Flowers don't get much cuter than this!  The "Pink Mouse" Cuphea - Cuphea cyanea subsp. hirtella - is an adorable perennial that's high on my list of favorite plants.  Complete with purple "whiskers", these playful blooms light up the plant from spring through fall, with their awesome color combination of hot pink and yellow.  Even if you don't like mice, it's a fun, spunky plant that happens to be easy to grow.  This pink subspecies is very hard to find online.

Photo by Annie Hayes

Cuphea cyanea is a small shrublet from Mexico that grows about 18 inches across.  While it's not the biggest Cuphea, its eye-catching coloration makes it a star performer in a pot or hanging planter.  Its unique, inch-long blooms appear along racemes for about half the year - or all year if grown indoors!  Their tubular body is hot pink or fuchsia, with a yellow "face" and purple "eyes" (or "ears", depending on your perspective).  And like any self-respecting mouse, it is covered with fuzz.  Kids get a kick out of the flowers - and hummingbirds like them too!

Photo by Eric Hunt

Cuphea cyanea is known to handle summer temperatures of around 95 degrees.  There are reports of it taking winter temperatures in the mid-20s without problems, although i would be cautious with it below freezing.  It enjoys mostly sunny conditions, with some shade from hot afternoon sun.  Like most Cupheas, it prefers rich, well-draining soil that's kept evenly moist (but not soggy).  Trim back the longer branches each winter to keep the plant nice and bushy.

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