Sticky monkey flower

Mimulus aurantiacus

Description

Sticky monkey flower gets its common name from its long and narrow leaves with surfaces coated in a sticky resin. It is a delightful small evergreen shrub growing 2-4 ft. tall that becomes totally covered with colorful tubular orange flowers. Cultivars available from different nurseries and garden centers offer plants with white, yellow, orange and red flowers.

Sticky monkey flower grows throughout California in sage scrub, chaparral and oak woodland plant communities on rocky slopes, plains and disturbed areas. Within this range it varies in growth habit and flower color, and is highly adapted to heat, sun and summer drought conditions. It is widely planted in restoration projects as well as native and residential gardens throughout the Inland Empire. Its easy to grow and performs best in ornamental gardens for 3-5 years before needing to be replaced.

Plant Type: Native, Perennial
Foliage Character: Evergreen
Habit: Mounding
Growth Rate: Moderate
Foliage Color: Medium green
Flower Color: Orange
Flower Season: Spring
Soil Adaptations: Well-draining soil, Clay
Exposure Adaptations: Heat, Drought, All day sun
Function: Banks, Attracts butterflies, Small spaces, Wildlife value, Slopes, Rock gardens, Restoration, Hummingbird plant, Flowering accent plant, Container plant, California native
Height: 2 ft. – 3 ft.
Width: 2 ft. – 3 ft.

Watering Schedule: Low 1

For most situations, we recommend watering deeply every 3-4 weeks after establishment.

Learn how to apply this watering schedule to your landscape on our How to water waterwise and California native plants page.

Important Notes

These are general guidelines. Always observe and adjust as necessary for your landscape.
If it rains over 1” you will likely not need to water for at least another 3-4 weeks. Before watering again, check the soil. It should be significantly dry at least 4” below the soil surface before watering.
If you have a “smart timer” or weather sensitive irrigation controller, it is best not to use the automatic weather adjusting features for plants in this category. While very useful for watering higher water demanding plants, those in this category have natural drought adaptations which mean they do not need to be watered more in warm weather. Using the weather adjusting features will result in either overwatering in summer or underwatering in fall and spring.
It is important to group plants with the same water needs together in the landscape to avoid needing to over or under water plants when running your irrigation system.

Best grown in part shade in inland gardens. Pinch when young to promote a more shrub-like form. Remove entire flower stalks once they are finished blooming. Cut back after blooming, but do not cut into old wood below the lowest sets of leaves, or the plant will most likely not grow back (3). Sticky monkey flower can also be pinched back (lightly trimmed) in spring before new growth if desired to clean up a bit and promote a bushier form (5). References