Wine Cups, also known as Purple Poppy-mallows, are outstanding, low-growing, central US native wildflowers. The deeply dissected, dark green foliage trails through and around other plants, spreading the cheerfully bright magenta flowers far and wide. They begin flowering in early June and continue to bloom on new growth into September. The plants can be cut back if they begin to get leggy (due to heat and humidity or too much shade), and they will regrow, look tidy, and continue to bloom. Wine Cups are undemanding and easy to grow, but they need well-draining soil. The fleshy, carrot-like taproot will rot if the soil is too wet for too long, especially over the winter months. These whimsical, trailing plants are well-suited to the front of the border or along pathways as a loose, vine-like groundcover or meandering through rock gardens, draping over stone walls, or crawling around meadows and prairies. Caterpillars of the Common Checkered Skipper host on Wine Cups and other plants in the Mallow family.
Sources:
Growing and Propagating Wildflowers by William Cullina
Herbaceous Perennial Plants by Allan M. Armitage
Missouri Botanical Garden
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Illinois Wildflowers
