Care during the flowering period
The flowering time of the splendor candle lasts approximately from June to October. During this time, the clump-forming perennial, which grows about 1 meter high, produces numerous individual flowers, each of which fades very quickly. Individual flowers that have faded can be plucked off for visual reasons, but also fall off by themselves over time. So that the long, filigree shoots of the plant do not buckle in locations that are exposed to strong wind, they can sometimes be tied to a support rod.
also read
- The splendid candle: hardy outdoors?
- The optimal care for the splendid candle in the garden
- The perfect location for the splendid candle in the garden
The pruning in autumn
If you want to try to overwinter the magnificent candle in a protected location outdoors, you should encourage the formation of so-called overwintering buds by pruning after flowering. To do this, cut off the herbaceous stems of the plant about 10 centimeters above the ground. In addition, this pruning promotes a more branched sprouting of the plants (even with a culture in a tub) in the next vegetation period.
Reasons for pruning later in spring
Some gardeners are of the opinion that pruning the splendid candle in autumn would open the door for germs and therefore advocate pruning later in spring. This offers the following opportunities and disadvantages:
- the dead plant material itself serves as winter protection
- the splendid candles are easier to locate in the perennial bed in spring
- When pruning in spring, consideration must be given to the freshly growing green
Tips
If you don't cut the plants too early in autumn, then you will sow the splendid candles in suitable locations for the next season. You can also collect the ripe seeds by hand in order to then sow them in the herbaceous bed in early spring. An alternative to propagation via seeds in perennial plants is to grow prairie candle cuttings. These can easily be obtained by cutting back by cutting off parts of the plant that are about 10 centimeters long. These are rooted in poor substrate by removing all leaves below the top two pairs of leaves and placing two thirds of the cuttings in the soil.
