How to Grow and Care for Fan Flower

Fan Flower Care

Fan flower plants earn brownie points in hot climates for powering through the dog days of summer without any blossom drop and for requiring very little tending. Here are the main care requirements for fan flower:

• Choose a sunny spot that ideally gets at least six hours of sunlight per day.
• Prepare well-draining soil.
• Water regularly if planted in the ground, though fan flower tolerates some drought; water more often if in containers or baskets.
• Fertilize lightly during the growing season in areas where fan flower is a perennial; there is no need to fertilize if growing as an annual.

Light

Choose a site with full to partial sun for best fan flower performance—six to eight hours of sun is optimal. Plants growing in hot, dry desert areas may remain more pert if they are planted in dappled shade.

Soil

Rich soil isn’t necessary for thriving fan flower plants. A soil of average fertility is fine, with good drainage the most important factor in healthy plant growth. Container plants do fine when planted in a standard commercial potting mix, perhaps with some sand blended in. When planted in the garden, heavy clay soil should be amended to make it more porous, or you can grow fan flower plants in raised beds filled with amended soil.

Water

Fan flower plants prefer to be on the dry side, but they are not true xeriscape plants and so do need occasional watering. Plants growing in wet soil may attract fungus gnats, or may experience root rot. Wait until the soil surface is dry to water. Wilted plants will perk up quickly after irrigation.

Temperature and Humidity

Fan flower grows vigorously in warm to hot weather. Temperatures below 60 degrees Fahrenheit will cause flowering to slow or stop. Temperatures between 70 and 85 degrees yield the happiest plants with compact growth, but hot temperatures are also well tolerated. The fan flower welcomes high humidity.

Fertilizer

Accustomed to the lean growing conditions of their native Australia, fan flower plants require only light feeding. Choose a balanced flower fertilizer and apply it once a month during the growing season.

Types of Fan Flower

The pure species plant, S. aemula, is a somewhat large plant, growing to as much as 18 inches with a growth habit that is almost shrub-like when planted in zones where it is hardy. The native plant certainly has a role in the landscape, but more often gardeners choose one of the named cultivars. The many cultivars are generally shorter plants, more appropriate for containers and other garden uses.

• S. aemula ‘Blue Wonder’: A variety with blue flowers that grows 6 to 8 inches tall and 3 to 4 feet wide.
• S. aemula ‘Bombay’: This type offers blue, pink, and white types. The plants grow 8 to 12 inches tall and 12 to 18 inches wide.
• S. aemula ‘Fairy’: Named for the blue, pink, and white flowers it offers, this plant grows 6 to 10 inches tall and 18 to 24 inches wide.
• S. aemula ‘Whirlwind’: This variety offers plants in several colors. Vigorous growers, they will spread to fill containers and fill in borders.
• S. aemula ‘Purple Fanfare’: This type delivers loads of lavender-blue blooms throughout the growing season.
• S. aemula ‘Carpet’: This plant comes in several colors, ideal for creating a dense ground cover.

Pruning

Like most trailing annuals, fan flower benefits from a little snipping here and there to keep it tidy and encourage the plant to grow in a branching habit rather than develop long, lanky stems.

Propagating Fan Flower

Propagating fan flower is usually done by rooting stem cuttings. This is also the standard way to perpetuate a plant into the following spring: Take cuttings of fan flower at the end of summer:

1. Clip a 4- to 6-inch cutting from a non-blooming stem using sharp pruners. Remove the bottom leaves, leaving at least two pairs of leaves at the top of the cutting.
2. Dip the end of the cutting in rooting hormone, then plant the end in a small container filled with commercial potting mix. Place in a bright location and at a temperature of about 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Keep the cutting barely moist, but take care not to overwater, which can cause rot. Roots will form in about one month.
4. Move the potted cutting into a warm, sunny location when a good network of roots has formed. Here, it will continue growing until it’s time to transplant outdoors. These are warm-weather plants that should not be planted outdoors until soil temperatures are reliably at 65 degrees Fahrenheit or higher.

How to Grow Fan Flower from Seed

Fan flower can be tricky to grow from seed, as the seeds are very tiny and germination is slow and not always reliable. But seed starting is sometimes the only option, as fan flower plants are not offered by all local nurseries. It’s best to buy packaged seeds from a commercial source rather than to collect seeds from existing plants.

1. Sow the seeds indoors about two months before the last frost date in a gritty potting mix.
2. Just barely cover the seeds with a sprinkling of potting mix.
3. Mist lightly, and keep seeds at about 70 degrees Fahrenheit and in a bright location but out of direct sunlight.
4. Be patient, as germination usually occurs within a month but can take as long as six days.

Once true leaves have sprouted, the seedlings can be moved into a warm, sunny location. But wait to transplant them outdoors until soil temps are at 65 degrees or higher. Seedling plants should be hardened off by giving them daily visits to outdoor conditions over a period of a week or two before transplanting them into the garden or into their permanent outdoor pots.

Potting and Repotting Fan Flower

Fan flower makes an excellent plant for hanging baskets, window boxes, and containers. Any material in the pot will do as long as the plant has room to trail over the sides of the pot. Placing it in the container close to the edge will help with this. Use loose, well-draining potting mix.

You may need to repot fan flower plants about once a year if they are doubled in size or to replenish nutrients in the soil. Before transferring, water the plant to soften the root system. Wiggle the plant out gently. Water generously in its new pot for the first two weeks while it’s getting established.

Overwintering

In all but the warmest zones (10, 11), fan flower plants are generally pulled up and discarded as winter cold approaches. Large, mature potted fan flower plants usually don’t adapt well to moving indoors for the winter, but some gardeners do have luck transplanting small bedding plants into containers to nurture through the winter in an indoor location.

If you want to try it, carefully transplant some selected garden plants into pots filled with standard commercial potting mix, place them in a sunny window, and protect them from cold for the winter. Watering should be reduced during the winter months so as to encourage partial dormancy. Branches can be pinched back if they become sparse over the winter.

Common Pests & Plant Diseases

Fan flowers of all varieties are generally resistant to pests and diseases. As with any plant, common pests may find it, especially mealybugs. Root rot and fungal infection is also a risk if the plant’s soil is overly saturated.

How to Get Fan Flower to Bloom

Grown in enough light and without daytime temperatures dipping too low, fan flower plants should bloom happily for months.

Bloom Months

Fan flower will normally bloom robustly from early summer right up to frost, provided it gets enough light, water, and warmth, starting around June.

What Do Fan Flowers Look and Smell Like?

The petals are arranged around fan flowers in a whorling fan shape, and cultivars are available in purple, blue, white, and pink. They have a light, sweet scent.

How to Encourage More Blooms

Cold summer spells where daytime temperatures fall below 60 degrees Fahrenheit may temporarily stop the plants from blooming. If all other conditions are adequate, the lack of blooms may be due to low light or very poor soil conditions; feed the plants monthly to see if this improves blooming.

Caring for Fan Flower After It Blooms

If you are growing fan flower as an annual, its lifecycle is effectively complete after blooming. If you are keeping it as a perennial in a warmer climate, care for it as you usually would. Consider pruning it back for aesthetic reasons.

Deadheading Fan Flower

Fan flower is self-cleaning and does not need to be deadheaded, but you can cut it back by half after the first big flush of blooms to encourage new growth and spur even more flowering.

Common Problems with Fan Flower

Fan flower is fairly easy to care for and in the right conditions, you shouldn’t encounter too many problems. As with any plant, here are a few things to look out for.

Yellowing Leaves

Yellowing fan flower leaves can be a sign of environmental stressors, including too much sun if they’re also crispy or too little sun if they’re wilting and lifeless. Make sure your fan flower is soaking up indirect, bright light. If the yellow leaves also have brown spots, check the soil and make sure you’re not overwatering.

Curling Leaves

If you notice the leaves of your fan flower plant curling, it may be time to reassess its current environment. Curling leaves could indicate surrounding temperatures are too high, too low, or fluctuating too suddenly. Be sure to check the temperature regularly so that you can modify care if you’re in a heat wave or cold spell. Adding a layer of mulch may also help regulate the temperature.