White Philippine Violet September 30, 2017

This is a new discovery for me.  I saw it blooming last fall at the Antique Rose Emporium.  I hunted down an employee to ask them what it was.  Barleria, or common name Philippine Violet.  I had never heard of it.  That is why it's good to go to display gardens at various times of the year to see what is blooming.  It is a fall bloomer, and it likes shade.  Two things I really like:  fall bloomers and anything that is a shade plant that blooms.  There is a white variety and a purple variety.  They didn't have any for sale at the Rose Emporium, but I found some at the Arbor Gate.  It is a perennial, not a shrub, although it gets about 3-4 feet by 3 feet every year.  In cold winters it dies to the ground and then comes up from the roots.  It is cold hardy, but last winter the weather dropped 40 degrees in a few hours, and I lost several of the plants I put in - the purple ones, unfortunately.  But I have two white ones at the entrance to the Boardwalk Garden and two in the Star Garden.  I really like them, and I plan on getting the purple variety to plant in the Infinity Garden next spring.  They set seed, so I can start some plants from seed and put some in the Shade Garden as well.

Above, this plant is not yet in bloom, but the light was right for displaying the size of the plant.