| Positive | Ursula | On Jul 7, 2005, Ursula from Santiago
Chile (Zone 9b) wrote:This Mutisia species has Rosemary-like leaves. It's natural habitat is on sunny, stony mountain slopes, at full sun and with regular water.
Mutisia rosea can be planted to climb either through a shrub or a trellis. If grown without support, the plant will form a 'cushion'.
The daisy-shaped flowers are bicoloured. They can be either creamish-white on top and dusty-pink on the reverse of the petals, or a very light yellow on top and again dusty-pink on the back of the petal. Each flower has a diameter of some 8 cm.
They do tolerate some frost and snow. Good drainage is a must.
Mutisia rosea grows very slowly during the first and the second year when grown from seeds, considerably increasing growth during the third year, when they also start blooming. Deadheading promotes new blooms. After the blooming period, some cleaning-pruning is advisable.
Propagation from seeds: during autumn, ideally in individual Jiffy pots due to their very delicate root system, using a mix of 1/3 sharp river-sand, 1/3 compost and 1/3 regular garden soil. Cover this mix with a thin layer of sharp river sand, distribute your seeds and cover them with some more sand. Place your sowing pan either in a cold frame or a cold greenhouse. Mutisias have a very delicate root-system. Therefore, it is advisable to sow them in individual Jiffy pots. This way when they are transplanted to a bag or pot after reaching 5 cm (2"), roots will not be exposed. Otherwise, a great loss of seedlings is to be expected on transplanting. This is for the very experienced gardener only.
|
