March 2021 – Justicia

Justicia (aka shrimp plant) is from the Acanthaceae family and it is the largest genus within that family with around 700 species with hundreds more as yet unresolved. They are native to tropical to warm temperate regions of the Americas, India and Africa so they thrive here on the Coffs Coast.

Though shrimp plants only require simple care and good sunlight, they do not need direct sunlight to grow and bring out the lovely flower colours.

They grow quickly and the stems can get ‘leggy’ so it is necessary to prune the plants repeatedly to make them look compact – spring is the ideal time to do this prune, after which don’t forget to fertilise!