Seemed like a good idea at the time…

You have to wonder how many people swore off gardening forever because of alyogyne. No doubt it looks fantastic with those purple hibiscus-like blooms, some with a red central eye. And alyogyne are always sold in the “easy” section of the nursery where the plants for dummies are. But I can’t say I’ve ever seen one survive for long in a garden setting, including mine.

Then one day I had a plant epiphany - I saw alyogyne thriving in the most neglected conditions ever - a run down apartment complex where the mow and blow crew blasted the life out of the landscape. One wonders what’s up with that.

Turns out that alyogyne hails from gravely Australian soils leaning on the dry side. You can bet we’ve overwatered it to death. Malvaceae.info says alyogne needs little or no supplemental water, except in extreme drought and that if you can’t provide that, then grow it in pots. Easy. Plus its drought tolerance qualifies it as a California Friendly plant.

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