basket flower
Plectocephalus americanus
USDA zones2 to 11
SunHandles full sun to partial shade
WaterNeeds dry soil
Size2 to 6 feet tall2 to 3 feet wide
- Habit
- Herb
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer
- Bloom color
- White , pink
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay
- Soil pH
- Acidic (pH<6.8)
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Basket flower (Plectocephalus americanus) is an annual for borders, meadows, and low maintenance gardens. This plant likes full sun to part shade and dry, sandy, loamy, or clay soil. It grows 24 to 72 inches tall and draws butterflies and bees. The lavender-pink flower heads are 4 to 5 inches wide and smell sweet and honeyed. Stiff, straw-colored bracts sit under each bloom, and the plant looks like a thistle but has no prickles.
Pairs well with Rocky mountain beeplant, Arcadian Blend Mexican Sunflower Mexican sunflower, and Red fescue.
Native range
AR, AZ, IA, IL, and 9 more places. See all 13
AR, AZ, IA, IL, KS, MO, NM, NY, OK, RI, SC, TX, and WI.