Re: Q about melianthus

Reeta Roo wrote:
> 
> If you like that look, why not?  I always whack mine back in late winter, so
> as to encourage bushy new growth from the bottom, and they always respond
> vigorously.   I don't know what would happen if you never allow new growth
> from the base. A friend of mine has a Melianthus major forest, which she
> never does anything to - they just get tall and the clumps spread slowly.
Better late than never!
Reeta
I don't myself grow Melianthus yhough I know the plant well.
I'd just like to make a general remark about plants with a thicket style
of growth. In all cases, as far as I know, the constant growing of new
stems is their way of staying young and vigorous and also often
spreading to new and more nourishing ground. if this new growth is
constantly removed I can see the old stems eventually becoming weak and
senile and the whole plant dying off. probably  it is better to reach a
compromise, as is often done in managing plants with this habit, and
remove a few of the oldest or most ragged shoots and retain a
corresponding number of new ones yearly.

Moira
-- 
Tony & Moira Ryan,
Wainuiomata, North Island, NZ.     Pictures of our garden at:-
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/cherie1/Garden/TonyandMoira/index.htm
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