previous
  • Enchanting Japanese Maples
    Enchanting Japanese Maples
  • Lilacs: Time for a Fresh Look
    Lilacs: Time for a Fresh Look
  • Viburnums are Versatile Shrubs
    Viburnums are Versatile Shrubs
  • 15 Deer-Resistant Plants
    15 Deer-Resistant Plants
  • Friendly Ways to Battle Garden Pests
    Friendly Ways to Battle Garden Pests
  • All About Starting Seeds
    All About Starting Seeds
  • Make Your Own Hypertufa Container
    Make Your Own Hypertufa Container
  • 25 Robust Summer Bloomers
    25 Robust Summer Bloomers
  • A gardener's checklist for early summer
    A gardener's checklist for early summer
  • Garden Catalog Collector
    Garden Catalog Collector
  • The Only Shrubs You Need to Grow
    The Only Shrubs You Need to Grow
  • Bold and Beautiful Zinnias
    Bold and Beautiful Zinnias
  • How to Start a Vegetable Garden
    How to Start a Vegetable Garden
  • Big Flowers from Bigleaf Hydrangeas
    Big Flowers from Bigleaf Hydrangeas
  • Off With Their Heads: Deadheading Perennials
    Off With Their Heads: Deadheading Perennials
  • Soil Testing is Worth the Effort
    Soil Testing is Worth the Effort
  • Building a Compost Bin
    Building a Compost Bin
  • Video: Make a Straw-Bale Garden
    Video: Make a Straw-Bale Garden
  • 10 Perennials Easily Grown from Seed
    10 Perennials Easily Grown from Seed
  • Find the Perfect Tomato
    Find the Perfect Tomato
  • How to Grow Raspberries
    How to Grow Raspberries
  • Backyard Makeover Game
    Backyard Makeover Game
  • Free Download: Rose Pruning and Bed Prep
    Free Download: Rose Pruning and Bed Prep
  • Variegated Plants Create Drama
    Variegated Plants Create Drama
  • Perfect Edges for Your Beds and Borders
    Perfect Edges for Your Beds and Borders
next
Find a plant:

OR Browse All Plants


Genus Cerinthe (Honeywort)

Cerinthe Cerinthe major 'Purpurascens' Photo/Illustration: Jennifer Benner
sir-IN-thee Common Name: Honeywort
The ten or so Cerinthe species of annuals, biennials, and perennials have an unusual presence in the garden. Foliage is usually bluish green or grayish, and leathery. The clusters of tubular, 5-lobed flowers are intriguing and often enclosed, at least partially, by their bracts. Grow honeywort in a border. It will likely be welcome wherever it self-sows.
 Noteworthy characteristics: Leaves are often blue-tinted or oily looking. Tubular flowers can be almost metallic looking shades of blue or purple. Bees love the nectar-rich flowers.
 Care: Grow in light, well-drained, humusy soil and full sun or part shade. Deadhead regularly. Plants do not like winter moisture.
 Propagation: Both annuals and perennials can be started from seed. Perennials can also be propagated using basal cuttings or by division.

Species, varieties and cultivars for genus Cerinthe

Cerinthe major ‘Purpurascens’ Cerinthe major ‘Purpurascens’
(Blue shrimp plant) (1 user review)

Though subtly colored, Cerinthe major ‘Purpurascens’ draws comment wherever it inserts itself. The steely purple bracts and leathery gray foliage of this annual seem extraterrestrial poking up among more conventional herbaceous plants. It is an annual from the Mediterranean region with leaves like a eucalyptus and flowers like a purple euphorbia. This plant produces large black seeds that drop to the ground in late summer and germinate in fall to start the cycle all over again if growing conditions are right.