Re: Melianthus major



Nan Sterman wrote:

> Hello David and Jan,
>
> Since you two are the most excellent of medit plant gurus, I would
> like to ask a question of you both.  Do I need to cut back Melianthus
> major?  If so, when and how much?

Hi Nan -   Melianthus major

You've hit on one of my favorite foliage plants for a mediterranean
climate. It's large, glaucous, blue-green serrated leaves are one of the
best foils for all those fine textured, silvery leaves in a
mediterranean climate garden. Let those temperate climate gardeners have
their Gunnera manicata, their Rheum palmatum that the magazines gush
over, we can grow this South African native and produce really
magnificent foliage on a really dry soil tolerant plant.

You really don't have to cut back your Melianthus at all, especially if
you enjoy it's interesting  rusty flowers in spring. I've seen 12 foot
tall branches in bloom at the back of a border in a Pasadena garden that
our member, John McGregor manages. He stakes the floppy branches to keep
them upright.

But, if like me, you want the very largest leaves possible, you'll have
to do some very hard "stooling" or coppicing.  I do this hard cutting
(to the base) in early fall, so the plant has some time to make new
growth before winter cold.  I then go through the vigorous new shoots
that soon develop and thin some of them out so the remaining ones have
room to spread. Unfortunately this treatment leaves me without bloom,
but I value its foliage so much I'm willing to do this.

In addition, you must cut down (and out) overly tall, flopping branches
that continue to develop through the growing season, of course leaving
the ones that are well placed. This is easy work; the hollow stems cut
easily with a pair of loppers.

More that once, I saw a smaller version (Sunset lists Melianthus
minor?)  in interesting borders in southern France. Can some of our
members there tell us if this plant is commonly available for them?
I've never seen it offered here.  It's too bad, 'cause it would be a
great plant for our Southern Calif. (increasingly) smaller gardens.

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Jan Smithen,
Upland, California

jansmithen@earthlink.net
Sunset zone : 19
USDA zone   : 10

http://home.earthlink.net/~jansmithen/

Visit the Los Angeles County Arboretum
Victorian Rose Garden website at:
http://victorian-rose.org/
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