Mauve Queen Cleome

A pretty, shrubby plant with shiny leaves and pretty explosions of purply blooms that travel upwards as the stems grow, Mauve Queen Cleome lends to any garden a stately and tropical presence. It is attractive to pollinators, drawing in nearly all flying friends, and as the season progresses its form becomes more structural in appearance, each maturing seed pod giving the impression of rungs on a verdant ladder. Works as a cut flower, but its aroma can be too skunky for some tastes, so it is most often appreciated as a garden and landscaping plant. Sometimes self sows, though not reliably, so it's best to start seed every year.