Re: cinerarias - when winter comes?
Silke,
The cinerarias (Senecio cruentus) I referred to are grown as pot
plants here, sold in flower in flower shops and supermarkets. They
like the same temperatures as cyclamen and so are not a success in
homes that are kept very warm. We do not heat our bedrooms, and have
their windows open all year, and my large attached greenhouse is also
unheated (unless we are having a party in it in the winter), so these
plants do well in the 6 to 12 degree Celsius ( about 42 to 55
Fahrenheit) temperatures of those areas.
They are grown as shade plants in cool areas of California, along
with ferns and begonias, so a sunroom will allow them enough light to
flower, even in winter.
Daisies in non-daisy colours of bright blues, cerise, purple, red and
pink, often with a large white centre, completely cover the plant.
These are spectacular plants which T & M says flower for 8 to 10
weeks. Then you chuck them. They are perennials in their native (I
think) Canary Islands, but they exhaust themselves with so many
flowers, so there is no point in trying to carry them over.
I checked only a few seed catalogues, and the following carry them
(and have pictures of them) :
Park, Thompson and Morgan, Stokes.
I like Stokes because of their explicit growing instructions. They
have Hybrid Cineraria listed in Pot Plants for Commercial Greenhouse
Growers. "Sow Aug - Nov for nice Mar and Apr plants for Easter.
Germinate at 80F (27C) for 14 days. Seed germinates quite
irregularly so do not be in a hurry to transplant. The small late
seedlings are the best colors. -----[and more]"
Diane Whitehead Victoria British Columbia Canada
