If you happen upon the sidewalk along the Sequoia Park Zoo on W Street in Eureka, take a good look at the bright orange flowers tucked in amongst the other native shrubs. This is the sticky monkey flower, Mimulus aurantiacus. From late spring through autumn, cheerful little flowers (some say they resemble a grinning monkey) smother long, sticky stems. Foliage is quite sticky, also, due to a glandular resin coating that helps this drought tolerant California native conserve water.

At the nursery, you might also find Mimulus blooming in bright hues of red, white, yellow and gold. Flowers attract hummingbirds and numerous butterflies. It is a special larval food for the painted lady and checkerspot butterfly.

A unique characteristic of a sticky monkey flower is how the little white protruding stigma in the center of each flower will close up tight when touched. Kind of like how the Venus flytrap operates. One reason behind this phenomenon is pollination. If a human touches the two lipped stigma, it closes up and later reopens. If a pollinator touches it with pollen, the stigma remains closed thus signaling to the plant to set seed.

Sticky monkey flowers are fairly easy to grow. They prefer full sun and a well-drained soil. A bit of 4-4-4 natural fertilizer at planting time gets them off to a healthy start. Occasional summer watering will keep plants fresh and blooming profusely. This shrub-like perennial typically grows up to 3 feet tall and about as wide.

Sticky monkeys can become a bit woody and leggy by the end of the season. It’s best to leave plants alone until early spring. Then you can prune back by about two thirds. Fresh new growth will sprout from woody stems. Within a few short weeks the entire plant will be flush with new foliage and ready to bloom once again.

Terry Kramer is the retired site manager for the Humboldt Botanical Garden and a trained horticulturist and journalist. She has been writing a garden column for the Times-Standard since 1982. She currently runs a gardening consulting business. Contact her at 707-834-2661 or terrykramer90@gmail.com.

Source: times-standard.com