Francoa sonchifolia Pink Giant Seeds

Francoa sonchifolia 'Pink Giant' is a remarkable but little-known Chilean perennial, still little used in our gardens. This plant native to the Andean mountains forms a basal rosette of slightly tough undulate leaves from which solid stems emerge in summer, bearing majestic spikes of bicolored flowers, pale pink, with a punctate corolla throat of bright pink. These highly prized flowers in floral art can also be used to create magnificent borders. Like saxifrages, this somewhat tender plant is well suited to alpine greenhouses and thrives in sheltered, semi-shady positions, in well-drained, moist and humus-rich soil.

Francoa sonchifolia 'Pink Giant' is a perennial evergreen of mountain origin belonging to the Francoaceae family, grows in the rocky crevices of the dry region of the steep reliefs of the Chilean Andes, where it forms dense ground cover. This plant develops a basal rosette consisting of persistent, lanceolate, deeply lobed and undulate leaves of variable shape. It produces unbranched stems in summer, carrying compact clusters of star-shaped flowers 1 to 2cm (0.8in) in diameter at a height of 90cm (35.4in) from the ground. They emerge as deep pink buds, then open into pale pink corollas marked with a small bright pink comma at the base of the petals. This species can tolerate temperatures of around -10 to -12°C (14 to 10.4°F) for a short period if the soil is dry in winter.

Often used in bouquets because their flowers are beautiful and long-lasting, Francoas thrive in sunny or semi-shady positions, forming magnificent borders along paths or in front of perennial and annual massifs. These majestic alpine plants are ideal in cool rockeries, surrounded by saxifrages, edelweiss, Ajuga reptans, gentians, Alchemilla mollis, or Androsaces. They can also be grown in pots, which will protect them from winter rains and ensure their perenniality.