Garden and Flowers

ALONSOA
In the course of the summer, this Peruvian species may grow quite tall, up to about 32 in in height. It produces a lot of medium-sized leaves and bears small, soft-orange to red flowers, about V4 in wide, over a long period. The mass of foliage makes them less striking than many of the smaller cultivars. Even so, it is the light color of the leaves and the informal appearance that make this species so suitable for cheerful borders. The flowers are also suitable for including in informal bouquets. Picking rejuvenates the plant and makes it flower all the longer. If you think it is becoming too untidy, just cut it back hard in summer to force new growth and bring forth new flowers.

Some writers believe the species is synonymous with Alonsoa warscewiczii, but the plants on sale under that name have darker green foliage and more red in their stems. From mid-April, a compact A lonsoa goes on sale under the name of Alonsoa ‘Fire Ball.’ The plant initially develops in a compact form, but as soon as it grows to about 8 in high, the shoots grow outwards and begin to droop. The tops produce a profusion of reddish-orange flowers. Suppliers talk about the long flowering season, supposedly lasting until the frosts but, in my experience, there are breaks in that period. If you cut back the plant during those intervals and feed it, it may start flowering again. ‘Fire Ball’ is very suitable for cultivating in containers, provided the soil is not allowed to dry out. It is propagated by cuttings.

The small flowers of Alonsoa meridionalis ‘Scarlet Gem,’ Y4 in diameter, resemble red lead in color and, for that reason alone, mix well with red, orange and yellow flowers. The plants sometimes grow over 20 in tall and, with their loose-growing habit, look particularly well in seemingly casual borders. They also look fine in large pots.