How to Grow Trachymene Plants

Guide to Growing Lace Flower, Wild Parsnip, and Blue Lace Flower

Although Trachymene are perennials they are usually grown as half hardy annuals in the garden.

Trachymene range from 15 to 60 cm in height. Trachymene bloom in the summer when they carry small purple flowers in a globe, atop an erect stalk.

Some common names for Trachymene include Laceflower and Blue Laceflower.

Australian Lace Flower
Australian Lace Flower (Trachymene coerulea) by Aussiegall; Creative Commons.

Trachymene pilosa
Trachymene pilosa - Native Parsnip by h3_six; Creative Commons.

Trachymene Growing and Care Guide

Common Names: Lace Flower, Wild Parsnip, Rottnest Island Daisy, Blue Lace Flower, Spongefruit, Native Candytuft.
Life Cycle: Half hardy perennial commonly grown as a half hardy annual by gardeners.
Height: 8 to 20 inches (20 to 50 cm).
Native: Australasia.
Growing Region: Zones 3 to 8. As a perennial in zones 8 to 10.
Flowers: Summer and/or autumn.
Flower Details: Purple, lavender, white. Tiny flowers in mass.
Foliage: Light green. Obtuse. Obcordate. Divided. Sticky.
Sow Outside: Cover seed. Following the last frost. Spacing 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm).
Sow Inside: Use peat pots. Germination time: two weeks to one month in the dark. Temperature 70°F (21°C). Two months before expected last frost. Transplant outdoors following the last frost.
Requirements: Full sunlight. Ordinary soil. Organic soil. Moist soil. Can survive in dry soils. Provide support. Occasional watering during prolonged dry periods. Pinch tips.

How to Grow Laceflower and other Trachymene Plants in your Garden

When growing Trachymene species such as Laceflower from seeds they should be sown in spring, just before the last frost. Lightly cover the seeds once sown. Ideally Laceflower should be spaced about 20 to 25 cm apart and grown in a sunny part of the garden that has a soil enriched with organic matter.

If starting off Laceflower indoors then do so about 10 weeks in advance. The seeds should be sown into peat pots. It should take about two to four weeks for Laceflower to germinate at a temperature of about 20 degrees centigrade; germination should be done in the dark. Once growing transplant the Trachymene seedlings outdoors a week or so after the last chance of a spring frost.

Caring for Laceflower

It is quite easy to care for Laceflower, the young Trachymene plants should be pinched back at the tips to encourage branching; as they like slightly moist soil water them with moderation when soil dries out. For best results grow Laceflower closely together.