This Monday’s vase had two Sunshine Mimosa flowers in a tiny purple vase. Several people commented on the flower, so I decided to write a post about it.
Sunshine Mimosa (Mimosa stringillosa) is a flowering groundcover native to Florida. A member of the Mimosa genus, it is sensitive to touch and closes its leaves when touched. It produces pink powderpuff flowers during the spring and summer months. The flowers are 4-6″ tall and rise above a green, ferny foliage that creeps along the ground on thick brown stems. I would characterize this as semi evergreen, the foliage fades a bit during the cooler months.
This plant is touted as a drought tolerant, native substitute for lawns and it is usually raved about growing beautifully in full sun. I have Sunshine Mimosa in two places in my garden. It is thriving in the area with partial shade and no irrigation, producing flowers that are a much deeper color. I have it in a larger area in my native pollinator garden – the butterflies do enjoy the flowers, but if this is what people think lawn should look like I will take the faux, recyclable lawn.
This area is irrigated, mulched, and fertilized in full sun. I am hoping it fills in a bit more over the summer and am planting some other flowering annuals in the mulch islands in the planting. The Mourning Doves ate the first round of Cosmo and Zinnia seeds I planted, seems like they were gleefully gathered nearby looking for cocktail nibbles and spied me planting seeds. Another drawback to the plant is its growth habit; The foliage is borne on runners that are so strong they can get caught around your foot and trip you.
Especially if you been having cocktail nibbles in the garden.
The Shrub Queen 
I’m happy to there is something that has the foliage and flowers of a mimosa tree–but that is not a tree and, most importantly, that is native and noninvasive. I agree it is not a substitute for lawn, though. We have lots of mourning doves…and they are cocktail nibbles for hawks.
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Gotta watch out for the hawks. We recently found we have a bobcat around. Kitty never leaves the house.
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I love playing with the mimosas when I visit the greenhouse. Who can resist?
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I know, it hadn’t occurred to me until the plants started shriveling up when I was weeding.
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Thanks for the information.
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This is one that I have only read about but never grown. I think it grows in Southern California, but I do not remember. There are other related specie that look like it, but with different color.
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I think it will grow in Southern California, supposed to be drought tolerant.
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I would not doubt that it could be grown there. It might not be grown just because it is unfamiliar. So many plants are like that. Forsythia, lilac and many other deciduous plants that are common elsewhere are rare here, just beause we are not used to seeing them around.
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Well, that’s a surprise, I imagined it as a tree. It is very pretty.
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It’s funny to think of Mimosas as perennials.
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Well you surprised everyone with your Mimosa! I think it’s lovely. I would love to have it in my garden.
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Thank you,it is a bit unusual
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