Fothergill's Cleome Colour Fountain Seeds

Details:

• Botanical Name: Cleome spinosa (Capparidaceae), also famously known as the Spider Flower due to its unique botanical form.
• Plant Class: Half Hardy Annual, originally native to the West Indies and South America, growing rapidly from an early spring start to bloom in its very first summer.
• Architectural Impact: Displays a tall, upright, and stately growth habit, reaching an impressive mature height of 120cm (48in) that is perfect for creating height and structure behind smaller bedding plants.
• The Colour Fountain Palette: Bears large, open clusters of blossoms that unfurl continuously in a beautiful, harmonised mix of soft pinks, rich lilacs, and crisp whites.
• Gourmet Cut Flower: Highly prized for contemporary floral design; the massive, airy flower heads make an unusual, highly dramatic focal point in large home vase arrangements.
• Pollinator Magnet: The lightly fragrant, nectar-rich blossoms are exceptionally attractive to bees, butterflies, and a wide host of beneficial garden pollinators.
• Soil Preference: Performs at its absolute best when positioned in full sun on light, sandy, or highly fertile, well-drained soils that warm up quickly in the summer.

Care Instructions:

• Sowing Position: Start seeds early indoors in pots or modular trays with a good quality, free-draining compost. Cleome seeds benefit from fluctuating temperatures to trigger germination, so a bright windowsill or unheated greenhouse is ideal.
• Planting Out: Acclimatise the young plants gradually to outdoor conditions before transplanting them into their final positions in full sun, well after all danger of spring frost has safely passed.
• Handling & Maintenance: Space the plants around 45cm apart to allow their branching, upright framework to fill out. Take care when handling, as mature stems feature small, natural spines beneath the foliage.