|
Page 1 of 1
|
[ 15 posts ] |
|
Author |
Message |
Dave Bindon
Site Admin
Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2007 4:15 pm Posts: 1113 Location: Pagrati, Athens, Greece
|
Dierama pulcherrimum
I've recently bought a clump of Dierama pulcherrimum ("angels' fishing rods"). Sorry if this is a common plant to some of you: but I'd never heard of it, and have never seen it before. From what I've read about it and seen in photos, it forms a 1-2 foot (30-60cm) tall clump of stiff, grass-like foliage, and sends up very delicate 3 foot (90cm) flower spikes, which carry pretty, drooping, pink flowers. Apparently these flower spikes move 'enchantingly' in the slightest breeze, but stand up to wind much better than the slender stem would suggest.
The photos I've seen of it in flower (on the rare occasions it's shown in full, rather than a close-up of the flowers) vary between a very upright habit with flower stems not too far off vertical, to a very floppy habit with flower stems arching far away from the centre of the clump.
If anyone on the Edge grows it, could you tell me your experiences? The floppiness (or otherwise) of the flower spikes is very important, because the photos I've seen suggest a spread (in flower) of anything from 18 inches (45cm) to 4 feet (1.2m) and the wider spread, if true, would rule out one of the places I was thinking of planting it.
_________________ Dave Pagrati, Athens, Greece Jul/Aug av.: 33C day, 23C night January: 13/6
|
Sat Nov 03, 2007 7:28 pm |
|
|
david feix
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 3:54 am Posts: 3206 Location: Berkeley, California
|
Floppiness and height of foliage is very much dependent on whether this gets full sun or not. Less than full sun tends to equate to very floppy, at least as it grows here. Also, I have found this plant very resentful of being divided, it seems to be set back terribly from disturbances to the roots. Otherwise, a very easy to grow plant that is quite attractive in bloom, but foliage tends more to the 30 inches or more height as I see it around here, unless one grows it very hard, little irrigation and infertile soils. Lots of selected color forms here, they are all quite nice, and yes, it does handle wind quite easily.
|
Sat Nov 03, 2007 7:57 pm |
|
|
Dave Bindon
Site Admin
Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2007 4:15 pm Posts: 1113 Location: Pagrati, Athens, Greece
|
Thanks, David. It would have had full sun in either of the potential spots, but I'll err on the side of caution. It'll be interesting to see how it fares in London. If I had a bigger garden, I'd buy another so I could test it in different conditions.
_________________ Dave Pagrati, Athens, Greece Jul/Aug av.: 33C day, 23C night January: 13/6
|
Sat Nov 03, 2007 8:02 pm |
|
|
bodster
Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2007 6:09 pm Posts: 222 Location: Southampton, UK
|
I have one of these that survived OK last winter. It does tend to look like a tuft of grass so I'd forgotten I still had it. Seems OK but not grown much
_________________ Martin S
|
Sat Nov 03, 2007 10:13 pm |
|
|
David Matzdorf
Site Admin
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2007 4:06 pm Posts: 5321 Location: Islington, London UK
|
|
Sat Nov 03, 2007 10:47 pm |
|
|
ChrisB
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2007 5:17 pm Posts: 146 Location: Swindon, SW England
|
_________________ Chris
|
Sun Nov 04, 2007 7:57 am |
|
|
Dave Bindon
Site Admin
Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2007 4:15 pm Posts: 1113 Location: Pagrati, Athens, Greece
|
_________________ Dave Pagrati, Athens, Greece Jul/Aug av.: 33C day, 23C night January: 13/6
|
Sun Nov 04, 2007 9:27 am |
|
|
Michael (SW Ireland)
Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2007 12:38 pm Posts: 1912 Location: Cape Clear Island, Roaringwater Bay
|
Here is one of my clumps in flower last summer. They are very wind-resistant, and in a gentle breeze have a fascinating movement, like a Calder mobile. They self-seed freely here.
|
Sun Nov 04, 2007 11:14 am |
|
|
carolpz
|
|
Sun Nov 04, 2007 12:32 pm |
|
|
alpine
Joined: Thu Nov 01, 2007 11:56 am Posts: 205 Location: West side of the Wirral, UK
|
|
Sun Nov 04, 2007 2:23 pm |
|
|
david feix
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2007 3:54 am Posts: 3206 Location: Berkeley, California
|
For another great full sun plant that picks up the character of the Dierama, try the succulent from Chile, Calandrinia grandiflora. It also has very tall stems with all the similarly fuchsia colored flowers at the tips, and dances in the wind as well. Unfortunately, it is not as winter cold hardy as the alpine Drakensburg Mtn growing Dieramas, but it makes an attractive mound of succulent blue-gray foliage and pinkish stems, and blooms nearly 10 months out of the year here.
With the Dieramas, I would advise not moving or dividing them, and they may even be best started from seed. they don't seem to mind transplanting from containers, but do resent division and replanting, or perhaps there is a best time of year to do this that I have yet to discover. They can form massive, almost Phormium-like clumps of foliage with age, but do look best if groomed of older dead foliage. They do seem somewhat drought tolerant in coastal California gardens, but certainly grow faster with both the good drainage and regular water in summer. They tolerate our 30 inches maximum of winter rains, but I would assume they really need perfect winter drainage to take much more than this along with greater winter cold.
|
Sun Nov 04, 2007 5:00 pm |
|
|
timfulcher
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2007 2:06 pm Posts: 60 Location: London/Lincoln UK
|
|
Tue Nov 06, 2007 5:51 pm |
|
|
carolpz
|
|
Tue Nov 06, 2007 6:06 pm |
|
|
Dave Bindon
Site Admin
Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2007 4:15 pm Posts: 1113 Location: Pagrati, Athens, Greece
|
Thanks for the kind offers, but I've already bought the plant. I was just after a bit of first-hand knowledge before choosing a planting position.
_________________ Dave Pagrati, Athens, Greece Jul/Aug av.: 33C day, 23C night January: 13/6
|
Tue Nov 06, 2007 6:50 pm |
|
|
|
|
Page 1 of 1
|
[ 15 posts ] |
|
Who is online |
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 31 guests |
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum
|
|