WE SAW THESE YELLOW THISTLE-LIKE FLOWERS IN LATE SUMMER. CAN YOU TELL US WHAT IT IS?
Steve Whysall
Canwest News Service
November 6, 2008 Thursday 07:59 PM EST
Q: We saw these yellow thistle-like flowers in late summer and took
this picture. Can you tell us what it is?
SW: It’s funny how this, of all plants, seems to capture people’s
attention. You are not the first to ask me about it. Its name is
Centaurea macrocephala and it also is known as the Armenian basket
flower. It has canary-yellow flowers and grows three or four feet
high in full sun and prefers average, well- drained soil.
It starts to flower in mid-summer and continues blooming into
September. It is very hardy and is a good plant for cold-climate
gardens such as ones in the B.C. interior and the Prairies.
Q: I was given about two dozen calla lilly corms. Should they be
planted now or in spring? Can they stay in the ground or do they
need to be lifted for winter storage? What makes the best display –
five corms to a hole or all in a row? Will they flower the first year?
SW: It really depends on what kind of calla lily corms your have been
given? Some callas are hardy, others are tender and won’t survive
outside in the garden over winter.
There’s the hardy water arum (Calla palustris), which grows only
eight inches high and is able to survive in a protected spot in the
garden. And then there are the more tender callas (Zantedeschia)
with tropical colours.
The hardiest cultivar of calla lily, the one most likely to do well
in coastal gardens, is ‘Crowborough’.
I suggest you divide your corms and sow them in two containers
and keep them in a frost-free place over winter. See what happens
in spring. Don’t plant all the corms in the same hole; spread them
around, close but not touching.
You’ll be able to identify the kind of callas more accurately by the
flowers when you see them, then you can make a decision about whether
to leave it in the pot or put it into the garden.
Q: I was in Tofino in July and bought a lovely little plant called
Streptocarpus ‘Veronica.’ I can’t find out too much about it. Can I
plant it outside?
SW: Streptocarpus is native to South Africa and is sometimes called
the Cape primrose.
Cultivars are tender exotics that are grown indoors most of the
year and can be moved outside in the summer. They are disease- and
pest-free plants that like fast- draining soil and good light.
I have not heard of ‘Veronica’ but ‘Black Panther’ is a popular kind
with purple flowers. The rule with streptocarpus is not to overwater
and to give plants good indirect light.