Other Names:  Frog Fruit, Common Lippia, syn. Lippia nodiflora

Description:

A semi-evergreen perennial groundcover with creeping stems that root from the nodes; produces upright spikes with clusters of lavender-pink blooms from spring to fall; foliage is dense and medium green; a rapid grower that handles foot traffic well

Ornamental Features

Turkey Tangle Frogfruit features dainty clusters of lavender flowers with pink overtones rising above the foliage from mid spring to mid fall, which emerge from distinctive purple flower buds. Its attractive small serrated narrow leaves remain grayish green in color throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Turkey Tangle Frogfruit is a dense herbaceous perennial with a ground-hugging habit of growth. It brings an extremely fine and delicate texture to the garden composition and should be used to full effect.

This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It is a good choice for attracting bees and butterflies to your yard. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Spreading

Turkey Tangle Frogfruit is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• General Garden Use
• Groundcover
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Turkey Tangle Frogfruit will grow to be only 3 inches tall at maturity extending to 4 inches tall with the flowers, with a spread of 24 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 18 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain low and dense right to the ground. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years. As an herbaceous perennial, this plant will usually die back to the crown each winter, and will regrow from the base each spring. Be careful not to disturb the crown in late winter when it may not be readily seen!

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. This plant should not require much in the way of fertilizing once established, although it may appreciate a shot of general-purpose fertilizer from time to time early in the growing season. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is native to parts of North America, and parts of it are known to be toxic to humans and animals, so care should be exercised in planting it around children and pets. It can be propagated by cuttings.

Turkey Tangle Frogfruit is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its spreading habit of growth, it is ideally suited for use as a 'spiller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the edges where it can spill gracefully over the pot. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.