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Getting Susie to Blush Every once in a while I'm tempted by a photograph (I'm somewhat gullible when it comes to a pretty plant picture) and wonder if the flowers will look as good in my garden as they do on the page of the catalog. One such temptation was Black-eyed Susan vines, Thunbergia alata. Treated as an annual the Thunbergias were supposed to start flowering a mere six weeks after planting the seeds. The $2.50 seed packet would provide me with ten seeds and the fast growing vines would grow nicely in patio containers, up trellises, in borders, and anywhere that needed bold color. The catalog didn't say whether that anywhere included full sun, shade or partial shade and I figured 10 plants, if all the seeds germinated, didn't allow for a whole lot of experimenting. A few seed or plant failures and that bold color would be hardly a blip in in my garden.
Another garden book reference was a bit more specific claiming the Thunbergia alata was actually a perennial vine capable of blooming the first season and therefore to be treated as an annual. The seeds should be started indoors and the plants were to be set out in good soil in a sunny spot as soon as the weather warmed. The same source also said plant in sun near the coast, and partial shade inland. With all that less than perfect growing guidance I decided on the Blushing Susie seeds which would offer all shades of red and rose, plus pink and salmon. I had trouble understanding how I would get all those colors if I was only going to get 10 seeds. This was the same seed supplier I had ordered a packet of yellow zinnia seeds from a year ago. The zinnias grew nicely but turned out to be just about every color except for the yellow I wanted. Not to be discouraged, I ordered the seed and started them in a small flat in the greenhouse on March 4, 2005. As the six to eight seedlings developed I divided them between four, 12-inch terra cotta colored plastic pots with saucers. I used a modestly priced potting soil and added slow release fertilizer to all of the containers. Since they were vines I took four foot green bamboo stakes and tied them together at the top. Two pots had four stakes, two pots contained three stakes. The vines would then be trained up and down the bamboo stakes.
Twelve weeks later (not the six the catalog suggested) I had a couple buds and four flowers in two of the pots. One pot of plants I gave away thinking someone else might have better success with them. I moved two of the containers to the shade cloth covered front entrance to my home. The other pot was raised up on a brick, to discourage bunnies and rodents, where the vine would get late afternoon sun. It didn't take long to notice more buds appeared on the ramada plants that received plenty of afternoon sunshine. I'd have to find new locations for the other two pots of Blushing Susies. That "anywhere that needs bold color" wasn't exactly true. My guest bathroom could use a touch of bold color but I doubt the Thunbergia alata would do well in that specific location. Plants in the garden don't always work out the way we expect no matter the source of guidance. Gardening seems to require constant fine tuning to get the best results. So now I have to go see if I can find a better location for my Blushing Susie in hopes that I'll finally get Susie to blush in a more dramatic fashion. So far I've barely seen the color in her cheeks.(2005) |
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