Garden and Flowers

This is one of those “Whatever-is-that?” plants, species which make visitors to your garden stop in their tracks to enquire about their strange appearance. The small pink flowers, 5/8 in wide, have a very remarkable shape resembling that of a small devil with a retrousse nose and ears like table-tennis bats. The British liken it to a mosquito and call the species “mosquito flower.” The plant grows to about 20 in in height, and its large leaves are undoubtedly its principal decorative feature. Pinching out the growing tips will encourage the plant to branch out and produce more flower stems.

It is best to sow the seed directly in the garden from the end of April or, alternatively, sow indoors in March-April. The plants dislike full sunlight and keep their looks far better in partial shade.