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statice - deep blue or blue-purple recommended varieties
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Posted by iris2sun 7 NC (My Page) on Sat, Nov 8, 08 at 21:56
| Hi,
This past growing season was my first experience in making and selling bouquets. Since I am a backyard grower with limited space and resources, and I love placing blue flowers in my bouquets, I thought I would be smart in ordering a deep-blue statice since statice lasts for a long time and it is still beautiful as a dried flower. I didn't plant other blue flowers. So you can imagine my disappointment when my bed of "deep-blue" statice finally started blooming and they turned out to be what I would describe as a "muddy-pink" rather than a deep blue.
I don't want to repeat this mistake for 2009. Can you recommend a statice (limonium sinuatum) that is reliably deep blue or blue-purple?
In looking at the GeoSeed catalog, there are 14 different statice types available (they don't list the seed type that I grew last year). Many descriptions include terminology such as "fine quality cutflower", "classic cutflower", "top professional quality", "special cutflower production", "premier cut flower". It's reassuring to read such superlatives, but it does make the choice of a variety perplexing.
So, I'm turning to forum members with experience growing statice to help me select a variety that produces deep blue or purple blue flowers that work well in bouquets.
Thank you again for helping a "newbie" |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: statice - deep blue or blue-purple recommended varieties
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Hi: I grew about a dozen different types of statice this year as I use lots of it in bouquets. The pacific strain midnight blue is a nice darker purple/blue and the heavenly blue (lighter, kind of powder blue, but a beautiful true blue--maybe lighter than you are looking for) are a couple of my favorites. I also have grown the turbo series dark blue and purple, and they are good vibrant blues and purples. good luck.
maplea |
RE: statice - deep blue or blue-purple recommended varieties
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Hi Iris2sun
I've only grown the QIS series mix and soft pastel shades. That way I get everything. The QIS has a Dark Blue and a Sky Blue (listed as Pale Blue with Geo) in the colours, so you'd be safe with either one of those. Not sure which one it is, but one of them really is Blue.
If you have limited space, think about planting some perennials that are blue, such as Veronica or Caryopteris.
Cheers Kim
Billabong Fresh Flower Farm |
RE: statice - deep blue or blue-purple recommended varieties
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| Thanks for your suggestions re types of blue statice to plant. Kim, you also suggested looking at Veronica. I was looking at Armitage's Speciality Cut Flower Book and he recommends both the Longifolia & Spicata species. Which blue/blue purple cultivars do you like the best? Thanks again for your feedback. |
RE: statice - deep blue or blue-purple recommended varieties
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First I grew from seed was Veronica Spicata "Sightseeing" mixed. Last year I bought plugs of Veronica Longifolia "Sunny Border Blue" and I got to compare them this year. The Sunny Border Blue is exceptional, the plants and flower stems are much more robust than Sightseeing, it's still blooming now and the colour is awesome. It also seems to be more productive than "Sightseeing". I have learnt though that the stems fall over so next year the row gets support netting. So my vote is Longifolia over Spicata. Hope that helps.
Cheers Kim
Billabong Fresh Flower Farm |
RE: statice - deep blue or blue-purple recommended varieties
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Kim,
Thanks for your suggestion re the Veronica Sunny Border Blue. Based on the photographs on the web, Sunny Border Blue looks like the blue color I want. The plant sounds wonderful; low maintenance, long bloom time & great cut flower. I've been looking for Sunny Border Blue seed in catalogs, but haven't found it yet. Did you order plugs because seed wasn't available? Are there companies that sell plugs in small quantities? |
RE: statice - deep blue or blue-purple recommended varieties
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I'm fairly sure that Sunny Border blue is "Longifolia" in the seed catalogues. "Sunny Border Blue" is the name they gave it to sell to garden center customers. I got plugs because they just happened to be available when I was looking for something else. Check out the availability listings for 'Gro 'N Sell' www.gro-n-sell.com/printAvail.php3
'Swift Greenhouses'
www.swiftgreenhouses.com/50-Availability.pdf
'C. Raker & Sons'
www.raker.com/raker/Availability
To purchase from these guys you'll have to use a broker like 'Germania' or some other conmpany and of course there's a minimum order fee (normally around $200) but it's worth it. Cheers Kim
Billabong Fresh Flower Farm |
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