Learn how grow: a concise orientation before we get practical.
Learn how grow: Quick notes
Potted plants may need more frequent watering than those in garden beds.
Fertilizing
Twinspur has moderate fertilizer needs when planted in humus-rich soil.
Apply a slow-release fertilizer in spring and again in mid-to-late summer using a balanced NPK formula such as 5-5-5.
Burpee All Purpose Plant Food
I like Burpee’s All Purpose Plant Food, which you can find available at Burpee.
Alternatively you can also use a product formulated for flowering plants with a higher potassium content such as 4-6-4.
If you prefer to use liquid fertilizers, apply monthly to garden plants.
For those growing in containers, use a half-strength solution every two or three weeks – and read our guide on easy tricks to keep containers looking great all summer!
Avoid overfertilizing which can cause leggy growth.
Containers
With its mounding, trailing habit, twinspur is a natural for adding vivacious color to containers of all shapes and sizes.
Whatever pot you choose must have drainage holes to prevent soggy soil – wet conditions are a primary cause of root and crown rot.
Photo by Lorna Kring.
I like to cover the bottom of containers with a layer of porous drainage material such as broken pottery or pebbles – this helps to ensure water moves freely to improve drainage.
Plant on their own or paired with other annuals, seasonal bulbs, flowering herbs, and mixed perennials for containers with a bright, long season.
For lush growth, use your favorite potting soil or make your own potted plant blend similar to this recipe – it has the nutrients, airy texture, and drainage that helps flowering annuals flourish.
- Into a large bin or wheelbarrow, place two parts of garden or potting soil.
- Mix in two parts of organic matter such as compost, well-rotted manure, or worm castings.
- Add in one part of moisture retentive materials such as coco pith (coconut coir), peat moss, or vermiculite – this is helpful for containers that tend to dry out quickly in hot sunshine.
- If needed, add in one part of gritty materials such as landscape sand, stone chips, pea gravel, or perlite to ensure well-draining soil.
Avoid using garden soil alone for potted flowers, it’s too heavy and compacts easily, causing root problems.
Cultivars to Select
For colorful diascia cultivars, check the bedding plant section of your favorite garden center. Seeds can be a bit elusive to source, but some are available from online retailers.
Here’s a sampling to whet your appetite:
Daydream
What a day for ‘Daydream’ diascia (D. fetcaniensis)! This creeping charmer offers handsome mounds of bubble gum pink flowers with plum throats that flower all summer and into fall.
Plants grow up to 10 inches tall and 18 inches wide, and the spreading habit is ideal for front of border placements or spilling over container rims.
A light shear when plants become leggy gives a good second bloom and ‘Daydream’ overwinters well in mild climates.
Little Tango
Dramatic as the dance it’s named for, Little Tango® (aka ‘Pentang’) makes a big impact with masses of coral-orange flowers accented with mango throats that bloom over a long season.
The mounding and slightly trailing plants grow 10 inches tall and spread 12 inches.
A vibrant choice for hanging baskets, beds, borders, and containers – trim when leggy for a nice show into autumn.
Monhop Pink
With a continuous display from late spring to early fall, ‘Monhop Pink’ is a semi-trailing delight with waves of luscious, cerise pink blooms.
The spreading plants reach up to 20 inches tall and wide and make a colorful mainstay in beds, containers, and hanging baskets. For a strong rebloom, trim after the first flush wanes.
Flying Colors Red
For eye-catching impact, Flying Colors® Red (‘Diastonia’) boasts clouds of luscious blooms in an intense raspberry pink with ruby throats.
These heat tolerant plants grow up to 12 inches tall with a spread of 20 inches and make a bold choice for baskets, beds, patio pots, rockeries, and butterfly gardens.
For fall flowers, shear lightly in midsummer when flowers slow and stems become a bit leggy.
Piccadilly Denim Blue
Welcoming as a comfy pair of jeans, Picadilly™ Denim Blue (‘Kledb06039’) offers cushions of mauvy denim blue blooms accented with magenta throats.
The compact plants have a height and spread of up to 12 inches and thrive in cooler temperatures, adding soft color to hanging baskets, mixed beds, borders, window boxes, and containers.
Shear when leggy for an impressive fall rebloom.
Maintenance
To promote bushy, dense plants, pinch out the longest stems by half when they’re at least six inches in length.
To prolong their bloom time, deadhead by lightly shearing spent flowers regularly.
Photo by Lorna Kring.
For lightly shearing plants with delicate stems like diascia, I prefer to use scissors over garden snips, they do a much better job of cutting cleanly.
If flowering declines temporarily in summer’s heat, shear to reduce plants by about one-third to promote a full bloom when the air cools off in late summer.
Propagation
Direct sow seeds outdoors one to two weeks before the last frost date in your region or seeds can be started indoors six to eight weeks before planting out.
Bedding plants are also available in most garden centers in spring.
When transplanting into prepared soil, mix in one tablespoon of bone meal and one tablespoon of a balanced, slow-release fertilizer such as 5-5-5 NPK to provide a steady supply of nutrients.
Water plants to settle in place and keep the soil lightly moist until they’re established.
Learn how grow comes up here to connect ideas for clarity.
