My clianthus in full bloom

Good guy · Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2017 11:09 am Post subject: My clianthus in full bloom

This clianthus has grown remarkably well, given that I only planted it a couple of seasons ago. It was a replacement for one that was killed by that succession of very hard winters some years ago.
It took ages to get a replacement - it seems they are difficult to propagate. This did flower in early summer but it has grown a lot since and has just opened a lot of unseasonable flowers. Hardiness is H3 but it’s doing well on this SW facing wall.
Note the very early white hellebore in the foreground - also out of season.

kindredspirit · Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2017 1:24 pm Post subject:

That's a lovely juxtaposition of leaf shapes. Impressive.

Good guy · Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2017 1:44 pm Post subject:

Thank you, KS. Obviously the yucca will be going indoors soon and I’ll be tidying the agapanthus leaves away. It stays leafy all year near the front door. Out of shot on the right is a big striped Cordyline in a lovely big green glazed pot and to the right again, jasminium nudiflorum, flowering nicely now, with Sarcococca confusa (sweet box) and Skimmia japonica in front. With a few spring bulbs thrown in, there is always something going on around there.

Sue Deacon · Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2017 3:00 pm Post subject:

Not come across that before, it's lovely! Very Happy

The hellebore looks like H. niger (?) in which case it's not too early as the 'Christmas' rose. All mine are H. orientalis the Lenten rose (a bit bigger than that one).

It's lovely to have a bit of cheerful colour by the door, isn't it?

Good guy · Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2017 4:59 pm Post subject:

It is H niger, Sue. But Santa hasn’t even dusted off his snowshoes yet! And yes, the color is so cheering, especially the jasmine - it just goes on giving.

Sue Deacon · Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2017 7:38 pm Post subject:

Yes, but there is at least one numpty in England who has his Christmas decorations up already!

Greengage · Posted: Wed Nov 01, 2017 7:59 am Post subject:

Well done for getting the Clianthus to flower we have tried on a number of occasions without success. We called it lobster claw if my memory serves me right I think we had a yellow variety. Do you know the variety of that one or are they all red.

Good guy · Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2017 11:18 pm Post subject:

Mine is Clianthus puniceus. I got it from Boyne Garden Centre (lovely people and superb plants).
I never had any difficulty getting it to flower. Deadheading keeps it going for ages. Mine is on a SW wall, in good, fertile well-drained soil.

The Yucca filimentosa thrives there too - I have lots of young plants growing there from seed - in fact the plant I have now is second generation. It’s parent went on the compost heap a year ago!