LEPTOSIPHON
Family POLEMONIACEAE
Leptosiphon species (syn. Gilia)
Annual
Botanically, this genus is now merged with Gilia
, but gardeners and catalogues are somewhat resistant
to the change.
Leptosiphon parviflorus (syn. androsacea) has
finely divided leaves, grows twelve inches tall
and carries salver-formed flowers, an inch long
in dense heads, varying in colours of lilac, pink
and white.
Leptosiphon densiflorus (syn. Gilia
densiflora) is a dwarf of six inches, with lilac
across, and has a white flowering form, alba.
Leptosiphon roseus (syn. Gilia micrantha) is most popular
for beds and borders, growing nine inches tall
and having flowers of a lovely rose.
The seed is sown in autumn or spring where the
plants are to flower, and the seedlings thinned
three inches apart. They need a sunny position
and any ordinary well-drained soil suits.
Propagation is from seed.
The flowering season is from June onwards.
See Also : Gilia
Leptosiphon
Hardy Annual.
Three to four inches.
Flowers of several colours, July.
An extremely pretty dwarf annual. The foliage
is awl-shaped, something like that of the Portulaca,
and forms a low-growing carpet spangled with small
single flowers, pimpernel-shaped, of many bright
colours – white, yellow, orange, pink, red
– giving an impression of jewellery.
It
should be sown in large patches – it is
wasted in small clumps – early in April.
It may also be sown in August to stand the winter
and flower early in the following summer. The
soil should be fairly good and exposed to fall
sunshine.
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