Can anyone ID this plant please. I grew it from a small shiny black seed.Also,can I do anything with the small plants growing round the base?

"vomog" wrote in message
...

Can anyone ID this plant please. I grew it from a small shiny black
seed.Also,can I do anything with the small plants growing round the
base?


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--
vomog

It could be Arthropodium (Spell?) but there are a number of plants that look
like this when young,
The small plants around the base it would depend on what it is so I would
leave them be for the time being


--
Charlie, Gardening in Cornwall
Holders of National Collections of Clematis viticella
and Lapageria rosea cvs
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk

I've been told it grows to more than 2 metres. Flower similar to Bird of paradise. It was seen in a cosmetics garden in Northern France where I live.

Hi vomog, I'd say it was a Phormium tenax known as New Zealand Flax, I grow loads from seed every year. It will form a clump of sword-like leaves upto 8/9ft tall and yes, you could describe the flowers (which grow on stems upto 9-10ft) very loosely as being Bird of Paradise like ? but nowhere near as spectacular. Its one of the best plants for growing near the sea but does need a bit of space !
Lannerman

Sorry, the small plants growing near the base are part of the plant and the start of the clump, so, no, theres nothing you can do with them ? when the plant matures, you may divide the clumps but the long sword like leaves have to be cut back to about 12 " for these divisions to survive !

Cheers Lannerman, Looks like the boy. We do get cold winters here. Could I put it in a large pot to put away for the winter?

On Sun, 24 Jul 2011 09:25:38 +0000, vomog
wrote:


lannerman;930863 Wrote:
Sorry, the small plants growing near the base are part of the plant and
the start of the clump, so, no, theres nothing you can do with them ?
when the plant matures, you may divide the clumps but the long sword
like leaves have to be cut back to about 12 " for these divisions to
survive !

Cheers Lannerman, Looks like the boy. We do get cold winters here. Could
I put it in a large pot to put away for the winter?


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The word is that these are half-hardy. Huh?! I finally dug one out of
the garden last year after 20-odd years of tolerating something that
was originally labeled as a smaller variety of phormium. Harsh winters
never seemed to do any damage. Indeed, in the UK, at least around
here, they are municipal plantings along roads and reliably flower
each year. Warning - the flowers are as sticky as anything and very
attractive to bees, wasps and, I found, flies!

Given the time of year, you may get away with planting outside now,
maybe protecting for the winter with a bit of fleece for the first
year. Alternatively, overwinter in the greenhouse (but I'd pot on into
a bigger pot) and plant out in the spring.

Allow plenty of space. Mine reached about 6 feet across (at head
height, about 3 feet at ground level) before I zapped it. Stunning
specimen plant if you have the space - a good replacement for pampas
grass!

Cheers
Jake
==============================================
Gardening at the dry end (east) of Swansea Bay
in between reading anything by JRR Tolkien.

www.rivendell.org.uk

Hi Vomog, Yes, may be grown in a large pot but what you have is one of the hardiest of the Phormiums and will certainly stand down to about -12 C, infact, you might find it is more hardy planted in the ground, as often even in large tubs, they freeze solid in a bad winter and this wont happen planted in the ground ! Most plants that die in pots, often die from lack of water when they are frozen solid ! If your worried, then dry mulch around the base with straw inside fleece (never plastic) just to protect the basal shoots. The only other thing to note is, that whilst they will thrive in any drained soil, add some grit, just to make sure that the drainage is indeed good, its a fact that the drier you can keep a plant in cold weather, the more cold it will stand !
Lannerman