ANNE SWITHINBANK’S MASTERCLASS
Having problems with your restio plants? Anne can help
QHaving admired them at shows, we splashed out on some South African restio plants of several varieties, but a cannomois has died and the elegia looks poorly. Have you any growing tips?
Anita Purley, Nottingham, Notts
ARestios are plants belonging to the family Restionaceae, an ancient tribe whose members resemble bamboos, rushes and horsetails.
They look primeval, are thought to date back to the Cretaceous period around 60 million years ago, and are early examples of wind-pollinated flowering plants. Today, the 58 genera are scattered across the Southern hemisphere, with a large concentration in South Africa. Plenty grow in the famous Kirstenbosch Botanic Garden, but you’ll also see them out in the landscape.
In UK gardens, we enjoy them for their structural beauty, and as restios love the wind they make great coastal plants. Here in East Devon, I have near-perfect conditions of mild climate, moist but welldrained beds, neutral soil and plenty of air movement, yet we’ve lost one or two. Attracted by its fibre-optic looks, we planted a thatching reed (Elegia tectorum) only to see it perish after a couple of years. Our big success has been the Rhododoma capensis, a survivor of snow, temperatures below 14°F (-10°C) and last winter, an encasement of ice.
Many restios are hardy only to 19°F (-7°C) and vulnerable to winter cold and summer droughts while young. They suit milder coastal and sheltered city gardens, and I suspect your losses have been due to a combination of winter wet and cold.
Why not try resilient R. capensis? If the elegia doesn’t get going in spring, move it to better-drained soil (I use slightly raised beds) or pot it up. In colder gardens, choose a bright, airy position away from frost pockets.