of us gardeners spend a great deal of time wandering aimlessly in the shady wilderness searching for something colorful. We know perfectly well that green is a fascinating color, perfect unto itself. But yet, many of us still want something more vibrant. This is not a problem in spring, because there are plenty of hellebores, violas, bleeding heart, Virginia bluebells and the like. Later on in the same season, we look to the tiarellas and vari-colored heucheras—even the ones with leaves the color of weak tea—and the fancy leafed begonias. In the height of summer we call on the bright leaves of coleus and caladium.
In our lust for flowers that shine in the shade, we sometimes turn to tuberous begonias (Begonia x tuberhybrida), which feature large, splashy flowers in shades of white, yellow, orange, pink and red. Unfortunately, though they are beautiful, tuberous begonias also tend to be a bit delicate and need protection from wind and rain. Cosset them like the demanding creatures they are and they will respond accordingly.
Some of us, however, don’t have the time to stand around, like royal equerries, holding umbrellas over the fluffy heads of horticultural royalty. We need flowering plants that can stand some shade, tolerate a modest amount of benign neglect and still look good. Annual wishbone flower—Torenia fournieri—is one species that will do the job.
Descended from plants that are native to Southeast Asia, wishbone flower is also sometimes known as bluewings. It used to make its botanical home in the Scrophulariaceae family, alongside plants like snapdragon, to which its individual flowers bear a strong resemblance. Now plant taxonomists have given it a new family name, Linderniaceae, along with twelve other former scrophularia-family plants that few have ever heard of. The distinctions make no difference, except to taxonomists.
What does make a difference is the appearance of the plants, which are low growing, rising to no more than six to twelve inches, with a nearly equal spread. The growth habit is branching, which can be encouraged by pinching the growth shoots. The small, toothed leaves are oval-shaped, framing individual flowers that are made up of two lips, joined into a tube at the base. Each upper lip features a single lobe, while the lower lip is generally divided into three distinct lobes. In their natural state, bluewings are blue and blue-purple, but breeders have improved on that by perfecting varieties that feature pink, dark red, white or yellow petals as well. The yellow-petaled variety that I bought was adorned with a purple blotch at the throat, making it a nice partner for a cultivar with petals of the same blue-purple shade.
What’s in a name? The “bluewings” nickname is obvious, since it takes only a bit of imagination to see the outer two lobes of the bottom petals as wings. Each flower also has “wishbones,” a pair of conjoined stamens that resemble the configuration of a poultry bone. Torenia, the Latin genus name, was bestowed, as so many were, by the great plant taxonomist, Linnaeus, in honor of his fellow eighteenth century Swede, Olof Toren, a chaplain for the Swedish East India Company. The species name, fournieri, was given in honor of a nineteenth century French botanist, Eugène Pierre Nicolas Fournier, who was noted for his interests in ferns and the plants of Mexico and Central America.
So, like most of us, wishbone flower is an amalgam of many parts. Its low-growing habit makes it perfect for the use to which I will put it in my garden—as an edging for a semi-shaded bed that already contains plants with blue or purple flowers or leaves. It is also a good subject for container or windowbox gardening, either by itself, or as filler in a mixed planting. To bloom well, it must be kept well watered, especially through the hot summer months. Like all annuals, it also benefits from regular feeding with the plant food of your choice.
You can find cell packs of torenia now in nurseries and garden centers. Suntory has developed the trademarked Summer Wave series, with varieties available in several colors. The similarly trademarked Moon series contains ‘Yellow Moon,’ the yellow-petalled, purple marked cultivar that I just installed in my garden.
No one will ever accuse wishbone flowers of being garden showoffs, but they make lovely accents that keep on going right through the fall. When a few drops of rain daunt the showy begonias, wishbone flowers will take no notice. With everything else that needs tending in the garden, wishbones bring relief.