Wildcat Blue Pimpernel

‘Wildcat Blue’ is a compact, freely branching pimpernel with vivid blue, star-shaped flowers and green foliage. Bred for early, continuous flowering, it works especially well in containers, hanging baskets, and sunny borders, where its outward-spreading stems can soften the edge of a pot or bed. ## Seasonal interest and form The [Proven Winners profile](https://www.provenwinners.com/plants/anagallis/wildcat-blue-anagallis) describes this selection as an annual with flowers from planting to frost and gives a garden height of 6–12 in. and spread of 10–18 in. The cultivar was bred by Rosanna Freyre at the [University of New Hampshire](https://unhmagazine.unh.edu/f09/blooming.html), which notes its true-blue flowers and compact, well-branched growth. In patent trial plants grown four months in 20 cm containers, the recorded plant height was about 23 cm and diameter about 26 cm, illustrating why sizes vary with container and production conditions. ## Siting Grow in full sun for best flowering; Proven Winners lists it for containers, beds, borders, and hanging baskets and rates it heat tolerant. It is commonly grown as a warm-season annual even though its Mediterranean parent species is perennial. The [U.S. plant patent](https://patents.google.com/patent/USPP15137P2/en) identifies ‘Wildcat Blue’ as *Anagallis monelli* and was granted September 7, 2004; it records the original breeder and cultivar description but does not establish current legal status. ## Maintenance Water when the growing mix begins to dry, particularly in containers during hot weather. The plant is self-cleaning, so routine deadheading is unnecessary. Remove it after frost or replace it the following season; protect it from freezing temperatures.