Mimulus aurantiacus Mai Tai Orange

Mimulus aurantiacus 'Mai Tai Orange', a shrubby and bushy plant that is covered with orange to golden flowers for long weeks between late spring and early autumn. The flowers follow one another on a slightly sticky, bright green foliage. Not very hardy, but also not demanding and water-saving, this variety is suitable for both flowering pots and sunny borders and rockeries.

Mimulus 'Mai Tai Orange' is a recent horticultural selection derived from a botanical species called Mimulus aurantiacus, the Orange Mimulus or Sticky Mimulus. The latter is a prostrate shrub with sticky stems from the Scrophulariaceae family native to the United States, widespread from southwest Oregon to most of California. Botanists have recently renamed this plant Diplacus aurantiacus subsp. aurantiacus. In theory, it is a perennial, but it does not tolerate frost very well, especially in moist soil. However, this Mimulus adapts to many types of soil: moist, dry, sandy or rocky, limestone or not, as long as it is well-drained.

The 'Mai Tai Orange' variety quickly forms a small, upright and well-branched shrub 45-50cm tall and 30-35cm wide. Its stems bear slightly sticky green leaves measuring 3 to 7cm long and 1cm wide, with slightly rolled edges. Flowering begins in May-June, depending on the climate, and continues incessantly until October if the plant does not lack water. In open ground, if the summer is very dry, the flowering will decline. The upright floral stems bear tubular flowers at the base, opening widely into 5 wide and toothed lobes. Each flower measures about 2cm long and 3.5cm in diameter. The flowers appear in pairs or in whorls (small bouquets) along each stem. They are pollinated by bees.

In northerly regions such as north of the Loire, or in our cold and humid regions, it is preferable to cultivate this Mimulus 'Mai Tai Orange' in a pot like Pelargoniums. Find a small place for it in your veranda or in a cold greenhouse during winter. On the other hand, in a coastal garden, you can plant it in a rockery, above a wall, or on a slope, in full sun or partial shade. You can associate it with wallflowers, Dicliptera suberecta, or Lithodora oleifolia.