Thursday, February 7th, 2008
FLOWER-OF-THE-HOUR
Flower-of-an-Hour (Hibiscus trionum) is an annual plant that originally grew to the east of the Mediterranean, but it spread throughout southern Europe both as a weed and cultivated as a garden plant. The plant grows to a height of 20-50 cm, sometimes as much as 80 cm and has white or yellow flowers with a purple centre.
The flower-of-the-hour owes its name to its brief appearance. It flowers for a few hours in the morning and then closes for good early in the afternoon, but a fresh bud will soon appear in the axil of every newly formed leaf. There will be no need for you to be without hibiscus flowers for a single day. They are about 1V2 in wide, creamy on the outside, and with a center that at first sight looks white, but turns out to be deepest purple. When the flower is over, the calyx swells up to form a striking pouch holding the seeds. In warm regions, it sows itself freely, and the plant has become a weed in many (sub)tropical countries. The stems with inflated calyces look splendid in a bouquet of dried flowers. The plants themselves are not very decorative - they grow about 20 in tall with lanky stems and green foliage that may vary considerably in shape. Seed merchants frequently market cultivars. Sow flower-by-the-hour indoors in March, or outdoors from mid-April. It is best to put the plants in loose, well-drained but nutritive soil.
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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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Saturday, January 26th, 2008
LOVE-LIES-BLEEDING, TASSEL FLOWER
All of the many cultivars oiamaranthus caudatus have trailing panicles of flowers which may grow about 18 in long. They flower from June until well into October and the individual panicles remain beautiful for a remarkably long time. Those of the species itself are a shade of crimson that is difficult to combine with other border plants and is too pronounced for most bouquets. The cultivar Amaranthus caudatus ‘Viridis’ has soft-green, pendulous panicles that go particularly well with all kinds of other plants. They are very popular with flower arrangers and are also cultivated for the commercial cut-flower market. The cultivar Amaranthus caudatus ‘Griinschwanz’ has yellowish-green pendulous panicles, and those oi Amaranthus cau-datus ‘Rotschwanz’ are bright red. Don’t plant them too close together, so that they can develop freely.
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Thursday, January 24th, 2008
DAHLIA
Many people will remember dahlias as long tubers that were kept in the cellar in a bed of peat dust waiting for spring. They were then planted out to provide colorful flowers in late summer. Fortunately, there are still devotees of this romantic way of enjoying dahlias, but there is no need for anyone to do without them if they no longer have a cellar or anywhere else in the house where it is cool enough to prevent the tubers from drying out. The plants may also be grown from seeds or cuttings and commercial growers produce huge quantities of plants for flower-beds and containers by these methods. Dahlia plants grown from seed will have developed some tubers by the end of the season, and this also applies to some dahlias grown from cuttings. Some of the specialist firms, however, strike the cuttings in such a way that the plants will produce hardly any viable tubers, thus ensuring that you will be obliged to buy more dahlias next year.
Low-growing dahlias for pots and flowerbeds are the principal kinds grown from seed or cuttings. Their ancestors include Dahlia merckii from the warm regions of Mexico. It never freezes there, so the plants - and this applies to all dahlias - do not tolerate a single degree of frost. The very first autumn night frost causes the leaves and stems to turn black and die off immediately. It will then be time to remove the tubers of all tuberous plants from the soil. They will be protected briefly by the cushioning warmth of the soil, but will not tolerate any further frost.
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Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008
MARGUERITE
This marguerite will adorn summer patios, but it does not tolerate frost. The species grows naturally in the Canary Islands where it is warm, but never burning hot, and where there is always a cool sea breeze. This should be remembered when caring for these plants. Marguerites like warmth, but not heat, and under glass they often suffer from hot sunlight. You should therefore definitely put them out-of-doors after the last night frost and make sure that the potting compost does not dry out. They flower with such over-1 whelming exuberance that the plants may I easily exhaust their reserves. Re-pot them in nutritive soil immediately after purchase and give them liquid fertilizer several times during the summer.
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Monday, January 21st, 2008
HELIOTROPE
Heliotropes were among the familiar bedding plants in large-scale displays in the gardens of palaces and country houses. The deep colors of foliage and flowers contrasted strongly with the lighter shades of other plants, and complex patterns were created with them. It is still possible to see that kind of summery flower-bed here and there, but they are long past their heyday. Heliotrope is now used for a new craze - that of patio gardening. The plant is, in fact, highly satisfactory as a container plant.
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Sunday, January 20th, 2008
LION’S EAR
This South African plant starts flowering about three to four months after it was sown. It is better known as a container plant and may be kept in a cool and, if need be, dark place in winter to allow it to sprout again in spring after hard pruning. Firms specializing in plants propagated by seed or cuttings, market flowering plants intended for cultivation as annuals as early as June. Put the plant in a large pot on your patio and you will spend months imagining you are in the tropics. Provide leonotis with a sheltered, warm, and sunny position, and give it plenty of water and fertilizer to keep it flowering. The orange whorls of flowers develop from the bottom upwards on flower stems which may ultimately grow to 6 ft.
The genus Leonotis (Lion’s Ear or Lion’s-Tail) consists of about 30 species of plants in the family Lamiaceae. All but one species, Leonotis nepetifolia (native to both tropical Africa and southern India), are native to southern Africa.
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Friday, January 18th, 2008
SPIDER FLOWER
This is certainly one of the most striking of all annuals. They branch widely and, at a height of 4 ft, tower above most other annuals. The flower heads, which appear between July and October, are huge - no less than 8 in in section and longer than they are wide. They also stretch in the course of flowering. Oblong seedpods are formed at their lower end, and - curiously - grow sideways on very thin stems. The stamens protrude so far that they resemble cat’s whiskers or spider’s legs. Both the flowers and the foliage are intensely fragrant.
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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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Friday, January 11th, 2008
Seedlings sown indoors have been nurtured in a protected environment’. They have not experienced any wind or terrential rain, and the differences between day and night temperatures have been slight. If plants are put out-of-doors suddenly in spring, the transition is sometimes too great and at the very least their growth stagnates. This is why they should be acclimatized gradually to outdoor conditions. Put them out-of-doors during the day and bring them indoors in the event of cold nights, heavy rain, or harsh winds. A cold frame is an ideal place for hardening off plants: they will then be out-of-doors, but protected by glass. Remove the glass during the day and put it back at night.
Sunflower that was sown early and is put under a cloche if the nights are cold.
Hardening off annual in a tunnel which is uncovered during the day.
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Thursday, January 10th, 2008
YELLOW SAGE
The florets making up the flower heads of lantana change color when they are out: orange turns deep red, yellow turns pink. The plant originally grew as a shrub in South America, but became naturalized in many tropical and subtropical countries, and is sometimes a real nuisance there. In The Netherlands, however, the shrub is guaranteed to freeze to death in winter. Lovers of conservatory plants put the lantana in a light position at a minimum temperature of 50 °F in winter, so that it does not drop its leaves and soon starts to sprout again in spring. Once it has started, the plant grows rapidly, and nurserymen make good use of that. They propagate the shrub in winter, mainly by cuttings, but occasionally by seed, and are therefore in a position to market flowering plants in spring. These have a herbaceous appearance, and their spread is often greater than that of the woody conservatory plants.
All you need to do is put them in pots or in a border, where they soon grow into small shrubs with a height and spread of about 20 in. Their non-stop flowering has a magnetic effect on butterflies. The plants will remain in flower until the first frosts of autumn. You can, of course, take cuttings, provided you are in a position to shepherd them through the winter correctly. Most people, however, will buy new plants every year. Lantana camara ‘Aloha’ is rightly becoming popular. It has a spreading habit, which makes the plant particularly suitable for containers and hanging baskets. It is also useful in a border, where it might be combined with grey-leafed plants or, alternatively, with shades of blue. Its pale yellow flowers appear above variegated foliage with greyish-yellow edges. Lantana camara ‘Goldsonne’ also has a spreading and herbaceous growth, and bears lemon-yellow flowers.
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