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Sisyrinchium californium, conflicting info.

JacquimcmahonJacquimcmahon Posts: 1,039
in Plants
Evening everyone. I bought a really nice looking plant today on the advice of the guy in the shop….. sisyrinchium californium…… he said it would be very happy in “wet” soil around the side of my water feature. Now I’m reading it likes drier well drained “pebbly” soil.

originally I wanted to put this in a planter which runs parallel to my water feature, and can get quite wet when the wind blows the fountain spray into it.

does anyone have experience with this and do you think it will be ok in those conditioned (full sun from about 9am to 2pm, then shade).
thanks.
Marne la vallée, basically just outside Paris 🇫🇷, but definitely Scottish at heart.
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  • thevictorianthevictorian Posts: 1,279
    Hi, I have grown it as a marginal for years and it does really well permanently in a few inches of water. We had it in our front garden pond which was north/east facing and got morning sun only. I think it's better with more sun but it did ok in our situation as did the purple flowered species. 
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Here's some info @Jacquimcmahon - https://www.gardenia.net/plant/sisyrinchium-californicum

    There is another, taller form - S striatum - with spikes of pale creamy yellow flowers that does prefer dry condition so that may have been the source of confusion.

    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • JacquimcmahonJacquimcmahon Posts: 1,039
    Thanks Obelixx, reading that I think it should be fine where I am planning for it. It’s a much bigger plant than the one in their photo, so who knows I may be able to divide it later… I love the look of it, I seem to be going for more yellow plants for some reason at the moment.
    Marne la vallée, basically just outside Paris 🇫🇷, but definitely Scottish at heart.
  • LG_LG_ Posts: 4,360
    I was given this (S. californicum) a few weeks ago. The label said it was an alpine and preferred all the conditions you were told too, so I planted and potted it (it was big so was able to make lots of divisions). Then I checked online and discovered it was a water meadow plant! So I had the same conflicting info as you. A bit of moving immediately happened. It seems happy so far. 
    'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
    - Cicero
  • JacquimcmahonJacquimcmahon Posts: 1,039
    So it appears what I thought were buds are actually the seed heads….. if I cut them out do you think it will flower again this season? It says flowers from May to October, so can I assume by pruning out the spent heads it will keep going?
    Marne la vallée, basically just outside Paris 🇫🇷, but definitely Scottish at heart.
  • LG_LG_ Posts: 4,360
    In my rather limited experience of this plant, the individual flowers last just a day or so, but they produce new ones from the same head for ages. They are also producing new flower stalks, but the originals are still going. I worry that if you deadhead you may be removing buds as well as spent flowers.
    'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
    - Cicero
  • JacquimcmahonJacquimcmahon Posts: 1,039
    edited June 2022
    Thanks LG, it’s really hard to find good photos of what the plant looks like “close up”, most of the sites only show a  photo of the entire plant so it’s really hard to see what buds and seed heads look like.
    Marne la vallée, basically just outside Paris 🇫🇷, but definitely Scottish at heart.
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    @Jacquimcmahon Just read this thread having purchased this plant yesterday from National Trust. It does seem very confusing label states' prefers a free draining soil'. I think I will split mine and try it in both dry and damper conditions. I will contact them and let them know about this thread. I have grown a yellow form many years ago in a dry spot, it was  slightly shorter and short lived but set alot of seed. I love a puzzle will post if I can find out any more.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • KeenOnGreenKeenOnGreen Posts: 1,831
    We grew it in our pond for years, not as a marginal, but in a pot which had the soil sunken to water level, where it thrived. It self-seeded in our garden, in the soil, in gravel areas, and was just as happy. 

    I don't think the NT is necessarily incorrect, it should really state that it can grow in a wide range of conditions, in my experience.
  • thevictorianthevictorian Posts: 1,279
    The "prefers a free draining soil" is just a standard description given to just about any plant as it's normally true. I think the reason why some people hear conflicting advice is because there has been a massive growth in ponds and just about every plant has been tried to see if it will survive with wet feet in the hope they can sell it as a marginal. I've seen some seemingly peculiar advice (at least from my perspective of the plant) from some of these pond plant sellers, like day lilies in the margins. So I think that the sisyrychium will absolutely thrive in free draining soil but will also do ok in water, even if one situation is preferred over the over.
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