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Summer sparkle
Add some new visual interest to you flower garden with Sparkling Burgundy, one of the more popular pineapple lily cultivars.
Photo Credit: L.A. Jackson
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Only for a season
The wildly colorful foliage of sun coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides) provides razzle-dazzle in the garden from now until the killing frosts of autumn.
Photo Credit: L.A. Jackson
If your summer flower garden could use a good dose of strange beauty, a heapin’ helpin’ of pineapple lily (Eucomis sp.) might be the right prescription.
And just how strange is this beauty? After its bulb is planted in the late spring, long, strap-like leaves emerge and arch outward, followed in mid-to-late summer by stiff, upright, 2-foot-tall flower stalks. The stalks burst into vertical displays of blooms, which, with some imagination, resemble long, skinny pineapples.
This native of South Africa has found South Carolina gardens quite suitable for its needs. Hardy throughout the state, the pineapple lily, while partial to well-draining sites, will do well in almost all soil conditions except soggy, boggy locations. In addition, this perennial is rarely bothered by bugs and diseases, and it will not be found on a deer’s “most preferred” menu.
Ideally, pineapple lily should be planted in a site that receives at least six hours of sun daily. At the front of an ornamental bed is an obvious place to put this pretty, but keep in mind that since it likes good drainage, it is also a prime candidate for pot culture.
Bulbs should be planted pointed-end up about 5 inches deep and spaced around 8 to 10 inches apart. Speaking of bulbs—which are easy to find at garden centers and online—pick the largest you can find for a bodacious blossom parade. Water evenly over the summer and add a diluted solution of low-nitrogen liquid fertilizer about every three weeks.
The bloom spikes start opening from the bottom up, and they take their time doing it, usually over a month. Even as cut specimens for indoor arrangements, this extended flower power remains in place—just remember to change the vase water once a week.
The Sparkling Burgundy cultivar has long been the attractive poster child of pineapple lilies, and for good reason. This dramatic dazzler starts the season with deep maroon leaves snaking from the earth that gradually fade to an off-green, setting the stage for bloom bursts of clustered stars tinged in purple. Want a subtler show? Opt for the smaller Reuben cultivar, which displays rose-pink flowers on 18-inch-tall stalks embraced by foliage dipped in a modest, pleasing mid-green.
Come autumn, the pineapple lily will call it a season, dying back and settling in for a winter’s rest. At this time, maintenance is simple: Cut out the dead foliage, apply a protective mulch—and wait for the coming of yet another summer of strange beauty.
Tip of the Month
Visually liven up the summer ornamental garden by adding any of the many sassy-looking cultivars of sun coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides). Rather than relying on flowers, which can be fleeting, these easy-to-find annuals flaunt wildly colorful foliage to get attention, meaning constant leafy razzle-dazzle in the garden from now until the killing frosts of autumn. Adding 2 to 3 inches of mulch around their root zones and watering once a week will help keep these fancy plants in peak shape.
June in the Garden
• Before plant growth shifts into high gear for the summer, spray the handles of your gardening hand tools with bright fluorescent paint so they will be easy to find when left in the lush greenery.
• If aphids have been bothering any of your low-growing pretties, try messing with their minds by placing sheets of aluminum foil under the plants to reflect the sun’s rays. Aphids prefer the undersides of leaves, away from bright sunlight, so stealing their shade can make it just uncomfortable enough that they pack up and go away.
• The day after a soaking rain is a good day to pull pesky weeds, as saturated ground easily gives up unwanted plants with their roots still intact.
L.A. Jackson is the former editor of Carolina Gardener magazine. Contact him at lajackson1@gmail.com.