| 'Bob's Tinsie' has little red flowers, about 1.5 inches across and flowers from late winter into mid spring in this zone. The flowers can be damaged by frost but the plant itself is hardy under seven degrees of frost, even if there is a week of such frosts. It develops a 'weeping' habit after a few years and flowers toward the end of the branches. It recovers well after pruning. I have it living it a 2 gallon bucket and it stays out all year without shelter, unless the summer is particularly dry/hot. Then I give afternoon shade, usually under a tree. The mix is humus-y now and all I do is topdress yearly, so I would say that Bob's Tinsie tolerates fairly heavy, wet soil without suffering any trouble. I get around 50+inches a year with most rain in winter but there's usually rain in each month. For feeding, I add sheep pellets, or ancient cowpats, or slow release fertiliser (not all at once!)to the surface soil, and occasionally liquid feed. If you like the look of Bob's Tinsie - all red - you might also like Tinsie which is red, too, but has a white centre. It's about the same size and has a similar flowering habit. |
