Evening all. I bought some plants from the casualty corner of B&Q last weekend. The label on them says they are Strawflower, but no other details. Not even a proper latin name so I can look it up. They are quite bushy, about a foot tall, with lovely red/orange flowers. Wikipedia tells me all I need to know about the genus they belong to, such as that there are 600+ types and they can be annuals, herbaceous perennials or shrubs, and that they come from warmer parts of the world. Does anyone have any idea if the ones I've got will be perennials? Cheers
According to my books, there are some 500 species of strawflowers or Helichrysum, so identifying your particular one is .... tricky! The RHS Encyclopedia of Perennials says they do best in a sunny position on well-drained soil; will suffer in waterlogged conditions and '.. lose their character ..' in rich soils. To propagate, divide in Spring or take cuttings in late summer and that they are prone to powdery mildew. On the other hand, the RD Encyclopedia of Garden Plants .., under pests and diseases says they are 'Usually trouble free'. Not much help really, all I can suggest is that you 'wait and see'.
And this is why using the common names for plants isn't such a good idea. If the proper latin names were used throughout there would be no confusion and new gardeners wouldn't have such a difficult time getting to know names. I'll get down now :WINK1:
I grow the annual strawflowers every year. If you want to save any for dried flowers pick them whilst they're still in bud as they will continue to open after picking, so if picked in full bloom will look well past it by the time they have dried. Strip the leaves off the stem and hang them upside down tied in bunches. Picking some for drying makes the plants bushier so there's lots more at the end of season to enjoy as fresh (cut) flowers. The opposite seems to apply here because if picked in bud the flowers are prone to bending over at the top soon after going in a vase.
Thanks all I'll look after them for the rest of the year, and then put the pots in the shed until spring and see if they come back. If they don't, I guess I've got the annual ones.
Just as a BTW - it's possible that the perennial ones make woody plants whereas those which I grow - the annuals - are quite 'floppy' (but that could just be me!)
