Achimenes Red - Magic Flower

The Red Achimenes is a tender plant, often grown indoors, appreciated for its attractive trailing habit and its endless flowering of vibrant vermillion red. Each flower only lives for a few days, but they continuously renew themselves for several months on flexible stems, highlighted by very dark green foliage. To create a beautiful potted display or fill a hanging basket, we recommend planting several rhizomes together. You can place it outside on the terrace or in the garden during summer, in a gently sunny and sheltered spot. The plant rests during winter, protected from the cold, in a dry and shaded area.

Achimenes x hybridum, or Achimenes, belongs to the Gesneriad family and is a rhizomatous plant native to tropical America, the Antilles, Mexico, and Guatemala, sensitive to temperatures below 10°C. In nature, it is found in slightly humid and semi-shaded places, anchored to stone walls or rocks, sometimes at higher altitudes. Introduced to Europe in the 19th century, different species have been hybridized, giving rise to beautiful varieties for the decoration of verandas and interiors. The storage organ is a tuberous root. Eventually, the plant forms a rounded and trailing clump that measures approximately 30-40cm (12-16in) in height and 40-50cm (16-20in) in width. Growth begins in spring, with flexible and slightly brittle stems carrying oval and pointed leaves, measuring between 3 and 5cm (1 and 2in) in width, slightly fuzzy, with toothed edges, and dark green in colour. Flowering usually starts in May and continues until September-October. The flowers, 3 to 5cm (1 to 2in) in diameter, are formed by 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 potted displays. You can associate them, for example, with Plectranthus, impatiens, lobelias, African violets... During summer, this fast-growing plant is capable of forming beautiful trailing clumps, for example, to be placed among begonias.