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.