Garden of golden globes

Spruce up your garden with the bright and beautiful Golden Primrose, writes Stephanie Choo

AROW of trailing plants at a nursery caught my attention some time ago. They were hanging on one side of a plant rack and almost touching the ground. Looking rather unusual, I bent down to have a closer look. The plants turned out to be a new species to me.

They are the cultivar Aurea of the species

The species, which originates from North America commonly known as Golden Globe, is a member of the primrose family, Primulaceae. The species’ epithet refers to the plant’s lying down growth habit. This creeping perennial has small, cup-shaped bright yellow flowers and oval dark green leaves. It reaches up to 15cm tall at maturity and the bright blooms attract butterflies.

The familiar florist’s cyclamen is also from this family. Members in Primulaceae are regarded as true primroses but unrelated to the evening primroses or the roses. Evening primroses are of the family Onagraceae while roses belong to Rosaceae. These two families are not connected to primroses.

is a genus of about 193 species which are often referred to as loosestrifes. The genus’ name honours a king of ancient Sicily called Lysimachus, who had supposedly used a loosestrife to calm a mad ox.

Loosestrifes are herbaceous and evergreen perennials and shrubs. They usually grow near water or in dampish grassland or woodlands in subtropical regions. Their leaves are often hairy and come in different shapes. The five-petal flowers come in yellow, white, purple or pink and can be star-shaped, bowled or cup-shaped.

SELECTED VARIETY

commonly known as variegated Golden Globe, looks good even without its flowers. Growing to about 10cm in height, the plant thrives in constantly moist soil. in botanical term means golden and it is derived from the Latin word which means gold. The cup-shaped flowers are

These flowers are perfect for beautifying your landscape; This plant thrives in semi-shaded areas; Originating from North America, the flower is often either star-shaped, bowled or cup-shaped. golden-yellow while the centres of the blooms are red and borne in terminal clusters. The golden green leaves are ovate, whorled and sometimes tinged with red.

A SPILLER-CREEPER

Golden Globes make lovely accents in our gardens. Their clusters of flowers that bloom over the trailing green leaves, overflow to soften hard edges of tall containers and window boxes for a pleasing effect. Since they are low-growing and matforming, they creep on the ground to form colourful ground cover.

GROW GRACEFULLY

The variegated Golden Globe, cultivated as an ornamental plant for its attractive leaves and flowers, is tougher than the florist’s cyclamen. Nevertheless, it is not an aggressive grower.

The plant can be grown in beds, borders as well as pots and even at edges of a pond if the soil is not waterlogged. It grows best in a rich, well-draining soil mix. The soil needs to be moist at all times, so water daily and thoroughly each time to ensure it doesn’t dry out. Feed the plant lightly and regularly with any well-balanced fertiliser for a robust growing plant. Propagate new plants using its cuttings or divisions and keep them away from snails.