Because honeywort is mainly seed-grown, there’s quite a bit of variability in flower color. Most honeywort blossoms are purple to blue, but you may come across creams and even yellows. The plants attract pollinators with their nectar-rich flowers. The foliage of honeywort is also unique. Most plants in this family have exceptionally hairy foliage, whereas honeyworts may only have stray hair here and there. The leaves are thick and waxy in an attractive gray-green color. They also have cream spots and splashes when they’re young, but these fade with maturity.
Honeywort Care Must-Knows
Honeywort tolerates various soil conditions, making it an easy-to-grow plant. Ideally, it prefers soil rich in humus and organic matter that retains a decent amount of moisture while also being well-drained to prevent potential rot problems. When growing honeywort in containers, use a general-purpose potting mix; the plant will need a bit more water when grown in a pot. Once established, honeywort can handle the occasional drought, but supplemental watering is beneficial. Full sun is best to grow the most vibrant honeyworts, but plants can tolerate light shade. Full sun will help to give honeyworts the most intense blue-colored bracts possible. However, too much shade can cause honeywort to become quite leggy, and without careful attention can lead to powdery mildew infections. Honeywort will produce large black seeds that fall to the ground, germinate in autumn, and creates a nice stand of plants. Collect the seeds for sowing next spring in cooler climates where these plants will die from freezing temperatures. To do this, plant seeds in small pots 6 to 8 weeks before the frost-free date for your area. Once the threat of frost has passed, plant the young seedlings outdoors. You can also sow honeywort seeds directly in the ground with good success.
Honeywort Companion Plants
Angelonia
Angelonia is also called summer snapdragon, and you’ll know why once you get a good look at it. It has salvia-like flower spires that reach a foot or 2 high, and the plants are studded with fascinating snapdragon-like flowers with beautiful colorations in purple, white, or pink. It’s the perfect choice for adding bright color to hot, sunny spaces. This tough plant blooms all summer long with spirelike spikes of blooms. While all varieties are beautiful, keep an eye out for the sweetly scented selections. While most gardeners treat angelonia as an annual, it is a tough perennial in Zones 9-10. Or, if you have a bright, sunny spot indoors, you can even keep it flowering all winter.
Coralbells
Exciting new selections with incredible foliage patterns have put coralbells on the map. Previously enjoyed mainly for their spires of dainty reddish flowers, coralbells are now grown as much for the unusual mottling and veining of different-color leaves. The low clumps of long-stemmed evergreen or semi-evergreen lobed foliage make coralbells good groundcover plants. They enjoy humus-rich, moisture-retaining soil. Beware of heaving in areas with very cold winters.
Lamb’s Ear
Lamb’s-ears is a top pick for a groundcover in a hot, baked spot. Its silver felted foliage quickly forms a dense, delightful mat. It also contrasts nicely with other foliage and most flowers. However, depending on the type and your growing conditions, it may self-sow freely to the point of becoming a bother. In hot, humid climates, lamb’s ears may “melt down” in summer, becoming brown and limp. A different but related plant, lamb’s ear is worth growing for its shade tolerance, dark green crumpled leaves, and bright purple spikes of whorled 1-inch flowers in late spring. Wood betony is similar but not as shade-tolerant.
