The Elegant Clarkia is a colorful annual wildflower native to coastal areas of California. It grows 2-4 feet tall with bright green leaves and red-purple stems bearing light purple, magenta, or pink flowers from April to July. The flowers are showy and may be single or double blooms. It is a low maintenance plant that readily self-seeds and attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. The Elegant Clarkia is a good substitute for non-native annuals and provides colorful displays in gardens when grown in full sun to partial shade with moist soil.

1. Elegant Clarkia – Clarkia unguiculata (CLARK-ee-uh un-gwik-yoo-LAY-ta)
Family: Onagraceae (Evening Primrose family)
Native to: coastal areas to deserts, mountains in CA and west coast; locally on coastal slopes and in
coastal prairie, grasslands and chaparral, often in partial shade.
Growth characteristics: Annual wildflower mature height: 2-4 ft. mature width: 1-2 ft.
Erect annual herbaceous plant with simple, bright green leaves and red-purple stems.
Blooms/fruits: Apr-July. Light purple/magenta/pink flowers along erect stem. Flowers may be
single or double. Extremely showy. Fruit is a capsule that splits to release small seeds.
Uses in the garden: Very colorful in mixed beds, annual borders, pots, baskets. Cut flowers last
several weeks. Lovely mixed with yellow flowered species or massed for a spectacular show.
Readily naturalizes from seed. Seed can be eaten, and natural dyes obtained from the flowers. For
more on this plant see: http://nativeplantscsudh.blogspot.com/p/gallery-of-native-plants_17.html
Sensible substitute for: non-native Godetias; other non-native summer-blooming annuals like
Cosmos, Impatiens, Nicotianas, Poppies, Salvias.
Attracts: butterflies, hummingbirds, native bees. Native bees are natural pollinators.
Requirements:
Element Requirement
Sun Full sun to semi-shade
Soil Grows best on well-drained soils, but fine in clay; no pH limitations
Water Moist soil in spring; decrease water as flowering declines
Fertilizer Low/none needed
Other Light mulch or none if you want them to re-seed.
Management: Easy to grow – low maintenance. Stems are weak, so may need staking in windy
areas. Reseeds vigorously on moist bare ground, so may need to thin in early spring.
Propagation: from seed: Direct seed outdoors in spring or fall (best in our area). Seeds
germinate in 7-21 days at 70F. Excellent for children – these are dependable germinators!
Plant/seed sources (see list for source numbers): 2, 5, 8, 10, 13, 16, 19, 31 5/5/14
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