Garden and Flowers

BALSAM

In the villages on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees, old olive tins, buckets, and all kinds of other containers are full of the extremely graceful flowering balsam. They are so happy there that they also germinate spontaneously between the paving stones. In containers, they grow about 39 in tall and the splendidly colored flowers are also smaller than those of the familiar giant balsam. They attract just as many insects, although the openings are too small for larger bumblebees.

This magnificent species originally came from the warmer regions of the Himalayas, and the plant certainly likes warmth, but also adequate amounts of moisture. It is no wonder that they germinate between stones, which warm up quickly, while the roots find sufficient moisture underneath them. Until a short time ago, the species was not on sale anywhere, but in recent years the seed has become available sporadically, and proud specialists sell plants from time to time. Sow this balsam indoors in a pot with a very sandy soil mixture, or sow it outdoors in moist, sandy soil. For inexplicable reasons, the seeds sometimes germinate poorly or fail to do so at all. Once they are in flower, the plants produce fruits that burst when they have ripened. The seeds often germinate spontaneously in the garden the following spring.