GARDENING
Chase away the winter cold by thinking about your summer borders and planning ahead for perennials like gasplant and shooting star
Mid-winter may be a strange time to write about perennials, but it gives us a chance to think about our summer borders and plan ahead — and be among the first to grab these when they are available at local greenhouses this coming spring.
Here are two perennials with a difference. Both are hardy and long-lived and deserve a place in every prairie perennial border.
GASPLANT, DITTANY, BURNING BUSH (DICTAMNUS ALBUS)
Native to southern Europe and Asia, both Dictamnus and dittany are from the Greek name for this plant, believed to honour Mount Dikte in Crete. Albus, of course, means white, the colour of the flowers.
Called gasplant because of the volatile oils in the flower bud and seed that can be ignited with a match, these plants can cause skin inflammation and dermatitis when they contact bare skin, especially under strong sunlight. All plant parts are poisonous.
On the positive side, under the same conditions of strong sunlight, if ignited with a match, it does indeed burn with a blue flame. I tried this many years ago. It worked. It was the only time my son ever expressed an interest in horticulture. (As a responsible adult, he no longer plays with matches.)
This is not a perennial for those who demand instant gratification. Often, plants found on garden centre benches look small and wimpy, are slow growing and may take up to three years to flower. Good things come to those who wait — they are extremely long lived (40 years or more), of good form and require little maintenance.
The pink or white flowers, each with five petals, are formed in terminal racemes in early summer. The handsome, dark green, glossy foliage gives off a strong lemon-like fragrance. The leaves are formed by nine to 11 leaflets and look good throughout the season, turning a nice yellow in fall. Plants are 60-90 cm (two to three feet) in height. They are a great addition to the mid-height section of a perennial border.
Plant gasplants in full sun to light shade in moderately fertile, well-drained soil. They do not require staking and are drought-tolerant once established. Slow growing at first, they are said to resent transplanting or root disturbance. Do your weeding in the early morning or in the evening, when it’s cooler and the plants are less volatile.
They will self-seed to a limited extent. It is best to leave the seedlings in place for their first year before transplanting. Fresh seed sown outdoors in the fall will germinate the following spring.
Dictamnus albus var. ‘Purpureus’ (sometimes listed as ‘Rosea’) has mauve-pink flowers with darker veins on plants 60 cm (24 in.) in height.
SHOOTING STAR (DODECATHEON MEADIA)
Lovely and long-lived, these early spring blooming perennials are closely related to primroses. The common name describes the reflexed petals that do indeed look like a shooting star or a rocket about to take off.
The botanical name is more complex in origin. From the Greek word dodeka, meaning twelve and thios, god, it suggests that this plant was once under the care of the 12 principal Greek gods. The species honours Richard Mead (1673-1754), an English physician and botanical patron. They are native to eastern North America.
The dart-shaped, nodding flowers have five deeply reflexed, purple petals and a white centre on plants 25-40 cm (10-16 in.) in height. ‘Alba’ has white flowers, but is otherwise similar. The simple, leathery, basal leaves are oval to spoon-shaped. They bloom in late spring and will have become dormant and disappeared by mid-summer. Mark their position in the bed to avoid inadvertently planting over them.
Shooting stars do best in shade in a well-drained, loam soil well amended with organic matter and with even moisture. They are well suited to a woodland garden or by the edge of a bog garden. They may be increased by seed or careful division. Very hardy, shooting stars should be much more widely available in our local garden centres. Well worth the search, you can find them in some specialty and native plant nurseries.
Sara Williams is the author of numerous books dealing with gardening in cold climate. Look for Perennials for Northern Gardens in fall 2020. Retired as the Horticultural Specialist, Extension Division, University of Saskatchewan, she gives workshops on a wide range of gardening topics throughout the Canadian prairies.
This column is provided courtesy of the Saskatchewan Perennial Society (SPS; saskperennial@hotmail.com). Check our website (saskperennial. ca) or Facebook page ( facebook. com/saskperennial) for a list of upcoming gardening events.