This spring I was looking for some cheap cleome bedding plants since the ones I sprouted from seed myself were a little puny. Last year I was able to get a couple of 4 packs for less than 3 bucks. This year I couldn’t find them for sale anywhere.
My mom and I like to use cleome to anchor the back of our flowerbeds along with tall zinnias and marigolds.
What I did find at a garden center was a hybrid Proven Winners cleome called ‘Señorita Blanca’. This white cleome is supposed to grow 24 to 48 inches tall and prefers full sun.
I purchased three ‘Señorita Blanca’ plants and put them in a flowerbed that gets part-sun. They were planted during the third week of May, and since that time they have endured numerous strong thunderstorms with high winds and more than 12 inches of rain. I fertilized that flowerbed once in June, and I have yet to cut any spent blooms after 9 weeks of constant blooming.
My only complaint is that they topped out at 24 inches so they really aren’t a back-of-the-border plant. But since they were already blooming when I purchased them, I had a hunch they might stay on the smaller end of their listed height. I didn’t actually use them in the back row.
Butterflies visit the flowers, and despite all the rain and storms, I haven’t had to stake any of the plants. They are proven winners indeed. You can look for them at your local garden center next spring. They would even make a great summer potted plant for a patio or deck.