Spot the handsome hydrangea and the sexy South American bulb in this photo-worthy floral display. The hydrangea you’ve met before, but the bulb? Commonly known as ‘glory of the sun’, its botanical name is Leucocoryne purpurea. According to Parva Plants, it produces a few needle-like leaves in autumn “followed later by tall thin wiry stems boasting up to 8 long-lasting fragrant, papery blooms in shades of violet or maroon”. Outstanding!
Insanely beautiful flowers
December 6, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Shasta daisies, Hydrangeas, Cosmidium
November 28, 2010 by 2 Comments
What to plant this week? Pure white shasta daisies, large round-headed hydrangeas (or try the cone-shaped Hydrangea paniculata) and gold and chocolate-coloured cosmidium.
Shasta daisies
Shasta daisies (Leucanthemum x superbum) produce pure white blooms with yellow centres on tall stems. They flower profusely over summer and are excellent cut flowers. Drought tolerant once established, they like full sun and free-draining soil. Look for plants at your local garden centre.
Hydrangeas
Hydrangeas are currently being shipped into garden centres in huge quantities, so if you haven’t already, get one in the ground now. They like a rich, free-draining soil and plenty of moisture, so make sure you provide ample water while their root systems are developing. Flowers and foliage will wilt if water is lacking but they’ll soon perk up once given a drink. Part shade is best, although Hydrangea paniculata tolerates more sun. The mophead hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla, shown here) are the most commonly grown hydrangeas, with their big fluffy balls of pink, blue or white, but Hydrangea paniculata is worth growing too, with its pyramid-shaped clusters of white flowers that mature to pink.
Cosmidium
Cosmidium burridgeanum looks like a refined coreopsis with its chocolate centres and gold tips. It’s an easy-to-grow annual, excellent for both the border and the container, and makes a great cut flower. Available from Egmont Seeds.
Hydrangea hullabaloo
November 25, 2010 by Leave a Comment
I planted seven large hydrangea bushes a couple of weeks back – three white varieties, three blue varieties and one red. The latter is ‘Geoffrey Chadbund’, whose heads are touted as deep red. They’re probably not the red that you and I imagine but, as you can see here, they’re as red as hydrangeas get. However, flower colour is related to soil pH and I reckon mine might eventually turn blue. That’s because my soil is acidic. Plant pink hydrangeas in acidic soil (one with a low pH) and they’ll turn blue. Plant blue hydrangeas in alkaline soil (with a high pH) and they’ll eventually turn pink. [Read more…]
