Propagate by seed - Start seeds outdoors in a nursery bed any time after frost danger has passed up until 2 months before the first heavy fall frost. Do not cover, as light aids germination. Transplant the plants to their garden location in the fall or the following spring. Plants readily self-seed.

Days to emergence: 14 to 21

May require staking. Keep soil moist but not soggy.

Deadhead when about three-fourths of the flower spike has faded. Cut back to basal rosettes after flowering has finished. Leave a few flower spikes if you want plants to reseed.

To encourage plants to flower again the following year, cut the flower spikes back before seeds set. Then dig plant and replant new rosettes.

More growing information: How to Grow Perennials

Japanese beetles
Mealy bugs
Aphids
Thrips

Southern blight
Anthracnose
Fungal leaf spots
Powdery mildew
Root and stem rot

‘Alba’ grows 4 feet tall and bears pure white flowers.

‘Apricot’ grows 4 to 5 feet tall and bears pastel peach flowers with purple spotting inside.

‘Dwarf Temple Bells’ grows 1 to 1.5 feet tall and bears brilliant yellow blooms. Very long flowering period.

'Dwarf Sensation' grows 4 feet tall with dense blooms.

‘Excelsior’ Hybrids grow 5 feet tall and bear very prolific flowers in shades of purple, pink, white and yellow.

'Foxy' Hybrids grow 3 feet tall and bear yellow, white, purple or pink blooms arranged around the flower stems. Flowers first year from seed.

'Giant Shirley' grows 4 to 5 feet tall and bears 3-foot spikes of white, rose or pale pink blooms, often with showy brown spotting.

'Gloxiniodes' grows 6 feet tall and bears salmon, purple, pink, white or yellow flowers with ruffled margins and attractive speckling. Resembles Gloxinia blooms

‘Primrose Carousel’ grows 2.5 feet tall and bears creamy white blooms speckled with wine colored spots inside.

'Sutton's Apricot' bears peach-pink blooms.