Plant Guide

Other Names:  Angel Tears

Description:

Tiny lime green leaves on a spreading, very low, prostrate habit; a great groundcover perfect for a shade to semi shade area; ideal for basing containers and terrariums and is used in bonsai; likes even moisture and good drainage

Ornamental Features

Baby's Tears is primarily valued in the garden for its broadly spreading habit of growth. It attractive tiny round leaves emerge light green in spring, turning lime green in colour the rest of the year.

Landscape Attributes

Baby's Tears is a dense herbaceous annual 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 is a relatively low maintenance plant, and is best cleaned up in early spring before it resumes active growth for the season. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Spreading

Baby's Tears is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Groundcover
• Container Planting
• Hanging Baskets

Planting & Growing

Baby's Tears will grow to be only 1 inch tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. Its foliage tends to remain low and dense right to the ground. Although it's not a true annual, this plant can be expected to behave as an annual in our climate if left outdoors over the winter, usually needing replacement the following year. As such, gardeners should take into consideration that it will perform differently than it would in its native habitat.

This plant does best in partial shade to shade. It requires an evenly moist well-drained soil for optimal growth, but will die in standing water. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. This species is not originally from North America. It can be propagated by division.

Baby's Tears is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor containers and hanging baskets. 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.