Q-The members of my garden club have taken over a vacant lot where we can grow rows of cut flowers, most to be sold as dried bouquets and for working into winter wreaths. What varieties would be good?
A-The prettiest everlasting flower I have seen recently is a new reddish orange gomphrena called Strawberry Fields. A welcome change from the usual reddish purple, these are vigorous plants 2 feet tall that look showy all summer in the garden and provide an abundance of long-stemmed cutting material. The seeds are available exclusively from Park Seed Co., Greenwood, S.C. 29647 (free catalogue).
Another everlasting I am taken with is Scabiosa stellata Ping Pong. Small white flowers give way to ping-pong-ball-sized heads composed of complex segments, each with a maroon star in the center. These dry to a delicate apricot and will provide something few gardeners have ever seen. (If you would like a packet of seeds, send $1 and a long, addressed, stamped envelope with
”Scabiosa Ping Pong” written on the back flap to Elvin McDonald, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 1000 Washington Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y. 11225.)
Another newcomer to the dried flower scene is Cartamnus tinctorius Orange Ball. The genus is known mostly for its commercial uses for oil and dye, but the fluffy, showy orange blooms, up to nearly 2 inches across, are ideal for cutting, to enjoy fresh or dried. (Seeds are available from Park.)
Also check into some of the newer helichrysums, the botanical name for strawflowers. In larger catalogues, you`ll find these in hot and pastel colors, sometimes listed by their separate colors.
Q-I have a jasmine that grows lots of shiny green leaves, but all the buds dry up and drop. I fertilize with 20-20-20 and maintain temperatures from 66 to 72 degrees.
A-One of my jasmines has never given me a single flower in 12 years. Consequently, I can`t determine the species.
I do grow numerous other jasmines quite successfully. I suspect you have Jasminum nitidum, which is nearly everblooming. Loss of buds suggests the need for cooler temperatures at night and higher humidity. Be sure to keep the soil nicely moist at all times. Alternate 20-20-20 with a blossom-booster 15-30-15 or even Clarel`s 1-6-5, which is called ”Flower Cracker.” My nitidums grow at 60 degrees nights, to 75 by day during the heating season. In warm weather they stand outdoors on a sunny terrace and bloom profusely, literally perfuming the night air.-
Elvin McDonald cannot answer all questions individually, but he will respond to questions of general interest in this column. Write to him c/o The Chicago Tribune, Room 400, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60611.
