Archive for January, 2008
Monday, January 14th, 2008
FUCHSIA BEGONIA
At first sight, the shoots, leaves, and flowers of this Venezuelan begonia resemble those of fuchsias. The small, toothed leaves, lax red stems, and racemes of pendent spherical flowers are all reminiscent of fuchsias. The plant acquires a dense shrubby shape during its rapid growth in summer. It is sometimes overwintered as a container plant, but does not tolerate temperatures below 50 °F – too cold for this begonia to be popular among gardeners. It is possible to overwinter it in a living-room, but the atmosphere is often too dry there and Begonia fuchsioides is therefore usually sold as an annual. Specialist firms market cuttings on a massive scale in spring, and they find their way to the containers and flower-beds of those who love this bright and cheerful plant. It does not need a sunny position and, in fact, does better in a sheltered spot in partial shade.
The Begonia fuchsioides known also as fuchsia begonia has a shrubby form with slender stems and drooping clusters of beautiful fuchsialike blooms in a range of reds, pinks, and magentas that appear in winter. It is an attractive plant even out of bloom but is a bit more challenging to grow than other begonias. It is best grown in containers.
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Sunday, January 13th, 2008
It takes nearly four months for a small Alon-soa seed to grow into a flowering plant, presumably the reason why the various species are rarely seen in gardens. That is a pity, because alonsoas are colorful, decorative jewels which can be brought into flower at the oddest of times. By sowing in summer, you caneven bring them into flower in mid-winter. Professional growers sow very early in the year or in autumn to produce flowering plants in April and May. For private plant lovers, however, it is better to sow in early March, either indoors or in a heated greenhouse. Cover the seeds very lightly or not at all, because alonsoas germinate in daylight. The ideal temperature for germination is around 66 °F, at which most of the seed will come up within 2 weeks. To ensure attractive branching, it is best to pinch out the growing tips several times during the following four months. The plants are moved out-of-doors from mid-May and may then begin to flower from the end of June. The flowering season is usually long and may be extended by cutting back hard during intervals in flowering.
Alonsoas come mainly from the wester mountains of South America, especially froi Colombia, Peru, and Chili, where the air i cool and fresh. They like a lot of sun, but do not care for real heat. It is therefore best to grow them in pots or in the ground in a sunny but airy spot, in well-drained soil that is not excessively dry.
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Saturday, January 12th, 2008
FIVE-SPOT BABY
The mauve veins on each of the five petals end in a purplish-blue spot, hence the common name of this small plant. It can flower for months on end, bearing relatively large blooms almost 1V2 in wide. The plant itself reaches a maximum height of 8 in and has a considerable spread. If there is nothing to support them, the lax and watery stems become penduloys, splended for the “front row” of flower beds and borders and perhaps even more so for containers or hanging baskets. make sure that the succulent foliage never dries out. Always give it plenty of water, otherwise you will definetely lose the plant and shelter it from fierce sun and drying winds.
Nemophila maculata is a dicot in the family Boraginaceae. It is an annual herb that grows in the spring. The common name for N. maculata is the Fivespot or Five-spot. It is a native species to California where it is endemic.
The flowers of N. maculata are bowl-shaped, white with dark veins and dots. The lobe tips are purple-spotted. The corolla is 8–20 mm long and 1–5 mm wide. The leaves are 8–30 mm long and 3-15 mm wide. They have 5–9 lobes and the lobes are either entire or 1–3 toothed.
The seeds are greenish-brown and are either smooth or shallowly pitted. The fruit produces between 2–12 seeds. The entire fruiting and seed cycle begins in spring and ends in the summer.
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Friday, January 11th, 2008
Seedlings sown indoors have been nurtured in a protected environment’. They have not experienced any wind or terrential rain, and the differences between day and night temperatures have been slight. If plants are put out-of-doors suddenly in spring, the transition is sometimes too great and at the very least their growth stagnates. This is why they should be acclimatized gradually to outdoor conditions. Put them out-of-doors during the day and bring them indoors in the event of cold nights, heavy rain, or harsh winds. A cold frame is an ideal place for hardening off plants: they will then be out-of-doors, but protected by glass. Remove the glass during the day and put it back at night.
Sunflower that was sown early and is put under a cloche if the nights are cold.
Hardening off annual in a tunnel which is uncovered during the day.
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Thursday, January 10th, 2008
YELLOW SAGE
The florets making up the flower heads of lantana change color when they are out: orange turns deep red, yellow turns pink. The plant originally grew as a shrub in South America, but became naturalized in many tropical and subtropical countries, and is sometimes a real nuisance there. In The Netherlands, however, the shrub is guaranteed to freeze to death in winter. Lovers of conservatory plants put the lantana in a light position at a minimum temperature of 50 °F in winter, so that it does not drop its leaves and soon starts to sprout again in spring. Once it has started, the plant grows rapidly, and nurserymen make good use of that. They propagate the shrub in winter, mainly by cuttings, but occasionally by seed, and are therefore in a position to market flowering plants in spring. These have a herbaceous appearance, and their spread is often greater than that of the woody conservatory plants.
All you need to do is put them in pots or in a border, where they soon grow into small shrubs with a height and spread of about 20 in. Their non-stop flowering has a magnetic effect on butterflies. The plants will remain in flower until the first frosts of autumn. You can, of course, take cuttings, provided you are in a position to shepherd them through the winter correctly. Most people, however, will buy new plants every year. Lantana camara ‘Aloha’ is rightly becoming popular. It has a spreading habit, which makes the plant particularly suitable for containers and hanging baskets. It is also useful in a border, where it might be combined with grey-leafed plants or, alternatively, with shades of blue. Its pale yellow flowers appear above variegated foliage with greyish-yellow edges. Lantana camara ‘Goldsonne’ also has a spreading and herbaceous growth, and bears lemon-yellow flowers.
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