Plant and care for a splendid candle

Plant and care for a splendid candle

Plant the splendid candle properly

With a spring planting, you strengthen the floral back of a magnificent candle, because this way the perennial has enough time to take root before winter. From the beginning / middle of May, prepare the loose, sandy-dry soil in the sunny location. Since the butterfly flower comes into its own in small groups of 3-5 specimens, create the appropriate number of planting pits at a distance of 35-40 cm. How to proceed:

  • Enrich the excavation with sand, fine grit (€ 44.95 at Amazon *) and a handful of compost
  • Pot the young prairie candle and insert it while maintaining the previous planting depth
  • Press the soil with your hands and pour

also read

  • The perfect location for the splendid candle in the garden
  • The splendid candle: hardy outdoors?
  • The optimal care for the splendid candle in the garden

A mulch layer made of inorganic materials, such as gravel or chippings, keeps the soil warm longer and promotes growth.

Care tips

In the first few weeks, gorgeous candles require increased attention, as a regular supply of water is essential for rooting. You should therefore always water the bed and pot when the substrate surface has dried. Once the perennial has established itself, maintenance is limited to the following program:

  • Pour splendor candle when it is dry
  • No fertilization is required in suitable soil
  • Fertilize potted plants once a month from May to August
  • Clean out withered flower clusters every few days

In autumn, cut the butterfly flower back to a hand's breadth above the ground in order to protect the root disk from the rigors of winter with a thick layer of leaves, straw and fir fronds. If the perennial thrives in the planter, it will survive the cold season in frost-free winter quarters.

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Which location is suitable?

In the sunny, warm location, the splendid candle demonstrates perfectly why it continues to be called the butterfly flower. The more hours of sunshine a prairie candle is granted, the lush and bright the flowers are. Since the perennial also favors a sandy-dry to gravel-like substrate, it is predestined for the rock garden, prairie or roof garden.

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What soil does the plant need?

If the splendor candle had a say in the choice of location, it would opt for sandy-dry to gravelly soil that is lean and well-drained. In addition, the perennial feels comfortable in the humus-free soil along a sun-drenched wooded edge. If the prairie candle acts as a summer pot flower, the potting soil should consist of 30-40 percent sand, fine grit, perlite (€ 32.90 at Amazon *) or lava granules (€ 13.76 at Amazon *).

When is the flowering time?

The splendid candle presents its upright, bushy silhouette with lush flower clusters in an elegantly overhanging position from July to October. Everywhere where the sun shines for more than 6 hours a day and the soil is sandy, loose and poor, the perennial likes to join other summery permanent bloomers and is not too good as a gap filler. Their neat appearance is retained over the long flowering period if withered flowers are cleaned regularly.

Cut the splendor candle correctly

If you consistently cut out what has withered and faded, the splendid candle is always there perfectly. In this way you also create space for more flowers. In autumn, cut the butterfly flower back to 10 cm above the ground. Then spread a thick layer of leaves and brushwood over the root disc, because the perennial is not unconditionally hardy.

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Pour a splendid candle

The need to pour a splendid candle is at a low level. The watering can is only used in the bed if there has been no rain for a long time. If the surface of the earth dries up, pour the water directly onto the root disc in the morning or evening. Avoid overhead irrigation, as rippling water will seriously affect the beauty of the butterfly flower. When the sun's rays hit the delicate flowers at the same time, the water droplets are transformed into small burning glasses. If the plant thrives in a pot or balcony box, check with your finger every 2-3 days to see whether the potting soil has dried on. If the top 2 cm of the substrate feels dry, it is poured.

Fertilize the splendor candle properly

If the site conditions meet expectations or if they are close, the splendid candle does not require fertilizer in the bed. Where the soil is extremely poor, the splendid shrub is still grateful for a little compost at the beginning of the growing season. For potted plants, we recommend a liquid fertilizer in half the concentration every 30 days from May to August.

Overwinter

The splendor candle is not completely hardy. Nevertheless, the best chances of a healthy wintering exist if you take the following precautions in the bed:

  • Cut the perennial up to 10 cm above the ground in autumn
  • Pile up the root disc thickly with leaves, straw and needles
  • Optionally cover the splendor candle with garden fleece

Cut back the butterfly flower in the bucket as well. Then move the container into the frost-free winter quarters. Water the root ball once a week to prevent it from drying out completely.

Magnificent candle multiply

Since the splendor candle proves to be short-lived in practice, it is not suitable for the usual perennial propagation by means of division. Instead, experienced hobby gardeners use the sowing to breed more specimens. If you want to avoid the uncertainties of direct sowing in May, it is best to follow these brief instructions:

  • Sowing behind glass is possible all year round
  • Fill a seed tray with peat sand
  • Mix the fine seeds with the bird sand and scatter
  • Sieve a thin layer of substrate and spray with water

In the heated indoor greenhouse, germination starts within 2-3 weeks at 20 degrees Celsius. As a rule, 4-6 weeks pass between germination and pricking. Then your patience is asked again, because another 6-8 weeks will pass before the planting. During this time you keep the substrate slightly moist without causing waterlogging.

Is the splendor candle hardy?

Unfortunately the splendor candle is not completely hardy. If the thermometer drops below -10 degrees Celsius, the root ball can be so affected that no shoots appear in the next year. To prevent this shortcoming, cut the perennial back to approx. 10 cm above the ground in autumn. Then cover the root disc 20-30 cm high with leaves or straw and put needle twigs over it

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Nice varieties

  • Whirling Butterflies: The perennial convinces with white butterfly flowers that sprout pink buds; Height 50-70 cm
  • Gambit Rose: The carmine-red flowers shine on curved stems towards the sun; Height 50-60 cm
  • Summer Breeze: A majestic splendor candle with white-pink flowers and robust stability; Height 80-120 cm
  • Koralee Petite: The intensely pink flowers harmonize wonderfully with the dark foliage; Growth height 80 cm
  • Siskiyou Pink: The variety captivates with bright pink flowers that grow in dense clusters; Height of growth 40-80 cm