Calceolaria falklandica

[ValerieM]

Advice appreciated on Calceolaria falklandica.  I started some plants from AGS seed in Feb this year.  Put them out in my "nursery" in late May, sinking one in a terracotta pot in the rockery (south side of building, sloping north, but gets sun most of the day, though not so much in winter due to the slope and some trees on the perimeter).  It flowered starting at the end of July.  I am concerned about wintering it over.  I live in Qualiucm Beach, Vancouver Island, BC, Canada, US zone 8b.  We have a coastal climate with, usually mild, rainy winters.  Is this close enough to the climate of the Falkland Islands?  Or should I be protecting the plant with glass in the winter.  Any experiences and advice would be appreciated.
Thank you.
ValerieM

[Rodger Whitlock]

The Falklands appear to be dreary, fairly cold, and wet year round.

Here's a travel page with a capsule summary of the climate in graphical form:

http://www.worldtravelguide.net/country/87/climate/South-America/Falkland-Islands.html

The chief issues you will have are overheating and low humidity in summer. Calceolaria darwinii, iirc, is considered a martyr to spider mite, so you will probably have to institute regular misting of your plants to keep this pest at bay.

I am growing Myrteola nummularia, another plant from the Falklands (though my seedlings derive from Tierra del Fuego), and have found it does best in a very peaty soil sitting in a saucer of water so it is always quite wet. Those conditions may not suit your calceolaria, however, as the myrteola is close to being a bog plant. You will have to find out precisely what ecological conditions your calceolaria favors in the wild.

[Maggi Young]

Hello Valerie, welcome to the Forum.

From my  checking of the weather maps at the moment, it is around 9 degrees C in Port Stanley in the Falklands and  nearer 20 degress in Vancouver BC....... quite a bit of difference.
I would give the Calceolaria some overhead protection in the winter and watch out for the greenfly as well as the red spider mite!
I'd go for a fairly shady spot to plant it, by the way 

 

[johnw]

Maggi - My former next door neighbor is the dentist in Stanley. His wife thought the weather too dreary so she now lives in Aberdeen and he commutes six or more times a year! 

Aphis and slugs are the biggest pests here on the Calceolarias.  Unfortunately the plants do not take well to insecticides.

johnw

[Maggi Young]

Maggi - My former next door neighbor is the dentist in Stanley. His wife thought the weather too dreary so she now lives in Aberdeen and he commutes six or more times a year! 


johnw

No kidding? How small the world is! 

[Lesley Cox]

Stanley to Aberdeen? Not just hopping on a bus then.

I agree that all the dwarf - and probably other - calceolarias are martyrs to greenfly/aphis. Likewise about the insecticides. The best product I've found is one known here as Ripcord which is not a horticultural insecticide, but stuff used for spraying houses against spider infestation. I suppose it's a fairly radical product to use around plants but I've had no problems either on the plants themselves or on my skin though I always wash after using it or any such product. I keep a squirt bottle of it in my shed and use it mostly for squirting trays before filling them with small pots. It remains effective for 2 years! I've used it directly onto small calceolarias, falklandica, uniflora and 'Walter Shrimpton' and it is efective and hasn't harmed any. I started using it when I was having real problems with slaters (woodlice) gathering in hundred in the corners of the trays and under them. It doesn't seems effective against slugs though.

[ValerieM]

Thank you, everyone for the advice and experience.  I know what you mean about aphids - I lost several calceolaria seedlings to them in my greenhouse, before moving the plants out into the garden. I used Safer's Soap and some survived that treatment, some not. Now that the plants are out, the aphids are not a problem - maybe the sun is helping.  The plant set in the garden itself gets some shading from a big power pole and that may explain why it is happy.  A couple of others in the nursery get more sun and haven't grown as much, though of course they are set in the ground. I do water them all every day as you suggest, they like to be damp for sure.  And the soil mix I use is sea soil with coir, plus some perlite or vermiculite and various grades of granite grit - covering all my bases !! - so close to the peat suggestion but with better drainage maybe. Thank you for all the advice on their preferences, habitat, etc.  I really appreciate the help.  I will go with putting a glass pane over them for the winter at the least.  If you have any other thoughts, I'd appreciate them, or tips on where to read up more.  NB: I have now 2 seedlings of Calceolaria fothergillii, holding in there outside, again after being attacked by aphids in the greenhouse. They aren't thriving, but aren't dying yet - started them rather late though.  I will move them to a bit more shading and see what happens.  I will watch out for spider mites too.
Best regards to you all.  It is great to find out about a forum like this, with so many helpful folks.
ValerieM

[Lesley Cox]

Great to hear that a power pole has a redeeming feature.

[Maggi Young]

Covering plants with a pane of glass can be tricky.... hard to keep it from blowing away and unbroken.... why not try the method we use... a little cage with a plexiglass top.... see this Bulb Log for details...
http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2010Aug041280927654BULB_LOG__31comp.pdf

[TheOnionMan]

Covering plants with a pane of glass can be tricky.... hard to keep it from blowing away and unbroken.... why not try the method we use... a little cage with a plexiglass top.... see this Bulb Log for details...
http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2010Aug041280927654BULB_LOG__31comp.pdf

"Rain hats" & "Trough hats", a cool idea, and I like the step by step directions on how to make them.  I'm wondering if I should try one of these on a couple special Delosperma I received this year, ones that are supposed not to like winter moisture (including snow) from above.

[Maggi Young]

I would suggest you try them McMark... for a really simple idea they are much safer and more stable than a pane of glass and really seem to do the job. I'm often amazed how even a little "hat" seems to make the difference between life and death for some plants that I'd have thought needed a much bigger, more full, covering.

[ValerieM]

Thank you, Maggi, for the suggestion re: a hat with plexiglas.  I will check out the link you provided.
Happy gardening!
ValerieM

[daveyp1970]

Everytime i hear of a plant from the falklands it brings back fantastic memories,i've been there twice and both times no time for botanising because i was part of an infantry regiment stationed down there,but saw loads of fantastic wildlife including flightless ducks,amazing place.

[ValerieM]

Hi Davy,
Thank you for your posting.  Snippets of the Falklands that I have seen on TV sure are enticing.  I am glad you agree.  It's on my short list of places I'd like to visit on a botanizing trip.  Have you seen the book by Ali Liddle called " Plants of the Falkland Islands ".  It's very interesting indeed.
Best regards,
ValerieM

[Lesley Cox]

I've never been to the Falklands but will always see in my mind the fantastic slide taken by someone giving a talk to the local alpine group. There was a little sea level promentary covered with flowering Senecio magellanica (S. candicans) and all around the sea crashing great surfy waves as a background to it. Just sky, sea and senecio. A magnificent sight.