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Article: Downy gentian: light up your fall garden with these bright wildflowers. (The Wild Side).(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Country Living Gardener
- Article date:
- October 1, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Hearst Communications, reprinted with permission of Hearst. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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In the late fall as the days begin to cool and we are reminded that summer is indeed gone and winter will soon be here, gentians appear as if to say, "No, not quite yet." Amid autumn's palette of earth colors, this wonderful wildflower comes along to give us a spectacular burst of intense, clear blue-violet.
Downy gentian (Gentiana puberulenta) is one of the very last flowers of the season to bloom, even surviving the first hard frosts. Usually less than 20 inches tall, the flowers open in a dense cluster at the top of a shiny stem. The deep, cup-shaped blossoms flare open about halfway up and are trimmed inside with white and soft green stripes. The petals are ...