We always look forward to late June with the patches of Sinningia tubiflora burst into flower. This rhizomatous perennial, first cousin to African Violets’, is rock hardy to 0 degrees F. This South American native (Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay) forms a dense deciduous groundcover, topped with these long-tubbed, honeysuckle-fragranced flowers that attract nocturnal moths with a really long proboscis.
I grew Sinningia tubiflora in a container. The fragrance is ethereal and my plant (in the greater St. Louis area) bloomed throughout summer. In autumn, after the plant entered dormancy, I over-wintered in my basement withholding water until early spring. A jewel!