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HEIRLOOM PLANTS:
A memorial that keeps on giving
May 27, 2022
by Brynn Lee/Victoria County Master Gardener
Amaryllis
Confederate Rose
Confederate Rose
Rose of Sharon Cutting
EXAMPLES OF HEIRLOOM PLANTS
• Amaryllis
• Confederate Rose
• Rose of Sharon
• Four o’clocks
• Cannas
• Succulents
Amaryllis
With Memorial Day upon us, have you thought about how a plant can bring back some of your favorite childhood memories in your grandparent’s garden?
Most likely when you think of an heirloom, it is a very old, jeweled brooch that belonged to your great grandmother and was passed down to you. But, have you ever thought of a plant as an heirloom?
To help explain, there is an Heirloom Garden area at the Victoria Educational Gardens that provides some ideas of which plants you can start as an heirloom. This area is one of my favorite places to show school children on Victoria Educational Garden tours.
I explain how family and friends used to share cuttings or seeds from their gardens because they didn’t have nurseries or box stores to buy plants. Really? Their little faces look questionable. We then take a stroll through the heirloom garden.
Amaryllis (Hippeastrum)
Many years ago, my mother-in-law gave me an amaryllis bulb from her flower garden. As the bulb grew and began to multiply, I in turn shared them with her granddaughters and my friends. What beautiful memories this plant evokes of her.
Amaryllis bulbs can easily be grown inside or outside. Their blooms are a beautiful single or double trumpet shape flower on a 1-to-2-foot leafless stalk or scape. The bulbs come in many colors such as shades of red, white, pink, salmon and orange. Amaryllis also have many striped and multicolored varieties usually combining shades of pink or red with white.
Confederate Rose (Hibicus mutabilis)
The Confederate Rose isn’t really a rose, but a species of hibiscus. The flowers can be either single or double, 4 to 6 inches wide, and appear in the fall. The blooms open white in color, fade to pink and finally end up red. It is beautiful to see all three colors on the same bush. This multi-trunk bush typical grows to the height of 6 to 8 feet tall and is 4 to 5 feet wide.
I got about an 8 to 10-inch cutting from my stepmother’s shrub. It was very simple to root by cutting the end at an angle and placing it in water.
Within a couple of weeks, it had grown a lot of white, spaghetti like roots. I planted it in my prepared bed and was amazed at how fast it grew.
I remember hers being such a beautiful shrub when it was in bloom.
According to Felder and Rushing, authors of Passalong Plants, this plant gets its name from the flowers soaking up the blood spilled on Confederate battlefields.
Rose of Sharon (Hibicus syriacus)
This deciduous flowering shrub, also known as Althea, is a member of the mallow family and can reach 9 to 12 feet tall. Colorful showy flowers appear in the summer in shades of white, red, pink and purple. The flowers attract birds, butterflies and other pollinators.
To share this showy shrub, simply take several four-inch cuttings from the new growth. Remove all but the top two or three leaves. Dip the bottoms into a rooting hormone and place in good potting soil.
In one or two months your cuttings will be well rooted and ready give to family and friends. It is an easy way to start a memorable gift from your garden.
While your children may not be interested in your treasured “nik-naks,” you can now share your heirloom “jewels” in the form of your favorite plants and start making memories the next generation.
Have a happy and safe Memorial Day from your friends at Victoria Educational Gardens.
MORE INFORMATION
• Start a new Memorial tradition
• Pass along cuttings from your favorite plant
• Treasured “Jewels” in the form of a plant
• Easy ways to share
References
Bender, S. and Rushing, F. Passalong Plants, UNC Press, 2002
The Gardeners’ Dirt is written by members of the Victoria County Master Gardener Association, an educational outreach of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension – Victoria County. Mail your questions in care of the Advocate, P.O. Box 1518, Victoria, TX 77901; or vcmga@vicad.com, or comment on this column at VictoriaAdvocate.com.
ph: 361-935-1556
nancyk