Fan flower (Scaevola aemula 'Blue Wonder')
Scaevola aemula 'Blue Wonder', or Fan flower, offers non-stop dark blue blooms in heat. Low maintenance perennial for zones 10-11.
Complete Plant Information
Overview
The Scaevola aemula ‘Blue Wonder’, commonly known as Fan flower, is prized by gardeners for its relentless summer blooming habit, even under intense heat and humidity. This sprawling evergreen perennial provides continuous color from summer until the first frost, making it a reliable choice for season-long visual interest. Its unique, dark blue, fan-shaped flowers truly stand out in any setting.
Native to Australia, Scaevola aemula ‘Blue Wonder’ thrives as a tender perennial in warmer climates (Zones 10-11) but is widely appreciated as an outstanding annual elsewhere. It features a low, spreading habit, typically reaching heights under 1.5 feet but spreading up to 2 feet wide. Grow this plant for its exceptional performance in containers, baskets, and as vibrant summer bedding.
The ease of care associated with the Fan flower contributes significantly to its popularity. Requiring only average soil and medium water, it demands low maintenance while delivering high impact blooms. For gardeners seeking reliable, colorful ground cover or trailing accents, Scaevola aemula ‘Blue Wonder’ proves to be an exciting and durable selection.
Fast Facts
- Plant Family: Goodeniaceae
- Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial
- Hardiness Zones: USDA Zones 10-11
- Size at Maturity:
- Height: 0.75-1.5 ft
- Spread: 1-2 ft
- Bloom Time: Flowers freely
- Bloom Description: Dark blue
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
- Water Needs: Medium
- Maintenance Level: Low
How to Grow
Planting the Fan flower should occur after all danger of frost has passed if treating it as an annual. This species appreciates average, medium-textured, well-drained soils. While it prefers full sun, providing light filtered or dappled afternoon shade can be beneficial, especially in the hottest locales. Ensure the planting site is prepared to allow for its spreading habit.
Care for Scaevola aemula ‘Blue Wonder’ involves regular watering throughout the active growing season, as it prefers a steady moisture level. It thrives significantly well in hot and dry summer conditions once established, though consistent watering supports maximum flower production. Fertilizing is usually not strictly necessary if planted in decent garden soil, but light applications can boost blooming performance.
For overwintering, container plants can often be brought indoors before the first hard freeze, or late summer cuttings can be taken to start new material inside. Bedding plants may sometimes be potted up in the fall for overwintering, though many gardeners find it simpler and more effective to treat them as disposable annuals and replace them each spring. If starting from seed, start indoors 6 to 8 weeks prior to your area’s last expected frost date.
Landscape Uses
The recommended uses for the Scaevola aemula ‘Blue Wonder’ highlight its excellent versatility in warm-weather plantings. This plant functions perfectly as a tender perennial usually grown as an annual, lending itself wonderfully to hanging baskets where its trailing stems can cascade dramatically. It also excels in containers and window boxes, providing a consistent, cool blue contrast to brighter annuals.
Due to its spreading nature, the Fan flower is an ideal choice for bedding displays, sprawling gently over the edges of raised beds or softening the edges of retaining walls. Use it to spill over walls where it can create a continuous curtain of dark blue, covering hardscape elements beautifully. It also serves as an excellent, low-maintenance filler plant in mixed annual displays.
When using Scaevola aemula ‘Blue Wonder’ in containers, pair it with upright, brightly colored companions like geraniums or calibrachoa. Its low-growing, trailing habit makes it a perfect “spiller” element in the “thriller, filler, spiller” container design method, complementing taller focal plants.
Standout Features
Flower Qualities
- Showy
Noteworthy Characteristics
Scaevola aemula, commonly called fan flower or fairy fan flower, is native to Australia, presenting as a sprawling evergreen perennial with ascending and/or procumbent stems, typically growing 9-18” tall and spreading to 24” wide. It excels in hot, humid climates, generating a non-stop bloom of dark blue fan-shaped flowers throughout summer until the first frost. The genus name, Scaevola, derives from the Greek word for left-handed due to the hand-like aspect of the flower, while the specific epithet means rivaling or imitating.
Tolerances
Potential Problems
Gardeners will find the Scaevola aemula ‘Blue Wonder’ remarkably resilient concerning pests and diseases. In general, there are reported to be no serious insect or disease problems associated with growing this Fan flower variety. Maintaining good air circulation, especially when growing in humid conditions common where it thrives, will help prevent minor fungal issues. Proper watering—avoiding soggy conditions—is the best cultural practice for prevention.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hardiness zones is Fan flower suitable for?
The Fan flower, Scaevola aemula ‘Blue Wonder’, is winter hardy in USDA Zones 10 and 11, though it is commonly grown successfully as a stunning annual in cooler regions.
How large does Scaevola aemula ‘Blue Wonder’ grow?
This plant typically matures to a height between 0.75 and 1.5 feet tall, while spreading outward to cover an area between 1 and 2 feet wide.
What sun exposure does Fan flower need?
Scaevola aemula ‘Blue Wonder’ requires full sun exposure but will also perform well in areas receiving partial shade, particularly appreciating light filtered or dappled afternoon sun.
When does Fan flower bloom?
This plant blooms freely throughout the growing season, offering continuous dark blue coloration from planting until the arrival of the first frost.
Conclusion
The Scaevola aemula ‘Blue Wonder’ provides exceptional value to the garden space through its low-maintenance needs and its near-ceaseless display of unique, cool blue flowers throughout the summer heat. This reliable Fan flower selection excels in containers and as a ground cover, making it a staple for warm-season displays. Before planting, confirm your local hardiness zone compatibility, or plan to treat your Scaevola aemula ‘Blue Wonder’ as a magnificent annual replacement each spring.
Companion Planting
When designing container gardens or borders featuring the Fan flower, select companions that share similar sun and water needs. Plants that thrive in full sun to part shade and prefer medium moisture, and which offer contrasting textures or colors, work best. Consider pairing the trailing blue blooms of Scaevola aemula ‘Blue Wonder’ with vibrant yellows or oranges, such as calibrachoa, petunias, or gazanias, to maximize visual impact.
Low-growing bedding plants that create a neat edging, such as creeping zinnias or moss roses (Portulaca), are excellent companions planted near the front of a border where the Fan flower can spill slightly over the edge. Ensure that any companion plant does not demand significantly richer soil or more frequent water than the Fan flower requires.
Propagation Tips
While many gardeners purchase new Scaevola aemula ‘Blue Wonder’ plants annually, propagation is straightforward for those wishing to save stock or expand their collection. The most reliable method for greenhouse growers or those with sunny indoor spaces is taking stem cuttings in late summer. These cuttings root easily in moist, well-draining media under humid conditions.
Once rooted, these cuttings must be maintained overwintered indoors, protected from frost, to be planted out again the following spring. Although it is possible to grow this Fan flower from seed started indoors eight weeks before the last frost, cuttings often yield faster, more robust flowering plants sooner in the season.
