Re: [Aroid-l] Dracunculus

From: Steve Marak <samarak at gizmoworks.com> on 2008.09.23 at 06:02:13(18571) I've grown Dracunculus vulgaris outdoors here in NW Arkansas, US, for more than 20 years and it's been surviving on its own in this area for at least 70 years. Doesn't spread on it's own, but established plants seem to be very tough and survive lots of abuse. During the time I've grown it, we've had a few -28 C overnight lows and many +38 C summer days. I don't give it any extra water in summer or mulch or other protection in winter, but I get inflorescences and seeds every year. Usually it flowers around the first of June here. It always comes up earlier here than it should, usually in late February, and so has to survive a number of hard frosts. My unscientific observation is that any temperature down to about -6 C will not permanently harm the foliage, as long as it warms up during the day, but lower temperatures (such as the disastrous Easter freeze of 2007, which went to -9 C on two consecutive April nights after weeks of warm weather) will cause serious, though not fatal, damage. Steve +More On Mon, 22 Sep 2008, Sheldon Hatheway wrote: > Don't know about yours. There seems to be some variability in these > plants. The only experience I've had with Dracunculus is with the ones > I have in the garden. They are all from the same clone that I > originally rescued from a deteriorating landscape back in the early 80s. > The lady who owned the property said she had gotten it about 20+ years > earlier. Mine emerge in late winter/early spring, grow to about 3' tall > by mid-summer when they flower. They begin to die back in early fall. > Aside from mulching with some grass clippings during the summer, I don't > do anything to them. > > Sheldon Hatheway > Canby OR > > ----- Original Message ---- > From: E.Vincent Morano > Sent: Sunday, September 21, 2008 12:52:29 PM > > I dont know what you are doing different but mine start waking up in the > mid to late winter then flower in the spring and die back by mid to late > spring. Is that normal? -- Steve Marak -- samarak@gizmoworks.com _______________________________________________ Aroid-L mailing list Aroid-L@www.gizmoworks.com http://www.gizmoworks.com/mailman/listinfo/aroid-l

Note: this is a very old post, so no reply function is available.