EFFECT OF PROPAGATION DATE ON FLOWERING OF FIVE HEBE CULTIVARS

Five cultivars of Hebe were propagated by cuttings at 2-month intervals from October 1993 to October 1994 to evaluate the effect of a different propagation date on growth and flowering of pot plants.
The plants were grown in open air and pinched two weeks after potting. ‘Ritt’, ‘Marlene’ and ‘White Summer’, propagated in October ’93, December ’93 and February ’94, flowered in May to July ’94. H. x franciscana ‘Variegata’, propagated in October and December ’93, flowered nearly in the same period (June-July). ‘Ritt’ and ‘Marlene’, propagated in April, flowered in July-August. ‘White Summer’ and ‘Ritt’, propagated in April and June respectively, flowered in November.
Cuttings of ‘Marlene’ and ‘Ritt’ were not propagated in August because branch tips of mother plants had flowered.
Plants of ‘Marlene’, ‘Ritt’, ‘White Summer’ and ‘Variegata’ obtained from the remaining propagation dates flowered in May-June ’95. ‘Headfortii’ plants, propagated in October and December ’93, flowered in December ’94. Plants, propagated in February, April, June and August, flowered in March to May ’95, and plants, propagated in October ’94, flowered in January ’96.

The highest number of flower racemes, number of total or flowering branches, plant height and width, and the number of nodes below inflorescence were observed with the longest growth period.

III International Symposium on New Floricultural Crops

C. Cervelli, C. Mascarello, C. Guda

cultivation, Mediterranean climate, branching, temperature

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1998.454.32