Archive for the ‘Summerflowers’ Category
Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008 |
You might feel that the name Collinsia grandiflora is somewhat misleading. Grandiflora means “with large flowers” - and that for a species with flowers l/2 in wide, on stems which are only 12 in high! It is therefore a very tenuous little plant that comes into its own when grown in large drifts in a natural-looking garden. It is also a suitable container plant for anyone with a liking for sophistication.
(more…)
Posted in Summerflowers | No Comments »
Monday, December 1st, 2008 |
The stems appear to pierce the cucumber-shaped leaves which are green with a blue sheen caused by the layer of protective wax. The plant grows somewhat tenuously to about 24 in tall and flowers from June to August. The small flowers are not in themselves very striking, but they grow in decorative yellowish-green umbels. The restrained colors of foliage and flowers have made bu-pleurum one of the most popular plants in the art of flower arrangement. The stems are used as fillers and form a lovely background to many other cut flowers.
(more…)
Posted in Summerflowers | No Comments »
Saturday, August 2nd, 2008 |
Osteospermum is a real maverick among the compositae family. Usually, a border of sterile ray flowers - those of a marguerite, for example - attracts insects to the center of the flower with its tubular florets; these are fertile and develop the seed. In osteospermums, however, the tubular florets are sterile and the seed is formed in the fertile ray flowers. You can see this phenomenon yourself after the plants have flowered. The brownish-black seeds, which are very large and hard, develop into wreaths round the centers of the faded flowers. This characteristic distinguishes Osteospermum from Dimorphotheca, a genus dealt with elsewhere in this encyclopedia, with flowers that in other respects closely resemble those of Osteospermum.
(more…)
Posted in Summerflowers | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008 |
Salpiglossis sinuata bears flowers about 2 in wide. They have distinctive markings, with contrasting colors along their veins, like ingenious patterns woven into brocade - hence their Dutch common name brokaatbloem. They create a very baroque impression. That may account for their lack of popularity among otherwise keen gardeners until they happen to see the plants in someone else’s garden. I myself go overboard for the cultivar Salpiglossis sinuata with its chocolate-brown veins on golden-yellow and greyish-pink petals.
(more…)
Posted in Summerflowers | No Comments »
Sunday, June 1st, 2008 |
GERANIUM
Geraniums do not primarily suggest plants for just one season. Genuine enthusiasts bring them indoors before the first night frost and put them, almost dry, in a cool, frost-free place, either indoors or in a greenhouse. Even without such facilities, it is still possible to enjoy the plants - huge quantities are propagated by seed or cuttings to provide flowers for a single summer. Geraniums cost less than a bunch of flowers and you can enjoy them for much longer. In May, flowering plants are on sale everywhere. Do not put them out-of-doors until all danger of frost has passed, because just a few degrees of frost are fatal to the plant. From the end of May, they will flower non-stop until they are killed by the first frost in October, or sometimes later.
(more…)
Posted in Summerflowers | No Comments »
Sunday, May 25th, 2008 |
DELPHINIUM
The Clear Springs Series is derived from the popular Delphinium Pacific Giant Series but, at a height of 30-44 inches, it is considerably shorter. This is why they are sometimes referred to as Delphinium Dwarf Pacific varieties. These perennial delphiniums are cultivated as annual flowers for cutting. Seeds are planted - in greenhouses - between March and June. The seedlings are subsequently kept in the greenhouse or planted outdoors. The first flowers may be expected by mid-May. You could try it out for yourself. Sow the seeds near the surface and stand the propagator in a dark place during germination. Shelter the plants from the wind if you put them out-of-doors. Delphinium ‘Clear Springs Lavender’ bears lavender-blue flowers. The double, bright-white flowers of Delphinium ‘Clear Springs White’ are closely packed along the stems, which are often flattened at their tips. Because the stems remain shorter than those of larkspurs and are also very sturdy, the delphiniums in the ‘Clear Springs Series’ do not need supports in places sheltered from the wind.
(more…)
Posted in Summerflowers | No Comments »
Saturday, May 24th, 2008 |
Flowers of the palest imaginable apricot-orange are enticingly attractive, but beware -the flowers, stems, and rough leaves have very fine hairs which prick one viciously. Those on the flower heads are worst and irritate the skin. That, in fact, is precisely the intention of this Argentinian plant, which uses them to discourage grazing animals. Caiophora is a botanical rarity that is marketed with increasing frequency by specialist seedsmen. The plant is a climber. Its hairy stems cling to any kind of support and may reach a height of 5 ft in a single growing season. Sow the warmth-loving plant indoors early in the year and do not put it outdoors in a sheltered, sunny position until the end of May. From July onwards, it will produce flowers over 1′A in wide in shades of apricot to brick-red, and sometimes whitish in color. Bees love them.
Posted in Summerflowers | No Comments »
Thursday, May 22nd, 2008 |
The respectable botanist Linnaeus thought the flower of this plant from south-east Asia resembled a clitoris and named the genus Clitoria. The photograph was taken on the island of Ternate in the Moluccas. It was there that botanists discovered the climber and named it after the island (and not after the tripartite leaves). In cooler climates, the plant is best known as a perennial climber for heated winter gardens. It cannot tolerate temperatures below 50 °F. More and more frequently, however, it is also treated as an annual and sown indoors early in the year. From June onwards, the plants may be put out-of-doors in a container or planted directly in the garden against a trellis. In autumn, they die off or are taken indoors. The species and cultivars are rarely on sale and the seed is expensive. Clitoria ternatea ‘Blue Sails’ has double, purple flowers; those of Clitoria ternatea ‘Ultra Marine’ are blue.
(more…)
Posted in Summerflowers | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 21st, 2008 |
GARDEN ANEMONE
Although anemones form small tubers, they are grown nowadays as annuals for providing cut flowers. The species originated in Turkey. For a long time, small bouquets mostly came from southern Europe, where they were cultivated out-of- doors. Among the single-flowered types, Anemone coronaria De Caen Series was particularly well known and, among the double-flowered varieties, Anemone coronaria St Brigid Series was equally famous. Nowadays, species such as Anemone coronaria ‘Mona Lisa Deep Red’ are grown from seed in glass houses and you will find them at florists between September and May.
(more…)
Posted in Summerflowers | No Comments »
Monday, May 19th, 2008 |
BABY’S BREATH
You do not need not look far to find something beautiful. This gypsophila, which obviously grows on walls, is a wild annual from central and eastern Europe, among other places. It is therefore fully hardy. Its gossamer-thin stems are reasonably tensile, but are bent down by the weight of the tiny flowers which, however, are borne in such quantities that the plant is covered with them. Strangely enough, it is almost impossible to buy seeds of this rewarding little plant. It forms a neat, loose tuft of delicate greenery and looks just right for hanging baskets. Plants are available from firms specializing in plants for patios and balconies, but why are there not more of them? It can’t be the growers’ fault. They market several cultivars, including Gypsophila muralis ‘Gypsy.’ Some flowers are double. Gypsophila muralis ‘Garden Bride’ is an old favorite with single flowers. Gypsophila muralis ‘Tweeny’ closely resembles the above cultivar, but is even more compact.
(more…)
Posted in Summerflowers | No Comments »
Sunday, May 18th, 2008 |
Fuchsias are well known as container plants, and the small woody shrubs are overwintered indoors. Enthusiasts, as well as commercial growers, strike cuttings in early spring. They take root easily and come into flower soon afterwards. The mass-produced plants find their way to the containers and hanging baskets of consumers who normally allow the plants to freeze to death in autumn.
(more…)
Posted in Summerflowers | No Comments »