Cafe Au Lait Salpiglossis brings an unexpected elegance to the garden with its coffee-toned trumpet flowers that range from mocha to light roast caramel, each with a striking golden throat. These stunning 2-inch blooms crown compact, sturdy stems reaching 8 to 12 inches tall, creating a sophisticated display that feels more refined than typical annual flowers. Hardy in zones 10-11 and frost-tender elsewhere, this heirloom cultivar thrives in containers and at the front of borders, where its warm, creamy palette becomes a conversation piece. The flowers sprout quickly in 10-12 days at 65-70°F, and with pelleted seed and moderate water needs, it's surprisingly straightforward to grow.
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Moderate
10-11
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High
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The color alone sets Cafe Au Lait apart: petals that evoke a morning cup of coffee with cream, deepening from caramel to mocha and lit from within by a golden throat. Growing just 8-12 inches tall with 2-inch trumpet flowers, this compact plant fills containers and garden edges with an almost impossible richness of tone that reads more like a collector's specimen than a common annual. Baker Creek's recommendation to plant at 4 inches apart creates an dense, dramatic effect, transforming containers into living still lifes of warm, sophisticated color.
Cafe Au Lait Salpiglossis is grown as an ornamental flowering plant, prized for cutting and container displays where its unusual color can be fully appreciated. Its compact growth habit and modest stature suit it to the front of borders, window boxes, and pots where the distinctive coffee-and-cream trumpet flowers become a focal point in small spaces.
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Start Cafe Au Lait Salpiglossis indoors 6-8 weeks before your last spring frost. Sow pelleted seed on moist soil at 65-70°F; germination occurs in 10-12 days. Keep soil consistently moist but not waterlogged during the seedling stage. Provide bright light once sprouts emerge, and maintain temperatures around 65-70°F until hardening off.
Harden off seedlings over 7-10 days by gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions, wind, and direct sun. Transplant outdoors only after all frost danger has passed and soil has warmed, as this variety is frost-tender. Space plants 9 inches apart (or 4 inches apart for a denser container display). Choose a location with 8-12 hours of direct sun.
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