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TEMPERATE FLOWERS 2
I fancy plants with orange flowers and this one is no exception. Orange does have a class of its own and I find that orange flowers across all plant genera are difficult in our climate as they seem to prefer cooler conditions to thrive. Orange Impatiens and orange Hibiscus. Though other colours like yellow, scarlet and salmon flowers are available in the market, I still prefer Clivia miniata for its large showy clusters of funnel-shaped orange flowers which are yellow at the throat. It is another warm temperate perennial.
When to purchase them About a week before Chinese New Year will be fine. How to select plants Select plants with green healthy foliage with no brown leaf tips. Flower buds are unopened and fairly green. Price range $28 and above. Flowering period About 1 week only if cooler. Care (Rating: 3) Care for bulbous plants are generally simpler. I have not come across a plant that adores shade so much and this one really likes shade though some indirect light will help to maintain the colours of the flowers. Water daily. After flowering (Rating: 2) Clivia will continue to grow vegetatively and like all temperate plants, they require a winter rest in order to bloom the following year. I know of someone who manages to rebloom it by putting it in her air-conditioned room for a few weeks before Chinese New Year to initiate flowering. You may wish to give it a try and do let our GCS members know if you manage to rebloom it.
Cyclamen are just lovely. They are one of those plants that gardeners are willing to pay the nursery price. The sight of these flowers sweeping back their petals that they appear to be standing on tiptoe is just irresistible. When the flowers fade, the flower stalk will coil up like a watch spring, hence its name. They are forest-floor plants in the wild, growing under the trees. Cyclamen are dormant when the trees are growing in spring and summer. In autumn when the tree roots' activity are slow, they flower. Leaves emerge as soon as the flower dies to catch the winter sunshine when the trees are still leafless. They are dormant again when spring arrives and the cycle continues. After the small introduction, I guess you know what I am trying to drive at. BINGO! They cannot be grown in Singapore - Cyclamen are winter bloomers and require chilling temperatures to grow and bloom well. It is recommended a temperature not exceeding 15 °C in a sunny day. One beautiful plant is down.
When to purchase them I would suggest as near to Chinese New Year as possible since these plants are too sensitive to heat. Besides, when is Singapore cool? How to select plants Select one with lots of buds. Shake the plant to ensure the leaves and flower buds are intact. Lift the leaves and inspect the corm. Make sure it is plump and reddish brown in colour. Avoid those with yellow leaves as the plant may be suffering from rots caused by overwatering. I prefer the miniatures as they can be brought into an air-conditioned room quite easily. Price range $5 onwards. Flowering period Stops once the weather warms up. Shift it to an air-conditioned place to prolong its flowering season. But be prepared to lose the plant at any time unless you have a windy and cool place which is unlikely to be found in the HDB flats in Singapore. Care (Rating: 1) Cyclamen have a reputation for being difficult. Put it in the coolest place where the plant will receive bright indirect light to prolong its flowering period. The plant will die instantly once the weather turns warmer. Remember they are winter bloomers. Water the plant taking care not to wet the leaves. Lift the leaves up during watering to ensure each drop of water touches only the root ball. After flowering (Rating: 1) They will die back to their fat corms after flowering. It is not easy to rebloom them as they require chilling conditions to bloom. Besides, it is very difficult to keep the leaves alive to make food for the plant for next year flowering since the leaves will wilt in our weather before it can even photosynthesize. Without food, the corm may not flower and you may have to throw them away.
My first encounter with Dahlia was my first visit to Cameron Highlands when I was in secondary school. The weather was very cooling then, about 23 °C during the day and I was enchanted by a 2 metre tall Dahlia with a flower the size of a dining plate. The owner asked for RM$2 for the flower. RM$2 was a lot of money to me in the early eighties. I still remembered the Florist Gloxinias sold at that time were RM$15 per pot and I could only gaze at the plant till it was out of sight as we left the highlands. Now you can have a decent pot for just RM$6! Though Dahlia are cool to warm temperate plants, they seem to thrive quite well in Cameron Highlands and are easy to grow during the Chinese New Year period when it is cool and windy. There are some miniatures available for sale in the market lately and they seem to be more heat tolerant than the giants. These are grown from seeds and are treated like annuals. All Dahlia are perennials and can be grown again after flowering provided you have a cool and windy place to grow them.
When to purchase them About a week or less before Chinese New Year since they open very fast in our weather. How to select plants Dahlia are very susceptible to virus and rots. Inspect the whole plant carefully for brownish flower stalks, yellow bottom leaves and leaf curls. Healthy plants are hard to come by. Grab them first even though it may be too early for new year. Dahlia deteriorate very fast in warm weather. Price range $8-$25 depending on size of the plant Flowering period Flowering will be sluggish when the days are warmer. Care (Rating: 1) For all temperate plants, they grow and bloom easily when the weather is cooling with sufficient sunshine. The challenge will come when the north-east monsoon ceases to arrive. Spray both sides of the leaves with water to prevent red spider mites as a preventive measure as the weather becomes hotter. Give it some shade from the afternoon sun as the delicate flowers cannot take heat. After flowering (Rating: 1) The plant will gradually die back to its clump of potato-like tubers. However, not all Dahlia form tubers and you can try your luck by pruning it to about 10 cm from the soil level after it has lost almost all its foliage. The plant may sprout again or you may have to discard it away. Once again, I have to remind you that the plant is cool-loving.
My first encounter with Hydrangea was during my first visit to Genting Highlands where I was fascinated by its large, showy blue flowerheads that almost covered its foliage completely. The leaves have a very nice fragrance and are not surprisingly susceptible to red spider mites infection. My second encounter was when I chanced upon my neighbour's plant who produced a gigantic red flowerhead one foot across! It was then that I realised the flower changes its colour according to the pH of the soil. Though Hydrangea are cool temperate plants, some have been acclimatised to the local climate and can be grown quite successfully under shade. They have smaller leaves and are a bit leggy. Of course, flowerheads are smaller too. The most commonly grown species is Hydrangea macrophylla which is from China or Japan. Looking at its botanical name which is adapted from the Greek hydor aggeion or 'water vessel', you can deduce the plant has a terrible thirst for water like the Azalea. All Hydrangea macrophylla have two types of flowers: one tiny and fertile with minute petals surrounding a cluster of stamens, the other sterile, with large, showy sepals and no stamens at all. Flowers are generally blue or mauve in acid soils and pink or red when the soil turns alkaline. Aluminium sulphate will turn them blue while lime will turn them pink. Hydrangeas sold during the festive period are either from the Cameron Highlands of Malaysia or Europe. The Malaysian ones can still be grown after flowering, details which I will elaborate further. The rest are difficult.
When to purchase them About 7-10 days before Chinese New Year since the flowers do not last long in warm places. How to select plants The 'lots of buds' rule apply here as well. Price range $35 for the Malaysian ones and more for the European imports. Flowering period 2 weeks in our warm and sunny island. Care (Rating: 2) Place them in a semi-shaded cool position to prolong the blooming period. Give ample watering at least twice a day. After flowering (Rating: 1) Prune the plants heavily back to a third to a pair of plump growth buds. Continue to give them morning sun as long as the leaves do not turn yellow and water generously during the warmer days. Repotting is not necessary. Hydrangea are VERY susceptible to red spider mites when the air is dry. It is crucial to spray both the upper and under sides of the leaves with water daily to reduce the infestation. It is a challenge to grow these plants in HDB flats.
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