How to Grow Limnanthes Plants

Guide to Growing Marsh Flower, Poached Egg Flower and Meadowfoam

Limnanthes is a genus of spreading hardy annuals plants that reach about 30 cm in height.

They carry yellow and white cup shaped flowers in either spring or summer.

Their size and spreading nature makes them an ideal plant for use in the rock garden or as an edging plant.

Some common names for members of the Limnanthes plant genus include Marsh Flower, Fried eggs, Poached Egg Flower, and Meadow Foam.

Limnanthes douglasii
Limnanthes douglasii - Poached egg flower by Arenamontanus; creative commons.

Poached Egg Flower
Poached egg flower by Anyjazz65.

Limnanthes Plant Growing and Care Guide

Common Names: Poached Egg Flower, Fried eggs. Meadowfoam: White; Mountain; Woolly; Foothill; Sebastopol; Baker's.
Life Cycle: Hardy annual.
Height: 10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm).
Native: North America.
Growing Region: Zones 5 to 9.
Flowers: Spring and summer.
Flower Details: Yellow, white. Cup shaped. Four or five petals. Fragrant.
Foliage: Both lobed and non-lobed on the same plant.
Sow Outside: Cover seed. Sow before the last frost, summer, and again in the autumn. Germination time: two to three weeks. Temperature 50 to 60°F (10 to 16°C). Spacing 4 inches (10 cm).
Sow Inside: No.
Requirements: Full sunlight or light shade. Good drainage. Soil pH 5.5 to 6.5. Moist soil. Provide support. Provide trellis. Occasional feed. Regular watering to keep soil moist.
Family: Limnanthaceae.
Miscellaneous: As the poached egg plant is attractive to hover flies it can be grown to biologically control aphids.

How to Grow Marsh Flower, Poached Egg Flower, Meadowfoam and other Limnanthes Plants in the Garden

When growing Limnanthes plants from seeds it is best to start them outside. When Marsh flowers and other Limnanthes members flower is dependent upon the flowering time. Sow the seed before the last frost of spring for summer blooms; sow towards the end of autumn for flowering in the springtime.

In all cases simply cover the seed once the seed has been sown and space them about 10 cm apart. It should take two or three weeks for the seed to germinate.

Marsh flower can grow in either a sunny or partially shaded part of the garden that has good drainage. They prefer a soil that is moist and cool and acidic (pH 5.5 to 6.5) in nature.

Caring for Limnanthes plants in the garden

Marsh Flowers and other Limnanthes planst are easy to look after in the garden; they require regular watering in the dry months.

I hope that you enjoyed this guide on how to grow Limnanthes plants. You may also enjoy the following Gardener's HQ growing guides: How to grow Passiflora incarnata and Geum plants.

If you enjoy the information on this site, then you'll love my book: The Gardener's HQ Plant Growing Guide. Available for Kindle (MOBI), iPad (ePub) and as a PDF.