Thursday, July 03, 2008

Your Garden Wants This Plant


Your garden wants Pinellia tripartita 'atropurpurea'. You should surprise and please your garden by buying this plant for it. Of course, you could also stop over to my place and I'd send you home with a couple of pots full, as it seeds about somewhat extravagantly; I would call it a little invasive but can't bring myself to malign anything so cute.
Pinellias are, of course, close relatives of jack in the pulpits, and the inflorescence of the former does, indeed, look like a little jack, with a purple lining to the spathe and a long, upright spadix. The foliage also looks like a small jack in the pulpit plant. What I really like about this plant is the fact that it puts out a succession of blooms over several months; a big improvement over the "one and done" jack in the pulpits.
If you don't want a lot of new baby pinellias, it's pretty easy to deadhead... I never seem to remember to do this, so am going to have to go out tomorrow and pot up a bunch more little plants, which will bloom in only a year or so. I should mention the plant itself also multiplies rather rambunctiously, so if your garden is finicky about exuberant plants, maybe a nice watering can would be a better gift for it.

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Comments:
It's probably not any more invasive than the native Jack in the Pulpit, is it?
It can come and sink its feet in my garden in a few places anytime.

AlwaysWeeding
 
June has breezed by. I plan to be in Iowa City within a week or two... suppose I could visit? I'd take one of these home, for sure!! (However, would it be better to get it later?)
 
Alwaysweeding... it is MUCH more of a spreader than the native jack, but the little seedlings are easier to pull out, so maybe it's a wash. I'll get one to you someday.

Shady... I should pretty much be around the next couple of weeks. I've got a couple of pretty good sized ones in pots, so you can have one of those.

Don
 
I would love one of these in my garden! I make my way to Iowa City once a month, or so, and I'd love to have a free plant. Maybe I could trade you? I have lots of 12 inch walnut trees in pots! HA! Not exactly a desired plant, I know.

Seriously, I would love one!
 
Nancy... very nice of you to say so! :o)

moe... sure; I've got a couple in pots (and probably a hundred little volunteers)! Let me know next time you plan on coming through.

Don
 
Lovely little plant!
 
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