Cup Flower
Although little-known and usually hard to find, the cup flower is a diminutive delight in the garden. Neat, spreading mounds of the fine-textured foliage are smothered with blue-violet or purple flowers all summer long. Flowers hold their color without fading even in the brightest sun.
Nierembergia is outstanding in large beds or as a 6 to 12-inch ground cover, but is even more elegant and appropriate grown in small patches in the rock garden. It behaves well as an edging to a border or walkway, and can be planted in pots, hanging baskets, and window boxes. It is also a logical substitute for trailing lobelia where the latter dies out in the heat.
For its easy care, long-season blue-violet color, and restrained size, the cup flower deserves greater popularity.
It needs fertile, sandy, moist, well-drained soil that is high in organic matter, and light shade to full sun. Shade is preferred in areas with hot summers. Keep the plants moist, but be careful not to overwater.
