The spectacular bird of paradise plant at Seaview Wildlife Encounter.
GARDENINGTWO very different, but intriguing, flowering plants were highlighted to me by readers this week.
They are poles apart in terms of appearance. One is a showy, architectural, specimen. The other provides year-round interest and only flowers sporadically, and subtly — if at all.
But they both have at least two things in common too — their country of origin and a dislike of winter watering.
First to the bold and beautiful.
Jean Tilbury previously e-mailed me for help in identifying an alien 'greenhouse invader’ plant but this time, she knows exactly what she has got and was very proud to send me a photograph of her first blooms.
She has had the Strelitzia, better known as the bird of paradise plant, in her conservatory for at least seven years — and the first blossoms proved well worth waiting for.
Strelizia only flowers when the plant is mature, after five years, or more, and is further encouraged by becoming pot bound — so if you have one and you have moved it up in pot size, you can stop doing that when it has reached a height of 3ft, or so, and just top-dress for a couple of years.
When you do feel it is time to move it up a size, bird of paradise tends to do very well in loam-based compost with either grit or fine gravel to aid drainage.
Optimum pH is 6.5.
This South African native is also encouraged to flower and flourish by rationed watering. During spring and summer allow the pot to almost dry out and in winter it can go bone dry before refreshment.
When new growth begins in the spring, Strelitzia should be given a Miracle Gro or Phostrogen feed once a fortnight, to encourage new growth of leaves, which resemble smaller versions of those of the banana tree.
Strelitzia tends to do very well in a greenhouse or conservatory, though they should be protected from frost.
They can spend their spring, summers and early autumns outside in sheltered south-facing gardens.
It’s often better to give them time outside because Strelitzia require as much sunlight and ventilation as possible.
It also makes them less prone to attack from scale insect, red spider mite, whitefly and greenfly, to which they are prone.
If they do get attacked, the best solution is to wash your plant with soapy water every few days to cut down the insect numbers, or simply give it a good hosing.
Bird of paradise flowers really do resemble birds and they make an exceptionally attractive planting in the right location, one of which is just down the road from me, in the main glasshouse of Seaview Wildlife Encounter.
You may have to wait years to see the stunning flowers of Strelizia but you will wait forever to see the money plant blossom if you continue to water that one.
Crassula ovata, the Chinese rubber tree, jade tree, or, most commonly, the money plant, is common in households — probably because it thrives on a large degree of neglect.
Peter Clark e-mailed me a picture of a money plant given to his wife as a cutting 37 years ago and it has just bloomed again, three years after it last did so.
Peter asked whether that was the normal flowering cycle of this super succulent, one of which has remained flower-less in my conservatory for at least 15 years, for very good reason. It gets too well looked after…
To encourage flowering, you must allow the plant to go without water around the time of the first frosts and when the days get short, withhold water completely.
Several weeks of this dry, cold, neglect, followed by regular watering will result in blossoms around the shortest day of the year.
Regular watering, or nights too warm, and the plant will remain healthy, but bloom-less.
Money plants love sunny spots and, although originating from South Africa and Madagascar, their small round leaves — a bit like coins — gives them a place in Chinese culture, where they are reputed to bring money to your life.
The succulent stores water in the leaves and stems and for that reason, they don’t need very much, probably once a month in summer and less in winter.
As for soil type, they like sandy or coarse soil. For the avid gardener, the best mixture is four-parts loam and one part each of sand and pulverised brick. They also don’t seem to mind being root-bound, in fact most seem to thrive on it.
When you do need to re-pot, only do so in a pot one size larger than the original.
When given enough sun, the leaves develop a reddish colour and the plants have great variety of size and shape. They can grow up to 10ft tall and also make acceptable bonsai.
If the plant becomes too top heavy and it can’t support itself, try pruning some of the branches back to the first bud along the stem. This is best done in March.
When you have one money plant it is easy to get more, reproducing through seeds, leaf cuttings or stem cuttings.
Prune a piece about 3ins in length and leave it to dry in the air for a few hours, or even overnight. A protective layer forms over the end. Remove the bottom leaves, and place it in soil or sand and water when it dries out.
It’ll soon have its own root system and be ready for potting.