Mimulus bifidus ‘White,’ star performer in the garden

Shrubby monkeyflowers (genus Mimulus) are a common site in the Bay Area, especially in the coastal scrub plant communities where they grow happily alongside sagebrush, chamise, coffeeberry, and others. In the spring, the plentiful orange flowers of Mimulus aurantiacus add a welcome dash of color to the greens and grays that typically dominate the landscape. Leaves have a characteristic sticky feel and plants can have a gangly, disheveled appearance in the wild.

In the garden, monkeyflowers have become very popular because they come in a wide variety of colors (orange, red, yellow, white, purple, etc.) and they bloom for a relatively long time over the spring and early summer. Native monkelyflowers are also available at most Bay Area nurseries, including Home Depot, where I recently saw the ‘Jelly Bean Yellow’ and ‘Pink’ varieties.

I have experimented with many types of monkeyflowers with mixed results. My first attempt was with a central coast cultivar called Mimulus bifidus ‘Junipero Serra’ that I obtained from East Bay Wilds. Unfortunately, the branches are extremely brittle on this plant and it was trampled over time. This was a full sun site and I think they prefer partial shade.

Mimulus bifidus ‘Junipero Serra’ in happier times, Spring 2012

Thankfully, I’ve had much more success with my Fall ’12 plantings. Most of these plants were purchased at Annie’s Annuals in Richmond, which, from my experience, has the healthiest, most robust young plants. The current crop of monkeyflowers began blooming in early April and seem to be peaking now in May. To the photos:

Mimulus aurantiacus, common shrub monkeyflower found on local trails. These are from Mission Blue Nursery, which sources from San Bruno Mountain.

M. puniceus, Red monkeyflower from Annies

M. aurantiacus ‘Apricot’ from Annies

M. ‘Eleanor’ from Half Moon Bay Nursery

M. bifidus ‘Apricot’ on left and M. bifidus ‘White’ on right, both from Annies

M. flemingii, a rare Channel islands variety

M. ‘Jelly Bean Yellow’ from Yerba Buena