Unleash Your Green Thumb: A Beginner’s Guide to Growing Tweedia

Tweedia is a stunning plant with sky-blue flowers that are sure to catch your eye. This South American native belongs to the milkweed family and is also known as blue milkweed due to its unique blue flowers. It attracts pollinators and makes for a beautiful cut flower, with the ‘Heavenly Blue’ cultivar being the most popular. However, it’s important to note that tweedia is toxic to humans and pets.

When it comes to planting tweedia, it prefers full sun in northern climates and partial shade in southern climates. It needs moist but well-drained soil and a sheltered spot protected from strong winds. Tweedia is an annual vine that needs support, so make sure to provide it with a trellis or teepee.

Tweedia care requires at least 6 hours of sunlight a day in cooler climates and some afternoon shade in hot climates. It can tolerate a wide range of soils but needs consistently moist soil, so water it regularly. Tweedia is not frost-tolerant and thrives in hot weather with high humidity. Fertilize it every two weeks with complete all-purpose fertilizer to encourage ongoing bloom and pinch the stem tips of young plants in the spring to promote branching.

The best way to propagate tweedia is through seeds, which can be started indoors six to eight weeks before the last predicted frost. There are different types of tweedia, such as ‘Heavenly Blue’ and ‘Heaven Born,’ and it makes for a great companion plant to purple coneflowers, sunflowers, and zinnias.

In conclusion, tweedia is a gorgeous plant that requires some care and attention but is worth the effort for its stunning blue flowers and attractive foliage.