Cardboard Palm (Cycad). Perennial. Prehistoric shrub with 3 foot fronds of leathery padlike leaves circling short rough-barked trunk. (If happy, a mature plant produces upright cylindrical male or female cone flower with hard, red decorative seeds (female) in 3-5 years. Give moderate sun, well-draining soil with organic matter. Do not damage taproot when transplanting. Tolerates frost & brief drought. Distinctive specimen for prominent space in a perennial garden.
BY GARY SMITH
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CARE: Being an epiphyte, “Rainbow” bromeliad gets most of its water and nutrition from aerial moisture. It can survive near-desert conditions but looks healthier and grows faster with weekly moderate watering. Overwatering and heavy soil with poor drainage are the principal causes of plant stress, rot and death. Opinions differ on whether to allow the basal cup to fill with water. The plant has a net of sparse wiry dark roots just below the soil surface which function mostly to securely hold the plant. Roots may expand in all directions if quick-draining, organic soil with medium fertility is provided. Rainbow can tolerate heat and all sun levels except extremes. It has survived exposure to drying winds and 30 degrees for six hours which resulted in only spots of leaf damage. USES: Ornamental with striking leaf color, form and flowers. Use as specimen in mixed border; cluster or bed and under trees.
Fortnight Lily, African Iris (Dietes sp). Perennial from rhizomes. Clumps of 3 foot erect grasslike leaves with rigid overtopping slender flower stalks carrying multiple 2” iris flowers, mostly white. Clumps expand rapidly in favorable conditions: part to full sun, moderate water with average drainage and fertility. Tolerates wind and tough conditions once established. Each flower lasts 1-3 days, but are produced in rapid succession during long flowering season.
Fortnight Lily, African Iris (Dietes sp). Perennial from rhizomes. Clumps of 3 foot erect grasslike leaves with rigid overtopping slender flower stalks carrying multiple 2” iris flowers, mostly white. Clumps expand rapidly in favorable conditions: part to full sun, moderate water with average drainage and fertility. Tolerates wind and tough conditions once established. Each flower lasts 1-3 days, but are produced in rapid succession during long flowering season.
Cardboard Palm (Cycad). Perennial. Prehistoric shrub with 3 foot fronds of leathery padlike leaves circling short rough-barked trunk. (If happy, a mature plant produces upright cylindrical male or female cone flower with hard, red decorative seeds (female) in 3-5 years. Give moderate sun, well-draining soil with organic matter. Do not damage taproot when transplanting. Tolerates frost & brief drought. Distinctive specimen for prominent space in a perennial garden.
Cardboard Palm (Cycad). Perennial. Prehistoric shrub with 3 foot fronds of leathery padlike leaves circling short rough-barked trunk. (If happy, a mature plant produces upright cylindrical male or female cone flower with hard, red decorative seeds (female) in 3-5 years. Give moderate sun, well-draining soil with organic matter. Do not damage taproot when transplanting. Tolerates frost & brief drought. Distinctive specimen for prominent space in a perennial garden.
Variegated Opuntia cactus. Perennial. Cactus with swirling multicolored pads (cream/yellow/green/pink. Multiple vertical stems to 4 feet. Heat and drought tolerant, needs well-drained soil, sun. Easy to grow.
