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.
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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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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.
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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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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.
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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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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.
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Tuesday, May 20th, 2008
As we all know that most flowering perennials are very dependable and easy care performers. That is why maintenance is a requirement for all perennial gardens. So the question is, how can I maintain my perennial flower garden? What are the important things to do so that my perennial garden is healthy? Well of course there are tips and tricks on how to maintain your perennial garden. So here are the 8 important things to do in order your perennial garden is healthy and floriferous.
Fertilizing
Most perennial flower plants are really heavy feeders and they will be happy with one spring application of a low-nitrogen, high-phosphorus fertilizer (5-10-5). For established perennial garden, just apply a handful of fertilizer around each plant.
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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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