Bell's of Ireland, Frosted Explosion and Buplerum.

The plant profiles I am writing about today are all superb cut flowers and grow extremely well in our climate with very little care. They are all a lime green colour and used as accent flowers in arrangements. All very easy to grow in all types of soil and weather conditions.

The first one is the Bell's of Ireland or Molucella Laevis.
These are interesting plants with spikes of green bell shaped bracts, which produce a small white flower in each bract. The bract is the focal point in this plant, the flower is very inconspicuous.
It can be started from seed in the greenhouse as a bedding plant or seeded directly into the soil. Plant in full sun for best results. I have had very good luck with seeding it in the fall. Once planted allow it to self seed and you will not have to plant it again. You can move the seedlings around as long as you dig up the seedling with lots of soil around it's roots. It grows to about 2' tall and a spread of about 2' as well. The cut flowers will last about 2 weeks and will continue growing after cutting. The plant can also be dried for fall arrangements.









Buplerum or B. rotundifolium



Trendy lime-green leaves with contrasting yellow flower bracts. Plant seeds directly in fall or early Spring. Will self seed itself once established. Can grow to about 2.5', and does best in full sun. Add extra nitrogen to increase height. Flowers will last for about 1-2 weeks after being cut.

Frosted Explosion, Panuicum or P. elegans Panic Grass
Green seed heads open all around to form an airy inverted cone with red tips, like fireworks. They later mature to bronze-red. Seeds must be started in February or March and planted out in Spring once the chance of frost is over. They reach heights of 24-28" with a spread of 18". The require full sun and perform better if cut on a regular basis. Once cut they last about 1 week and add a nice touch to flower arrangements. This plant was very popular at the fresh flower sales at the Farmer's Market. We will have bedding plants available in May at the Saskatoon Farmers Market.