The Ribbon Flower – A True Wallflower

A ribbon flower belongs in every Mediterranean garden. Why? The ribbon flower is a true wallflower!

Although the term "wallflower" often refers to something inconspicuous and unremarkable, the ribbon flower is a wallflower – but in a different way.

Stones, sand, little water... This may sound like a description of a barren region in a desert, but it's actually the ideal environment for the ribbon flower to spread out and thrive. Despite how delicate the plant’s flowers appear, the ribbon flower is quite resilient. It loves dry, nutrient-poor soils. It’s hard to believe that a plant can produce such intricate flowers in such an environment. And yet, the ribbon flower is low-maintenance, requires little water, and thrives in full sunlight. This is due to its origin, as the ribbon flower is native to Southern Europe, North Africa, and parts of Western and Central Asia.

As well as the ribbon flower thrives in full sunlight and poor soils, it becomes exuberant when conditions change. The evergreen varieties of the ribbon flower also do well in partial shade, where they produce lush blooms and sturdy leaves. The richer the soil in which the evergreen varieties grow, the more abundant their blossoms will be, which can quickly become overwhelming. Although it’s never really a bad thing for a plant to flourish, these evergreens can thrive so well that they tend to spread uncontrollably. To prevent this, it’s best to keep the ribbon flower in the conditions it loves: dry and sunny.

After being away for a few days and realizing you’ve forgotten to water the plants? Not an uncommon situation and definitely not pleasant for the eyes. However, with the ribbon flower, this won’t happen quickly. On the contrary, this Mediterranean stone plant loves short dry periods of 1-2 weeks between watering. After a dry spell, it should be watered with small amounts, and most importantly: make sure to avoid waterlogging, as ribbon flowers absolutely dislike that!