Dennis' Manfreda update

Dennis Kramb dkramb@badbear.com
Mon, 17 Jul 2006 17:45:23 PDT
At 02:01 PM 7/14/2006, you wrote:
> >My Manfreda virginica is going to bloom for the first time ever.  The
> >stalk keeps getting taller each day.  It recently surpassed my own
> >height, and I'm over 6ft tall!
>
>Dear Dennis and all;
>         Our Manfreda is at it's last few blooms. We have three
>stalks, the tallest just over 6 ft. They hold up to our weather, but
>now as the large seed pods weigh the stems they are beginning to lean.
>
>         I recall some mention of whether they are evergreen or
>deciduous last winter. Ours are well protected (ha) by dense
>"wildflowers' around the base so they barely show any loss of foliage
>in winter. In spring we  remove the basal protection (i.e. weed) and
>they  pop back into to healthy growth very fast.
>
>         So far no pups yet.     Best    Jim W.


Wild!  Mine started to set pups last year (which I think was it's 3rd 
year) and started blooming this year.

I have about 8 first year seedlings of locally genetic (Ohio native) 
Manfredas.  I'm hoping to have those bloom by 2008.

My one plant blooming now is pretty much in full bloom.  The lower 
flowers are all open.  The flower spike continues to grow, and is 
approaching 7 ft.  It will be hard to stake it, since it's growing in 
a shallow bed on top of concrete.  So I hope it stays nice and erect.

Yah that was me that questioned about winter deciduousness.  I must 
have been hallucinating because when I returned to the nursery 
growing them en masse, they had all gone squooshy after the first hard freeze.

Yes, squooshy is a technical term.  LOL.

Dennis in Cincinnati


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