Cistanthe grandiflora (formerly Calandrinia grandiflora) is just coming into bloom in the garden. You may (possibly) remember that
last December I planted out my nearly dead specimen simply because... well, it was still alive after a summer's worth of maltreatment on the patio and it
might survive after all...
It survived. In fact, I just moved one plant (Salvia greggi "Flame", none too healthy on its own account) out of the path of the spreading Cistanthe. Due to mistaken understanding of which type of Cistanthe this was, I thought it would remain a bit smaller. And anyway, when planted out, it didn't look like it would live, let alone thrive. Now it is clearly C. grandiflora, and it is full 2 1/2 ft (76 cm) across though still only a bit over 1 ft (30.5 cm) high. I'm assuming it will stop at about 3 ft, but I have no indication that the plant is aware of this limit!
Foliage is rich gray succulent, nothing special in terms of sparkle or texture, but a little soft to the touch, with a gently curved shape terminating in a light point. It has formed a dense mound of rosettes with bloom stems starting from the centres.
Buds are now many. The flowers last only a day, but there appear to be enough to keep the plant in flower for quite a while.
As for the flowers, they are spectacular. Rich pink so deep it is almost red, accented with a central boss of copper stamens, silky texture.
The flowers bloom on long stems, holding themselves high above the foliage. With a little bending, one can easily sniff them; they are fragrant!
It holds promise of coming through this summer unscathed as I will almost certainly treat it better in the garden than I did in its little pot. It is said (
New Sunset Western Garden Book) to require regular water; but so far it has been very undemanding, to say the least. It receives a little bit of afternoon shade, Arizona style, which would be the equivalent of full, full sun almost anyplace else. Water requirements so far have been low, though more may be necessary during bloom, of course.
Did I say spectacular?
The clump I had at my old house also got afternoon shade. It expanded without any help from me and was magnificent in bloom. In contrast, the 3 plants I currently have here have done nothing much other than survive. They've produced very few flowers. I think they do want more water than they're getting here at present - and possibly a bit more sun.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if it's a bit selective as to site? This plant completely languished in its pot in the patio, though I know that was partly my too much/too little watering. Now it looks set to take over the garden; I've not read of being seriously invasive... For months it's only gotten light watering - a little more now that I'm settling in some new plants nearby.
DeleteA lovely plant, one I don't know at all. The colour is so rich, and it is very tactile, I just want to stroke those silky petals!
ReplyDeleteI found myself doing exactly that, Jane - they are as silky as they look :)
DeleteThis one is absolutely delightful, and new to me. I actually think the foliage is rather nice - especially with the mound forming habit, I think I may have to hunt this one down :-)
ReplyDeleteHighly recommended plant so far, Matt! I didn't mean to imply the foliage was bad-looking - I rather like it myself! But I'm not growing it (as I am some other succulents) for the foliage alone. As a matter of fact, those leaves have another advantage: they grow so dense that they keep weeds out... And then there are the flowers!
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