Plant Profile

Monkey Flower - (Mimulus ringens) is a rhizomatous, upright perennial which typically occurs in swampy areas, wet meadows, pond/streambanks, and low woods. It is best grown in partial shade. This plant needs consistently moist soils and will slowly spread into a bushy plant, attractive in a landscape setting. 

The flowers look something like a monkey's face, giving it the common name. The blooms appear as solitary long-stalked flowers. They will grow as a pair, opposite each other on the leaf axils at the upper portion of the plant. These unique opposite flowers tend to bloom on different days from one another. The purplish-blue small flowers can sometimes verge on pink or white and will bloom for 1 month or more in mid-summer.

If you do not have the adequate site conditions, the Monkey Flower lends itself nicely to container planting so long as it is kept well watered. Consider planting them in 1-2 gallon containers using rich soil that is well moistened.