FFF483 - POMPON DAHLIA

Dahlia is a genus of bushy, tuberous, herbaceous perennial plants native to Mexico and Central America. A member of the  Asteraceae family of dicotyledonous plants, its garden relatives thus include the sunflower, daisy, chrysanthemum, and zinnia. There are 42 species of dahlia, with hybrids commonly grown as garden plants. Flower forms are variable, with one head per stem; these can be as small as 5 cm (2 in) diameter or up to 30 cm (1 ft) ("dinner plate"). This great variety results from dahlias being octaploids—that is, they have eight sets of homologous chromosomes, whereas most plants have only two. In addition, dahlias also contain many transposons—genetic pieces that move from place to place upon an allele—which contributes to their manifesting such great diversity.

The stems are leafy, ranging in height from as low as 30 cm (12 in) to more than 1.8–2.4 m (6–8 ft). The majority of species do not produce scented flowers. Like most plants that do not attract pollinating insects through scent, they are brightly coloured, displaying most hues, with the exception of blue. The dahlia was declared the national flower of Mexico in 1963. The tubers were grown as a food crop by the Aztecs, but this use largely died out after the Spanish Conquest. Attempts to introduce the tubers as a food crop in Europe were unsuccessful.

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FFF482 - SCARBOROUGH LILY

Cyrtanthus elatus, the Scarborough lily, is a bulbous flowering plant which originates from the Cape Province of South Africa. Other common names are Vallotta lily, fire lily and George lily. Cultivars of the Scarborough lily have flowers which may be bright red, orange, yellow, or occasionally pink or white.

The stems can grow to a height of 0.61 m. They are relatively easy to grow in a warm, sheltered, frost-free spot. Alternatively, they can be grown under glass in pots. They require either full sun or slight shade. They flower in late summer or early autumn. The Latin specific epithet elatus means “tall”. This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.

Plant Vallota Lilies in a permanent position as they tend to sulk if they are moved. They grow well in the ground and in pots. Otherwise, these fabulous plants perform year after year. They are easy to grow, and even those without a green thumb easily manage to keep them alive and flowering again and again!

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FFF481 - SCHIZANTHUS

Schizanthus also called butterfly flower, fringeflower, poor-man's-orchid, is a genus of plants in the nightshade family, Solanaceae. They are annual or biennial herbaceous plants, with attractive flowers and they belong to the subfamily Schizanthoideae of the Solanaceae. The genus includes species native to Chile and Argentina, many species are adventitious in other parts of the world such as New Zealand and the United States.

Plant the seedlings in rich, well-drained soil where they will get morning sun and afternoon shade. Poor man’s orchid is a relatively rapid grower, and will soon reach its full height of 40 cm, branching out into a fluffy bush. While poor man’s orchids do well in shaded beds, they thrive in planters, hanging pots and indoor windows. Place them where they will receive cool breezes and morning sun, then move the pots to a shaded spot in the afternoon. Wait until the soil is almost dry before watering each time, as the roots are subject to rot if they stay too moist.

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FFF480 - DITTANY OF CRETE

Origanum dictamnus (dittany of Crete, Cretan dittany or hop marjoram), known in Greek as δίκταμο (díktamo, cf. “dittany”) or in Cretan dialect έρωντας (erondas, “love”), is a tender perennial plant in the Lamiaceae family that grows 20–30 cm high. It is a healing, therapeutic and aromatic plant that only grows wild on the mountainsides and gorges of the Greek island of Crete, Greece.

Dittany of Crete is widely used for food flavouring and medicinal purposes, and is also found as an ornamental plant in gardens. This small, lanate shrub is easily recognised by the distinctive soft, woolly covering of white-grey hair on its stems and round green leaves, giving it a velvety texture. Tiny rose-pink flowers surrounded by brighter purple-pink bracts add an exuberant splash of colour to the plant in summer and autumn. Dittany is classified as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Plant Species 1997.

Origanum dictamnus is a many branched plant with discoid to ovate, grey-green leaves that are sited in pairs opposite each other. The slender arching stems and lanate leaves are covered in a velvety white down and are 13–25 mm in size. The flowers are pale pink to purple and have a deep lilac corolla with many deep pink-coloured overlapping bracts. The colourful flowers forming a cascade of elongated clusters are in bloom in the summer months and are quite a pretty sight in the rocky mountains of their native land. The flowers are hermaphrodite, meaning they have both male and female organs, and are pollinated by bees attracted to their scent and bright colour. The primary ingredients of the herb’s essential oil are carvacrol (68.96%), β-phellandrene (18.34%) and p-cymene (4.68%).

The herb symbolises love and is reputed to be an aphrodisiac. Traditionally, only the most ardent young lovers would scramble on mountainsides and go into the deep gorges of Crete gathering bunches of the pink blooms to present as love tokens. There are numerous deaths reported throughout the centuries by collectors of this magical herb. Even in recent times, the collection of dittany of Crete was a very dangerous occupation for the men who risked life and limb to climb precarious rock faces where the plant grows wild in the mountains of Crete. They were named erondádhes (“love-seekers”) and were considered very brave and passionate men to go to such dangerous lengths to collect the herb.

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FFF479 - SANVITALIA

The creeping zinnias (genus Sanvitalia) are four or five species belonging to the family Asteraceae and native to Southwestern United States, Mexico, Central America, South America, Northwest China (Province Xin Jiang). The original descriptions of this genus was by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck using samples provided by "M. Gualteri". The variety pictured here is called "Irish Eyes".

Sanvitalia prefers full sun but will adapt to partial shade with less flowering. It is tolerant of most garden conditions. Plant outdoors when all danger of frost has passed and the soil is warm. Space plants 15-20 cm apart. Sow seeds in place when ground has warmed. For earlier bloom, start indoors four to six weeks before outdoor planting. Seeds germinate in 10 to 15 days. Use it as an edging for the front of borders, along sidewalks and paths, and in rock gardens. Sanvitalia trails well from containers.

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FFF478 - FLOWERS GALORE

Our weather, influenced by the La Niña cycle, has been warm and wet, which greatly benefits our garden flowers.

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FFF477 - PINK CAMELLIA

Camellia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalayas east to Japan and Indonesia. There are 100–250 described species, with some controversy over the exact number. The genus was named by Linnaeus after the Jesuit botanist Georg Joseph Kamel, who worked in the Philippines, though he never described a camellia.

This genus is famous throughout East Asia; camellias are known as cháhuā (茶花) in Chinese, "tea flower", an apt designation, as tsubaki (椿) in Japanese, as dongbaek-kkot (동백꽃) in Korean and as hoa trà or hoa chè in Vietnamese. Of economic importance in the Indian subcontinent and Asia, leaves of C. sinensis are processed to create the popular beverage, tea. The ornamental Camellia japonica, Camellia oleifera and Camellia sasanqua and their hybrids are represented in cultivation by a large number of cultivars.

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FFF476 - 'CALLIOPE' GERANIUM

The "Geranium Calliope" hybrids have topped the US Geranium sales charts for several years running and are extremely in Australia. There are both "Big Red" and Big Pink" varieties. The name mirrors the blooms, as they are large and robust. The colour is saturated and has a big impact, and they can flower year round. The deep, glossy green leaves are semi trailing and prolific with a nice mounding habit. Grown in pots, hanging baskets, or garden beds they are a wonder.

These new type of Calliope Geraniums were developed by crossing the upright Zonal Geraniums with the trailing Ivy Geraniums giving you the best of both worlds. Almost 15 years in development they are well worth it. Spent flowers should be dead-headed to promote more blooms. After planting, water them in, but they become dry-tolerant as they establish. Put ‘Big’ Geraniums in a sunny spot, with at least four hours light a day. Here is the "Big Pink" form.

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FFF475 - SPANISH BROOM

Spartium junceum, commonly known as Spanish broom or weaver's broom, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. It is the sole species in the genus Spartium, but is closely related to the other brooms in the genera Cytisus and Genista. There are many binomials in Spartium that are of dubious validity. The Latin specific epithet junceum means "rush-like", referring to the shoots, which show a passing resemblance to those of the rush genus Juncus.

This species is native to the Mediterranean in southern Europe, southwest Asia and northwest Africa, where it is found in sunny sites, usually on dry, sandy soils. S. junceum is a vigorous, deciduous shrub growing to 2–4 m tall, rarely 5 m, with main stems up to 5 cm thick, rarely 10 cm. It has thick, somewhat succulent grey-green rush-like shoots with very sparse small deciduous leaves 1 to 3 cm long and up to 4 mm broad. The leaves are of little importance to the plant, with much of the photosynthesis occurring in the green shoots (a water-conserving strategy in its dry climate).

The leaves fall away early. In late spring and summer shoots are covered in profuse fragrant yellow pea-like flowers 1 to 2 cm across. In late summer, the legumes (seed pods) mature black and reach 8–10 cm long. They burst open, often with an audible crack, spreading seed from the parent plant. Spartium junceum has been widely introduced into other areas as an ornamental plant, and is regarded as a noxious invasive species in places with a Mediterranean climate such as California and Oregon, Hawaii, central Chile, southeastern Australia, the Western Cape in South Africa and the Canary Islands and Azores.

The plant is used as an ornamental plant in gardens and in landscape plantings. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. In Bolivia and Peru, the plant is known as retama (not to be confused with the genus Retama) and has become very well established in some areas. It is one of the most common ornamental plants, often seen growing along sidewalks in La Paz. Retama has made its way into the ethnobotany of the indigenous Aymara and Quechua cultures. The plant is also used as a flavouring, and for its essential oil, known as genet absolute. Its fibres have been used for making cloth and it produces a yellow dye.

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FFF474 - BLANDFORDIA

Blandfordia grandiflora is a species of flowering plant native to south-eastern Australia. B. grandiflora is commonly known as the Large Christmas Bell because it generally flowers in December and January. It is a perennial herb, and has tubular, bell-shaped flowers. It is one of only four Blandfordia species.

The name Blandfordia honours the Marquis of Blandford and the name grandiflora means "large flowered". Of the four species of Blandfordia, B. grandiflora is considered the most robust, so the name grandiflora suits the plant. At one time, B. grandiflora went by the name B. flammea. 

Although Blandfordia grandiflora is only native to Australia, in the nineteenth century, many botanists grew it in Great Britain because it can easily be grown as a potted plant. B. grandiflora grows well in sandy soils. The wet coastal heaths of Australia, such as, New South Wales and Queensland have the sandy soil necessary for B. grandiflora to grow. In order for B. grandiflora to grow, the soil should be light and well-drained and the plant should not be in direct sunlight or in heavy shade. B. grandiflora is a very slow growing plant, so more aggressive plants easily swamp it in the wild.

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