Kirengeshoma palmatum, Yellow Wax Bells and other late season flowers
I wanted to obtain a plant after seeing an interesting collector's article about Kirengeshoma palmatum in Horitculture. I first tried seeds. The instructions for growing it was daunting, with a long period of cold stratification and up to 4 months for germination. Not one of the 5 seeds I received germinated. Fortunately I was able to buy a growing specimen and it has just started blooming.
Kirengeshoma palmatum.
The evergreen Singapore Plumeria only produced one stalk of flowers this year. We had at least 5 last year. However, the flowers are very fragrant this year...a result of maturity?... which makes up for the small amount. The flowers in previous years were not very fragrant.
The variegated Eupatorium fortunei, 'Pink Elegance' in bud form.
Tricyrtis Hirta, 'Gilt Edge'. After 6 years, our shrubs and trees have grown luxuriously. We now have lots of shade, too much in fact so we are looking for part shade/shade, understory plants. We purchased a number of different Tricyrtis, Heuchera Coral Bells, Brunnera and Dicentra Bleeding Heart to fill in the now empty areas, exposed after some heavy pruning.
And another common Zinnia - because it looked so nice with the dappled light playing on the flower.
Kirengeshoma palmatum.
The evergreen Singapore Plumeria only produced one stalk of flowers this year. We had at least 5 last year. However, the flowers are very fragrant this year...a result of maturity?... which makes up for the small amount. The flowers in previous years were not very fragrant.
The variegated Eupatorium fortunei, 'Pink Elegance' in bud form.
Tricyrtis Hirta, 'Gilt Edge'. After 6 years, our shrubs and trees have grown luxuriously. We now have lots of shade, too much in fact so we are looking for part shade/shade, understory plants. We purchased a number of different Tricyrtis, Heuchera Coral Bells, Brunnera and Dicentra Bleeding Heart to fill in the now empty areas, exposed after some heavy pruning.
And another common Zinnia - because it looked so nice with the dappled light playing on the flower.
posted by Ki at
4:55 AM
6 Comments:
I have never heard of Kirengeshoma, but it looks interesting. I am very fond of Tricyrtis and will not have a garden without them - super easy and they remind me of Orchids.
Hi Les,
I only learned about Kirengeshoma after reading the article in "Horticulture". I was surprised the flowers are fairly large, perhaps a bit more than 1" long.
Tricyrtis sure do remind me of orchids too. The couple of plants we originally planted have multiplied to become mounds several feet long. A very nice plant for the semi-shaded spot.
Thanks for your comments.
Those are some cool flowers.
Thanks Aunt Debbi/Kurt's Mom. It is an eclectic mix - tropical, annuals and perennials but they are all blooming now.
Hiya Ki,
I do grow the K. palmatum, but it never thrills me. Quite frankly, the leaves are so reminiscent of Ground Elder, that I must have ripped out some of it by mistake ;-)
The advice I got was to sow seed in the Autumn, as soon as ripe. So store-bought seed is always going to be a problem.
It is the balance between the dainty flowers and the robust leaves that I find less than appealing.
Now that Plumeria on the other hand.......what a treasure! Never heard that name.
You mention scent: endless causes for variation I suppose, depending on soil, weather, and one's personal state of perception. Maybe you all had colds last year ;-) (joking).
Hi Joco,
Plumeria is the Latin name for Frangipani. Perhaps Frangipani is more familiar to you.
Though the leaves of Kirengeshoma are distinctively patterned and large, I don't find them to be objectionable. They are all the same color and the smallish flowers are so bright that the leaves become unobtrusive in my opinion.
I find that scents differ in the tropics as opposed to the temperate zones. Even if our summers in NJ are hotter and more humid than in Hawaii, things smell different. Usually the scents are not as strong or sweet. I can't account for the difference.
Thanks for visiting.
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