Archive for January, 2008
Wednesday, January 9th, 2008
Somewhere, a sorcerer’s apprentice is inventing names for the deviant forms of one of the most rewarding patio plants – Helichrysum petiolare. The green foliage and stems of this South African plant are covered in grey hair. Within such a species, there have of course always been mutants, plants with totally different characteristics. Some, for instance, are strikingly hairy, whereas others are almost bare. The color of the leaves may be variable, and yellow-leafed or variegated forms may also occur. The variant forms are much in demand. And, like the species itself, they are propagated by cuttings on a vast scale to adorn containers and hanging baskets. The plants scarcely tolerate frost and are therefore propagated by cuttings year after year.
Their care presents few problems. As long as you don’t let the potting compost dry out entirely, the plants will send forth their spreading shoots in every direction, several tens of centimetres (a couple of feet) upwards, but, above all, horizontally, which means that they will start trailing as soon as there is nothing left to support them. In short, it is an ideal plant for containers and hanging baskets, where they form a quiet background to flowering plants. Helichrysum can, of course, flower too, producing long stems with clusters of straw-colored flowers at their tips. Many keen gardeners cut them off prematurely, because, to them, the foliage is all-important. Do wait until the small flowers open before cutting off the stems. If you dry them, you will be able to enjoy their delightful honeyed fragrance for a long time to come.
Helichrysum petiolare ‘Limelight’ has lemon-yellow to light golden-yellow foliage. The very same cultivar is sold under, inter alia, the following names: Helichrysum petiolare ‘Aurea’; Helichrysum petiolare ‘Gold’ (there is also a variegated form with this name); and Helichrysum petiolare ‘Yellow.’ Helichrysum petiolare ‘Silver’ is very hairy and this, combined with the relatively large bluish-green leaves, strengthens its silvery effect.
Helichrysum petiolare ‘Variegatum’ has green foliage with irregular buttery yellow patches along the leaf margins. The leaves are slightly curved and hairy, making this a really striking and beautiful cultivar. One final tip: try growing helichrysum at the foot of a warm wall in full sun. The plant will branch out and climb up against the wall to at least the height of 39 in.
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Tuesday, January 8th, 2008
BLANKET FLOWER
Although many perennial gaillardias are also grown as annuals, this plant is a genuine one. It comes from Texas and adjoining states, where it covers the prairies in shades of red and yellow. Gaillardias, however, have been doctored so much that it is often difficult to recognize them as such. Double flowers are now quite common, and the petals are often bicolored and have sometimes become tubular in shape. This applies to, for example, Gaillardia pulchella ‘Red Plume’ with its deep red flowers, and to Gaillardia pulchella ‘Yellow Plume,’ which bears flowers in a strong shade of lemon yellow. At a height of 16 in, both are on the short side and therefore well able to withstand wind. Flowering plants are on sale in May and may then be planted out-of-doors immediately, either in a flower-bed, or in containers. Growers start sowing as early as January-February.
It is better for private gardeners to put off sowing until March or, better still, until April-May. It will then be possible to sow directly outdoors, where they will come into flower between the end of June and October. It is important to plant them in a sunny spot.
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Monday, January 7th, 2008
Plant Growth and Pruning Know-how
To understand how to approach the pruning of any plant, you need to know how growth occurs. And since all growth originates in buds, they are the first plant parts to consider.
The terminal growth bud develops at the end of a stem or branch. This bud causes the stem to grow in length.
Lateral buds grow along the sides of stems. These buds produce the sideways, or lateral, growth that makes a plant bushy.
In some plants, there may be latent buds–buds that lie dormant beneath the bark. These will grow after pruning or injury removes the actively growing part of the stem.
During the season of active growth, terminal buds draw plant energy to themselves and grow, adding length to the stems. This flow of plant energy to a terminal growth bud is caused by hormones, called auxins, that are produced within the bud. But if you cut or nip off any growing terminal bud, the stem or branch ceases growing. When you remove the bud, one or more of the buds below it will begin to produce auxins and thus will draw plant energy. All the kinds of pruning cuts, including pinching, should be made just above some growth -a growth bud, stem, or branch. For explanations of how to make proper cuts, see “Pruning cuts” on the next page.
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Sunday, January 6th, 2008
CALIFORNIAN POPPY
Eschscholzias are without a doubt among the most rewarding of all annuals, as well as being some of the easiest to grow. Their beautiful greyish-green leaves, often with a tinge of blue, are finely divided and form dense and yet loose tufts in a border. The first flowers may be expected in June, followed by increasing numbers every day. Before they open, they are covered by a membrane closely resembling a nightcap, hence the Dutch common name “slaapmutsje.” On the day that the flower opens, it pushes the “cap” from the stem, so you can then pull it off and, as it were, awaken the flower. Children, of course, love doing this. Although eschscholzias grow naturally along the west coast of the United States, they tolerate a fair amount of frost. Some people even sow the seed in late summer and autumn, hoping that the seedlings will survive the winter, grow sturdier, and come into flower earlier. That is how the plant seeds naturally, especially in gardens with sandy soil. The seedlings will not, however, survive severe, wet winters. In that case, sow again in early spring -March-April. The seeds may be sown indoors earlier in the year, but because of the weak transition between root and stem, they do not like being transplanted. It is better to sow directly in the garden. Eschscholzias thrive in almost any kind of soil, but they will remain more compact in poor, sandy soil and the color of their leaves will also be more beautiful there. In richer soil, longer and more lax stems will grow up to 24 in tall.
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Saturday, January 5th, 2008
INDIAN PINK, CHINESE PINK
Dianthus chinensis (China Pink; Chinese: shi zhu) is a species of Dianthus native to northern China, Korea, Mongolia, and southeastern Russia. It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 30–50 cm tall. The leaves are green to greyish green, slender, 3–5 cm long and 2–4 mm broad. The flowers are white, pink, or red, 3–4 cm diameter, produced singly or in small clusters from spring to mid summer.
Most of the 300 species of carnations are perennials. This is also true of Dianthus chinensis, which does indeed come from China. It has been popular there for centuries and was crossed and selected, so that many cultivars were created. Modern seed improvers have added hundreds more. In The Netherlands, Indian pinks are always grown as annuals.
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