Mysterious pink shrub keeps on growing
“In itself and in its consequences the life of leisure is beautiful and ennobling in all civilized men's eyes.” — Thorstein Veblen
Q: I have had this large pink flowering shrub for over 30 years. No one seems to know what it is. I see a few others in this older neighborhood. It is about 10 feet tall and just as wide. The flower is a cluster of about six white bells that will open to a very light pink shortly. Any idea? — Bill, East Greenwich
A: Many of the older species have not been propagated by nurseries because of the high demand for the most popular by the box stores. Sadly, too many like this Kolkwitzia amabilis, Golden Chain and Bush Daphne can only be seen in botanical gardens these days.
Beauty Bush as it is commonly called can easily be grown from cuttings. The delicately colored pink flower is aptly named for its non peril attractiveness. It was found by botanist Frank Meyer in China circa 1906. It was named for Richard Kolkwitz, a Berlin botany professor.
Q: It seems that last year many Oak trees were damaged by gypsy moths. Will they survive this years onslaught? — Peter, Preston, Conn.
A: Researchers at URI have been quoted as saying that continual rain in June will help create the fungus that will kill the critters. In the meantime we need to continue attacking them by using straps near the base and traps on the trees to catch the invaders. We could see a reduction in our forests of 25 percent of hardwoods this year. Solid stands of oak as opposed to pine oak combinations and others are most vulnerable. Hopefully the fungus, Entomophaga maimaiga, will have already started to kill off these migrating hordes that keep popping up from year to year.
Q: I have African Blood Lily as a houseplant. Can It planted outdoors? — Emily, Willamantic, Conn.
A: Scadoxus multiflorus is in the Amaryllis family and can treated similarly. Its red flower does does not last long especially indoors but has a berry. The one umbel flower head consists of 200 tiny flowers and is very showy. It will bloom in late summer in the garden. I would rest the plant after it has finished blooming in a couple of weeks. Like its cousin the amaryllis, the bulbous root can be stored in a cool dry place. If you plant the root in the garden in mid May, you could get a longer and larger bloom. You could cover the root with mulch for the winter in zone 6 but I would not take a chance and recycle the root by storing it again indoors in a cool spot.
Q: I have a Amaryllis kit that has coir disc for soil. I am hesitant to use it. It suggested three and a half cups of water. Will it work? — Dan, New Orleans, La.
A: Coir is a new replacement for peat. Unlike peat, it does not draw water away from a plant. It is made from coconut husks and is gaining favor among shippers. I still prefer clay pots but they usually come with plastic. Amaryllis requires a lot of water and will drain better in the coir.
Follow directions that came with the kit for watering and fertilizing.