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Saturday, September 1, 2018

GOMPHRENA

Keeping color in the garden through a long, hot dry summer is not easy. All those spring flowering beauties, which in cooler climates are summer flowers, vanished long ago, their spent stems consigned to the compost pile. In my garden some of the best colorful summer bloomers are the annual gomphrenas and one of my favorites is the cultivar Gomphrena sp 'Fireworks'


You can see how it got its name. Instead of the globose flower head this one has clusters of bright pink starburst bracts with yellow stamens just peeping from the top.


The plant is very airy and open, and growing to several feet it would be well placed at the back of the border. If only it would be so disciplined. I can't remember when the first one arrived in my garden but for many year it has showed up every year. It seems to be more perennial than the globose varieties forming quite a large root which survives most winters. At the same time it seeds readily, rather too readily, but the seedlings are easy to pull or transplant.

I also have several other colors of the globose variety; pink and purple. They grow from seed left on the ground over the winter but since they require a very warm soil they don't germinate until early May.


 Gomphrena globosa 'strawberry fields' has bright red bracts.



While all the above grow to several feet, this year I found a shorter variety Gomphrena sp 'Buddy Purple' which seems to be performing well. I will save the seeds of this variety to plant next year as I am always in need of shorter growing plants.


And Gomphrena sp 'Pin Ball Snow tip Lavender' which I understand does not grow true from seed. Do I have to take cuttings?



All the larger gomphrenas can be cut back to limit their growth and the flowers dry well. Just cut before the lower bracts begin to lose their color and hang upside down in a cool dry place. But remember to leave a few for the goldfinches and next years seedbank.

13 comments:

  1. I love Gomphrena too. Gomphrena 'Itsy Bitsy' (aka 'Little Grapes') is perennial here and literally flowers all year except when I hack it back to prevent it from swallowing its neighbors. I'd understood the other varieties I've tried were annuals but 'Fireworks' surprised me by coming back this year so now I'm kicking myself for not planting more of them. 'Pinball Snowtip Lavender' didn't survive long for me the first time I grew it but I just planted 3 more and will coddle them a bit to see if I can get these plants to emulate 'Fireworks' by coming back.

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    1. I used to have gomphrena grapes but it was so late in the season before it bloomed that often it never made it. I decided to pull it out. A rare thing for me. I'm sure you will have plenty of fireworks by next year. It is a heavy reseeder. And I am hoping for pinball to be a survivor although I will try to take cuttings. It seems late in the season for it to be showing up but I got word from a friend in San Antonio that Lowes had it last week and they did.

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  2. Thank you for the reminder that I want to grow some Gomphrena globosa 'strawberry fields' next year!

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  3. Wow, these are all pretty. I've grown some Gomphrena before, but not in a long time.

    Have a nice holiday weekend ~ FlowerLady

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    1. Thanks Lorraine. We are definitely hoping for a wet holiday weekend but so far no go.

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  4. I first saw 'fireworks' in your photos several years back, but only this year planted some. I immediately loved it and hope that I'm pulling volunteers out forever now!

    Note that the deer passed on the one plant within easy reach, but rabbits ate the one they could get to.

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    1. Maybe you should save some of the seeds because I don't know how hardy they will be in the ground in your winters. They do seem to be the hardiest of the gomphrenas though and last years plants often return.

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  5. So agree with you about indispensable 'Fireworks' -- what a summer workhorse, like having drumstick alliums all summer.

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    1. I'd just like to have drumstick for one year. Have you heard of Sanguisorba 'Tanna' It looks like drum sticks but flowers all summer long-at least in England.

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  6. You have a wonderful array of them! 'Fireworks' was a monster here, but I miss it. No seedlings, unfortunately.

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  7. We have some volunteer 'fireworks' along our driveway looking amazing. I need to get it back into the bed for next year and maybe add some of the other varieties you mentioned. We need summer color too.

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    1. Lining the driveway sound like the perfect place for them to be.

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  8. I had three of these live through this past winter in Nashville, which was a rough one with a bad two week freeze. I could not believe it! It will grow under the driest of conditions as well. I am so glad you confirmed its winter hardiness.

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