterrupted bloom make it especially useful for creating drifts of continuous color in cottage gardens or xeriscape plantings.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Sow seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before your last frost date, keeping them at 70°F. Sprouts emerge in 7-14 days. Transplant seedlings outdoors after hardening off once nighttime temperatures stay consistently warm.
Move hardened seedlings into the garden 1-2 weeks after your last frost date, when soil has warmed. Space plants 8 inches apart in full sun.
Direct sow seeds into warm soil 1-2 weeks after your last frost date.
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