Archive for March, 2009
Tuesday, March 17th, 2009
CREEPING ZINNIA
The stems of creeping zinnias branch out continually to increase the spread of these plants which, however, do not grow much more than 6 in high. An area full of these plants will create a yellow carpet, since they flower freely and unceasingly from June until well into October. This makes creeping zinnias highly suitable for hanging baskets and containers, in which they add to their charm by trailing over the edges.
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Monday, March 16th, 2009
With its scarlet flowers and fine needle-shaped foliage on stems about 39 in long, Ipomopsis rubra would be one of the most popular of patio plants, were it not that it flowers so late in the season. It takes at least four months from the date of sowing for the plant to come into flower. It is, in fact, a biennial or perennial from the south of the United States, but it is cultivated as an annual in The Netherlands. Sow indoors in March-April to be able to enjoy the spectacle of its flowers in August and September. The Ipomopsis rubra Arrow Series enables you to choose from several lovely flower colors: yellow, apricot, salmon pink to red. Ipomopsis rubra ‘Red Arrow’ bears flowers which are scarlet on the outside and creamy yellow specked with scarlet on the inside.
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Sunday, March 15th, 2009
ALPINE TOADFLAX
Alpine toadflax is not necessarily an annual, although it is well known as such. In ideal circumstances, it will survive the winter. This often happens on rockeries with perfect drainage, but the gardener has to wait and see. It is therefore better to regard the small plant - it grows to 4-8 in tall - as an annual. The stems with their bluish-grey foliage branch out and become pendulous without any support, which makes the plant eminently suitable for hanging baskets. The attractive, violet flowers, V4 in long, with an orange spot, appear continually from June until the end of the summer. Although it is quite feasible to sow the species oneself, I was unable to find the seed at any of the suppliers. The plants themselves are quite often from growers of rockery plants and suppliers of annuals.
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Saturday, March 14th, 2009
CORN MARIGOLD
Glebionis segetum or Chrysanthemum segetum is a species of the genus Glebionis, probably native only to the eastern Mediterranean region. Common names include Corn Marigold and Corn Daisy.
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Thursday, March 12th, 2009
This sage comes from the warmer regions of America, where it forms a complete shrub with loose growth. Because it is not hardy in north-west Europe and is so easy and quick to grow from seed, it is cultivated as an annual here. That gives it a totally different character, with its black-tinged square stems, their tips ablaze with red flowers, growing to a maximum height of 39 in. The color of the flowers is so blinding that it claims all one’s attention, and this form of sage may therefore be used on its own to provide an eye-catching focal point in a boring corner of the garden, or as a showpiece in a pot.
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