Achimenes (Hot Water Plant): Cascading Blooms for Hanging Baskets

Botanical Name: Achimenes spp. and hybrids

Show off this flowering plant in a hanging basket—enjoy showers of blooms late spring through fall.

Dozens of hybrids offer abundant red, pink, white, purple, violet-blue, or yellow flowers, some with contrasting striped throats.

Tubular flowers to 2 in (5 cm) long flare into 5-petaled trumpets to 3 in (8 cm) wide. Each lasts a few days; continuous blooms for months.

Deep-green velvety leaves in pairs to 3 in (8 cm) with sawtooth edges. Long weak stems cascade over pot edges.

Pinch for Fullness

Pinch stem tips at ~3 in (7.5 cm) to promote branching → fuller plant.

Year-Round Care

• Light: Plenty but no direct sun. Filtered south/west window ideal.
• Water: Evenly moist growing season. Don't overwater. Dry soil → dormancy. Soggy soil → rhizome rot.
• Winter rest: Dormant in winter. When flowering tapers (fall), reduce water, allow natural die-back. Cut brown withered stems at soil level with sharp pruners—don't pull (damages rhizomes). Remove rhizomes, store in paper bag, cool (60°F/16°C), dry until spring.
• Repot every spring: Pot dormant rhizomes in fresh mix (see Soil), 1 in (2.5 cm) deep. Keep lightly moist. Spring = good time to divide rhizomes.

Hot Water Plant name origin: Rhizomes can be started by dipping in hot water before planting. Not necessary, but that's the name source.

Discard small/shriveled rhizomes—not worth repotting.

Achimenes Care Quick Reference

• Origin: Central America
• Height: Trails 1–2 ft (30–60 cm)
• Light: Bright indirect. Protect from hot midday sun (scorches tender leaves).
• Water: Evenly moist always. Dry medium → dormancy. No winter water.
• Humidity: Moderate
• Temperature: 65–75°F (18–24°C). Tolerates 55°F (12°C). Above 80°F (25°C) → flower buds shrivel.
• Soil: Equal parts peat moss, coarse sand/perlite, vermiculite
• Fertilizer: Every 2 weeks while blooming with high-phosphorus liquid fertilizer at 1/4 strength
• Propagation: 3 in (8 cm) stem tip cuttings early summer, or cut rhizome pieces and pot separately