Scented flowers for winter

Press, 12 June 1987, Page 14

Scented flowers for winter

GARDENING

by

Mike Lusty

The range of available winter flowering trees and shrubs suitable for selection in our gardens is not really great as so many of them are not hardy enough; fewer still are also scented.

This double virtue probably accounts as much as anything else for the appeal of Luculia, especially as the fragrance of

its flowers is so delightful. Unfortunately, its lack of sufficient frost hardiness restricts general planting to sheltered sites and locations up on the hills about Christchurch where many happily growing specimens can be found.

Luculia can also be recommended as a tub plant, but again protection from more than a few degrees of frost is desirable if these plants are to thrive.

Apart from selecting a relatively frost-free position, good drainage is essential to avoid root disorders which can prove disastrous. The loose clusters of tubulara, almost phlox-like flowers begin to open from the end of autumn/ early winter, and may continue to appear until spring time. After they have flowered, well established plants benefit from judicious cutting back, which encourages their floriferous tendencies and also helps to maintain a more compact, smaller specimen. Pruning should consist of

cutting well back to side shoots, and possibly some removal of main stems if development has become overcrowded.

After this task the application of blood and bone is beneficial — up to Ikg for a fully established shrub. Mulching is worth considering, especially where the plant is growing in light soil. The flowers are sought after for floral work, but will wilt quickly unless properly handled. It is advisable to dip the stem ends of cut luculia blooms in boiling water as soon as possible after picking. The large oval leaves are also attractive with their deep green colour through the spring and into summer after which they take on a combination of red, orange, and purple tones.

This colouring is generally more prominentt in L.grandifolia than L.gratissma, the only two species usually obtained, although there are notable forms available as well.