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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Friday, May 16th, 2008
COMMON MALLOW
The common mallow is a native perennial in The Netherlands, but its widest distribution is in countries farther south. Here, it is marginally hardy and the vulnerable cultivars are therefore grown mainly as annuals. Because it takes about four months for the seedlings to come into flower, commercial growers sow very early in the year and can therefore supply flowering plants by the end of May. The flowers are about 1V2 in wide. If you sow the seeds yourself, the plants usually come into flower in late summer, but they will go on flowering for much longer. The plant continues to grow while it is in flower, and, depending on its position, ultimately reaches a height of 3-5 ft. It does best in loose, warm, and nutritive soil.
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Thursday, May 15th, 2008
VENUS’S LOOKING-GLASS
The name Venus’s-looking-glass is fully justified. The small violet-blue flowers are no more than V4 in wide but have an unearthly beauty and look up to the skies like miniature radio telescopes. They are carried on spreading, bushy plants about 8 in high. Venus’s looking-glass is a native plant in many parts of Europe, including Britain and The Netherlands, where it is now rare. It grows mainly on arable land in loose, moisture-retentive, and nutritive soil. All we need do is scatter its seed in ordinary garden soil from April onwards and enjoy the small flowers from June. They do not flower for very long, so it is advisable to sow repeatedly.
As a result of an error by one of the largest seed merchants, the plant is marketed on a large scale under the name of a different botanical genus, Downingia.
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Tuesday, March 11th, 2008
PRINCE’S FEATHER
The apple-green shade of Amaranthi hypochondriacus ‘Green Thumb’ goes we with most other colors and is therefoi a useful plant for filling in gaps in border as well as for bouquets. The panicles gro to about 16 in tall and, if sown early, mayt admired from July onwards. They fade latter on in the season and ultimately turn brown They also make useful dried flowers, particularly when picked early in the season. Another cultivar was presumably called Amaranthus hypochondriacus ‘Pygm Torch’ (and not ‘Pigmy Torch,’ as it is featured in most catalogs) because of its small size. The deep-red panicles grow up to 16 in tall and fade to chestnut brown in the course of the season. The leaves, too, turn beautiful colors, especially if the plants are grown in poor soil. They look splendid in vases and as dried flowers.
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Tuesday, February 19th, 2008
The secret behind in making a beautiful flower garden is to know what flowers you are going to plant and the place where you are going to plant the flowers. For beginners well the best you will do is to start small so that you will be very successful in making a flower garden.
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Friday, February 8th, 2008
SEA LAVENDER
When it comes to the properties of flowers suitable for cutting and drying, those of sea lavender are unsurpassed. Its sturdy, winged stems branch out widely. The actual flowers are minute and usually white. They are surrounded by sepals fused into tubes and providing color. They continue to color the stems, even after the petals have fallen. The species originally had blue sepals but there are currently cultivars in all kinds of shades, mostly blue, but also pink, yellow, red and white. They are not picked and dried until they are fully colored. They retain their color remarkably well and are therefore very popular among dried-flower enthusiasts. They are also sold in large quantities as cut flowers, although a summery bouquet of sea lavender could hardly be called subtle. Fortunately, more subdued colors such as pale yellow and lavender blue are also available.
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Monday, January 28th, 2008
SWAN RIVER DAISY
This newcomer rapidly conquered the world of containers and hanging baskets. No wonder, because it has everything going for it: beautifully divided leaves and, above them, white, yellow, or lavender-pink to blue flowers which are borne non-stop throughout the summer. The foliage tumbles over the rims of pots, containers, and hanging baskets. Because of its dense growth, it is advisable to combine this brachycome with other species in the same container. It grows trouble-free in sunlight and better still in partial shade, either in a border or in a pot. If you are growing it in a pot, make sure the soil never dries out completely, as the leaves will turn yellow otherwise.
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Thursday, January 17th, 2008
The informal growth of Browallia americana makes the plant a favorite among gardeners. Browallia americana is an easygoing annual with a long-lasting beauty. Browallia americana is stunning alone and a perfect foil for all partners. The flowering shoots tumble gracefully over the edges of pots, tubs, and hanging baskets, with their violet-blue flowers suspended like butterflies from their stems. The light spot in the center of the flowers enhances their refinement. Sow Browallia americana indoors in March-April at a temperature of about 68 °F. Pinch out young shoots to encourage bushiness and plant out-of-doors after the final night frost. They do best in poor soil, but will also grow in richer kinds. Choose a sunny position in a border, but partial shade is better if you are growing them in pots, tubs, or hanging baskets. The plants do not need much water, but the rootball should not be allowed to dry out entirely, as the plants definitely do not recover from that.
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