SA Garden Catalogue: Torenia Fournieri

The late August rains really poured on the last day of the month and it has been raining almost daily since the beginning of September. It has been really wet, wet, wet. Great for the garden, spurting really luxuriant green growth. But for the Torenia fournieri, the rains do not encourage much flowering. Being an annual herb, these 'happy' flowers seem to flourish best in the tropical spring and summer months.

Scientific name: Torenia fournieri
Common name:
Family: Scrophularia
Origin: Indochina

The plants are 20 to 30 cm tall, and flowers in the axils of the upper leaves. The flowers range from a deep purple colour to lighter purples, to pinks, and white. The species tend to propagate itself by small seeds, hence once you have them in your garden, you will find the plant sprouting in places that sometimes surprise you. I have had the plants mostly in the front garden, but somehow, a couple of them found their way to the back! (I swear I did not move them! Maybe the flower fairy did?) Anyway the plants grow well in full or partial sun and you can propagate Torenia fournieri by seeds.

The flowers in August 2011 (CNB)

The flowers in May 2013 (CNB)