Achimenes Pink - Magic Flower

The Pink Achimenes, often cultivated indoors, is a lovely tropical plant appreciated for its endless and beautifully coloured flowering. Each bright pink trumpet-shaped flower only lives for a few days, but they continuously renew themselves for several months on flexible and gracefully trailing stems. To create a beautiful pot or fill a hanging basket, we recommend planting several rhizomes together. You can place it on the terrace or in the garden during the summer, in a gently sunny and sheltered spot. The plant rests in winter, protected from the cold, in a dry and semi-shaded area.

Achimenes x hybridum or Achimenes belongs to the Gesneriad family. It is a rhizomatous plant native to tropical America, the Caribbean, Mexico, and Guatemala, which fears temperatures below 10°C. In nature, it is found in slightly humid and semi-shady places, anchored on stone walls or rocks, sometimes at high altitudes. Introduced to Europe in the 19th century, different species have been hybridized, giving rise to beautiful varieties intended for the decoration of verandas and interiors. The reserve organ is a tuberous root. Eventually, the plant forms a round and trailing clump that measures about 30-40cm (12-16in) in height and 40-50cm (16-20in) in width. Growth starts in spring, with flexible and somewhat brittle stems that bear ovate and pointed leaves, measuring between 3 and 5cm (1 and 2in) wide, slightly hairy, and toothed at the edges, with a dark green colour. Flowering usually begins in May and continues until September-October. The flowers, 3 to 5cm (1 to 2in) in diameter, consist of a long tube that opens into a corolla with 5 petals. The foliage naturally dries up in autumn, after flowering. It is then time to dig up the rhizomes and store them, for example, in dry sand, in a cool room, protected from light.

Achimenes are often grown as annuals, although they can be kept for several years if they are carefully overwintered in a dry and shaded place. They are generous, colourful, and graceful plants, perfectly suited for hanging baskets and flower pots. You can associate them, for example, with Plectranthus, impatiens, annual lobelias, African violets... During the summer, this fast-growing plant can form beautiful trailing clumps, to be placed, for example, between begonias.