Gloomy Rival Painted Tongue is a dramatic flowering cultivar of Salpiglossis sinuata that brings moody, intricate beauty to summer and fall gardens. Growing 18 inches tall with a compact 12-inch spread, this frost-tender heirloom produces stunning blooms from June through November in zones 10-11. From seed to first flower takes 98 to 112 days, rewarding patient gardeners with weeks of color that attracts pollinators throughout the warm season.
Full Sun
Moderate
10-11
18in H x 12in W
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Moderate
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The velvety, intricately patterned flowers that give painted tongue its name appear in rich, complex hues over a long season stretching from early summer into late fall. In zones where frost arrives, this variety thrives as a cool-season annual, flourishing precisely when many other flowers fade. Butterflies and other pollinators are drawn reliably to these blooms, making it a living bridge between your garden and the wider ecosystem.
Gloomy Rival Painted Tongue grows as an ornamental flower, valued for its intricate, velvety blooms in the garden and as a cut flower for arrangements. The lengthy bloom window from summer through fall makes it especially useful for extending seasonal color when many other flowering plants are exhausted by heat or approaching dormancy.
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Start seeds indoors 8 weeks before your last frost date. Keep the soil at 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Seeds require darkness to germinate, so surface sow them, press gently into the soil, sprinkle with fine vermiculite, and cover with black paper to exclude light. Expect sprouting in 7 to 21 days.
Transplant outdoors after your last frost date, once soil has warmed and frost danger has passed. Space plants 8 inches apart in full sun.
Direct sow at your last frost date. Cover seeds with fine vermiculite and black paper to provide the darkness required for germination.
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