Nemesia caerulea

RHS Plant Profile
dark sky-blue nemesia

Save a plant

Where do you want to save Nemesia caerulea?

Plants I own
Wishlist
Go to My Plants
dark sky-blue nemesia RHS

Synonyms

Diascia × _Linaria_
Nemesia fruticans misapplied
Nemesia foetens

Annual Biennial Bedding

A tender, compact, mat-forming perennial, often grown as an annual, that reaches a height of around 50cm. The erect to spreading stems bear lance-shaped leaves, up to 3.5cm long, and two-lipped, tubular flowers in shades of blue, pink and white, with yellow throats, from spring into autumn

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.1-0.5 metres

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
1–2 years
Max Spread
0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height
0.1-0.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained or Well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun
Aspect
West–facing or South–facing
Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H3

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Scrophulariaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Matforming
Genus
Nemesia can be annuals, perennials or sub-shrubs of bushy habit, with simple, opposite leaves and 2-lipped flowers in short racemes or solitary in the leaf axils
Name Status
Correct
Plant Range
S Africa Lesotho

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in a fertile, well-drained soil in full sun. Flowering stops in dry weather unless watered freely

Propagation

Propagate by seed or by softwood cuttings

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • Patio and container plants
  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Low Maintenance
  • Flower borders and beds
  • Garden edging

Pruning

Cut back stems after flowering

Pests

May be troubled by aphids

Diseases

May suffer from foot and root rots in wet soils