Re: Romneya coulteri
- Subject: Re: Romneya coulteri
- From: W* B* <b*@math.berkeley.edu>
- Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 22:31:03 -0800 (PST)
Hi Jim,
I'll add to your statement. We have Romneya coulteri which has survived 11
years without being watered. It comes out of our stone retaining wall and
is much too large for the space, obstructing the path. We cut it back to
the nubben every winter, and it comes back strongly, nearly (but not
quite) taking up the path again. However, cutting it back causes it, I
think, to send spreading roots out in all directions to our warm stone
terrace above it, and we get foliage popping out everywhere. We dig this
out, mostly. The original plant was difficult to get started. I think that
once one has this plant it would come up in the middle of the road if it
had a mind to. Very beautiful, though.
Elly Bade
On Fri, 13 Dec 1996, Jim Duggan wrote:
> My experience with Romneya is that once it is established (and this
> is often very difficult) you have the plant forever. I tried to remove
> part of a large established clump (too big for the area) and found large 2"
> roots heading straight down, and if some root is left it will re-grow. I
> seems to be an accpted practice to cut RC back to short nubs each year in
> the fall. I have seen this in the native plant area of Descanso Garadens
> and I do this to my plant each season. It grows back strongly. Getting
> the plant started initally is always chancy as they often die. I don't
> know why but 50% failure at initial planting does not seem to be unusal.
> They can be grown in pots, I have seen them flower in a 1 gallon size.
> With such a deep rooted plant the deeper the pot available the better.
>
>
>
