Mimulus ringens 

Allegheny Monkeyflower

• Moderately to Very Wet Soils
• Full Sun to Part Shade
• 24” tall, 12” to 24” spacing
• Summer Blooms
• Ontario Native, Thrives in High Moisture Ecosystems

I encountered these charming flowers for the first time last summer as I was photographing other, taller species in the seasonally wet hydro cut in Perth where so many of the other moisture loving species I’ve been writing about thrive.

They were tucked between the grasses and perennials over twice their height and would likely have remained unnoticed by me if they hadn’t been in full, cheerful bloom.

A bit of online research tells me that they require consistent moisture and are happy both in the partially shaded setting where I encountered them and in full sun locations.

They grow to around 2’ tall, with an individual spread of 1’ to 2’.

I made specific note of their location and was able to gather a few seed pods in the fall. They seed as abundantly as lobelias, with even smaller, dust like seeds that need to be sown on the surface of the soil and left exposed to light to germinate successfully. If they thrive like baby Lobelias so often do, I’m hoping to have some to offer as part of the spring plant sale.

They are strictly for high moisture locations, like water garden margins, bog gardens, seasonally flooded meadows and shorelines, but if their moisture needs are accommodated, they’ll reward you with 4 to 6 weeks of cheerful blue blooms in late summer.