Cut-flower aristocrats - Special Issue: Spring-Summer 1994 Garden Guide

Sunset, Spring-Summer, 1994 by Richard Dunmire

Distinction in form, variety and clarity in color, and lasting vase quality have made gerberas and alstroemerias two of florists' favorite cut flowers. Commercial growers raise them in greenhouses so they can control size and quality over a long season, but you can grow them in your own garden if you are willing to learn their needs.

Regal gerberas

If a daisy could aspire to greater glory, it would wish to be a gerbera (Transvaal daisy). The size of the flower head and its carriage atop the stem combine to make it the royalty of the daisy tribe. The durability of the flowers in a vase makes them a favorite flower for arrangements.

Happipot is the most widely offered strain today, and although its flowers last well when cut, its 6- to 10-inch stems are out of scale with the large flowers. Other newer strains such as Dwarf Double Parade, Dwarf Frisbee, and Rainbow are also short.

Most nursery plants grown today are dwarf forms. Tall strains still exist, but if you want 12- to 18-inch stems, select plants in bloom at the nursery.

Several kinds of long-stemmed gerberas can also be grown from seed sold by mail-order suppliers.

Growers sell a variety of gerbera seed mixtures that produce plants whose stems range in length from 15 to 24 inches, bearing daisies 3 to 4 inches across, in shades of yellow, orange, crimson, red, rose, pink, and white; some flowers have deep black-brown centers.

Sow seed as soon as you receive it. Use a good seed-growing soil mix, and barely cover seeds with a thin sifting of sphagnum moss; water well, cover with glass or clear plastic, and keep near 70 |degrees~. Or sow outdoors after the soil warms in spring, covering very lightly and keeping soil moist until plants are growing strongly.

Gerberas absolutely require good drainage, and soil must never cover the crown of the plant. It's best to set plants so that the crown is 1/4 inch above the soil level. Plants can be spaced 1 to 2 feet apart. With regular watering and feeding, they will bloom over a long season, peaking in spring and fall.

Aristocratic alstroemerias

Alstroemerias (al-struh-meer-ias), sometimes called Peruvian lilies, are a large clan with more than 50 species, but the florists' flowers are hybrids, mostly Dutch in origin.

Recently, American hybrids of similar parentage have become available for general sale. They're sometimes offered as Meyer or Cordu hybrids but are usually sold unlabeled as blooming plants in containers. They are evergreen in mild climates and, where winters are mild and summers not excessively hot, nearly everblooming, with heaviest production in spring and fall.

Eighteen-inch to 3-foot stems are crowned by rounded flower clusters in shades of pink, lilac, purple, and red, marked by dark flecks and flashes of white or yellow.

Plants are available year-round in mildest climates but are usually sold in bloom during spring and summer.

They thrive in rich, well-drained soil with moderate watering. Give them full sun in coastal areas, but where summers are hot provide afternoon shade. In the desert, they need protection from heat; light shade or an east-facing exposure help. Where frosts are severe, plants will go dormant. Where the soil freezes, mulch plants heavily to protect roots. In really cold climates, grow in containers and protect indoors during the winter.

Seeds of evergreen kinds are not sold commercially. Seed of the summer-dormant Ligtu Hybrids (36-inch plants) and Dr. Salter's Hybrids (40-inch plants) is readily available. These have larger flower clusters with many more (but smaller) individual flowers in "seafood colors"--shrimp pink, salmon, coral, and lobster, with yellow flashings and dark spots.

To ensure long bloom, pull flowering stems instead of cutting them; grasp the stem near the base and gently pull it from the ground. Doing so stimulates production of a new shoot from the rhizome.

Because they disappear during the summer and need no water, alstroemerias make showy additions to less-cultivated areas, but they spread freely by seed and rhizomes to make big patches. They might become the prettiest weeds you have.