Pimpernel

Pimpernel (Anagallis) - Pretty half-hardy annuals of the Primrose family. The best known is the Italian Pimpernel (A. Monelli), with large blossoms, deep blue shaded with rose. There are several varieties—rubra, grandiflora, Wilmoreana, bright blue-purple, yellow eye; Phillipsi, deep blue, rose-colored centre; Breweri, intense blue; linifolia, fine blue, very dwarf; and sanguinea, bright ruby—all flowering from July to September. The Indian Pimpernel (A. indica) has small, bright blue flowers. Pimpernels grow well in ordinary garden soil, and are used with good effect in borders or edgings to beds. The pretty little bog Pimpernel (A. tenella) is a native creeping plant, with slender stems and myriads of tiny pink flowers. A. grandiflora I find one of the best annual flowers.