Finding
something that will tolerate our hot, humid Gulf Coast summers and thrive (or
at least not immediately die) in my concrete planters is always something of a
challenge. On a trip to Lowe's, right before the state went into lockdown in
March, I found these beauties.
MagillaPurple Perilla looks a lot like coleus and the amount of sun it gets determines
the color of the leaves. Even though they are on the front porch (north side of
the house), we are far enough south that they do get sun in the morning and
afternoon. The plant on the right gets more than the other so some of its leaves are
more purple than green.
The planters
came from my Grandmother's house and are at least 70 years old. They are about 1 cubic foot so the planting area is not very large. The plants are spreading
out nicely and so far there is no sign of roots coming out the drain hole. According
to the tag in the pot, purple perilla needs "regular watering". I
have no idea what that means so I just give 'em a drink every other day and it
seems to be working. As our summer heat ramps up I may need to make that an
every day occurrence. They came through last week's flooding rain and wind from Tropical Storm Cristobal with flying colors. The tag also says they are good for USDA plant hardiness zones 10-11 and since our area is zone 9a, which is further north than that,
they might have a chance of making it. I'll let you know what happens.
