Godetia

Godetia (Clarkia amoena) is an upright plant that typically grows about 20 to 40 inches (50 to 100 cm) tall, with a spread of about 4 to 20 inches (10 to 50 cm). Its single or double summer flowers come in lilac or pink, sometimes with a white center, and they attract pollinators such as bees and butterflies.

Most descriptions call it an annual, though one profile also lists it as biennial. It is also known as farewell-to-spring and satin flower, and it is native to the Pacific Northwest.

Sow seed outdoors where the plants will grow, as soon as the soil can be worked in spring. Sowing directly in the ground in early spring or autumn is also listed.

Press the seed gently onto the soil and cover it with about 1/16 inch (about 1.6 mm) of soil. Keep the surface moist until the seedlings come up, which usually takes 5 to 10 days when the soil is kept at 65 to 70 °F (18 to 21 °C).

You can also start seed indoors about 4 weeks before planting out, then harden the seedlings off before setting them outside after the last frost.

Choose a spot in full sun or partial shade, with poor to moderately fertile, slightly acid, moist but well-drained soil.

Cut the plant back after it finishes flowering. The plant may benefit from a horizontal trellis or support. Over time it can spread on its own by seed in the garden.

Avoid hot, humid conditions. Seedlings can grow weak and spindly when it is too warm, so cool growing conditions help. The seed page recommends 60 to 65 °F (16 to 18 °C) by day and 50 °F (10 °C) at night, and not above 75 °F (21 °C). The plant is generally pest-free, but it is susceptible to foot rot and stem rot.

Seed pods form all along the long stem. Cut the plants back when they finish blooming and put the pods in a container; as they ripen and open, the seeds fall out and can be cleaned with a small strainer. Saved seed can be sown in autumn for spring bloom.