The MGS Forum
Plants for mediterranean gardens => Annuals => Topic started by: Fermi on August 28, 2021, 05:35:02 AM
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Cerinthe is a relatively new plant in Australian horticulture - I've not found any reference to it in the older books and magazines but it became the "it" plant in the late 1990s I think.
The one that created the most interest is Cerinthe major "Purpurascens" the bracts of which always remind me of the colour of bruises.
They self-seed readily in parts of our garden but seem to migrate because some years they won't re-appear where they had made quite a show the year before. Have they exhausted the soil of some nutrient essential for them to germinate?
They are just starting to flower now and will continue till the end of summer,
cheers
fermi
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I grew this about 10 years ago when I had only a balcony. It was too big so I never bothered again. Now that I have a little garden, I decided to grow it again and ordered seeds just last week. I am experimenting with a few annuals as struggling to keep things going through the severe heat of summer only to see them succumb is frustrating. Over the summer I have a framework of tried and trusted perennials that give me some colour.
Unfortunately, this year's annuals were a disaster. Almost everything destroyed by a violent hailstorm which smashed the seedlings to pieces and then left them covered in ice for a couple of hours - and that was in June!
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Your posts regarding Cerinthe sent me to photograph our newly grown ones. They are this year's seeds. I was given the original seeds by a member of the Gardening Group here in Cyprus. I like the colour of the leaves as much as the flowers. They seem to grow anywhere as long as there is some moisture. The more water there is, the bigger they grow. Currently they are under the Pomelo trees.