Spigelia marilandica Little Red Head - Indian pink

Spigelia marilandica ‘Little Redhead’ is a summer perennial that attracts attention with its crimson red and yellow trumpet-shaped, exotic-looking flowers. This variety performs best in shaded borders and at the edge of woodland, in humus-rich, moist soil. But its long-lasting flowering and compact habit make it an unusual plant for containers and small spaces.

Spigelia marilandica ‘Little Redhead’ is a herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the Loganiaceae family. The type species is native to the cool, wooded regions of eastern North America, where it grows naturally in the deep humus of clearings or at the forest edge, in soils that are consistently slightly moist and rich in organic matter. This plant tolerates cold very well: it withstands temperatures down to around –20/-25 °C. It is a deciduous species whose foliage dies back in winter, only to reappear reliably each spring.
The cultivar ‘Little Redhead’ is a selection developed in the USA by Bob McCartney at Woodlanders Nursery (Aiken, South Carolina), and introduced into the horticultural trade through collaborations with PDN/JLBG. This plant forms a dense, well-structured clump, composed of slender but stiff stems bearing opposite, lanceolate leaves of lustrous dark green. The leaves are slightly sheathing at the base. At maturity, ‘Little Redhead’ reaches about 60 cm in height with a spread of 50 cm. The quite spectacular flowering begins in June and can extend into August depending on conditions. At the tip of each stem develops a short one-sided spike, bearing 2 to 12 light green flower buds. These buds gradually elongate, swell, and take on a brilliant crimson colour. When they open, the flowers reveal a star-shaped, bright yellow throat with five lobes, sometimes turning lime green towards the end of flowering.

Spigelia ‘Little Redhead’ is an unusual, very colourful perennial, interesting for bringing a touch of the exotic to the cooler areas of the garden. It can be planted at the edge of woodland, along a hedge border, or in a partially shaded border, even in a sunny position if the soil remains moist throughout summer. It creates beautiful borders with perennials that have decorative foliage, such as heucheras, epimediums, variegated hostas, or ferns such as polystichums. It can also be combined with hardy geraniums for shade, saxifrages or brunneras with their silver foliage.