Diascia: A Delightful Gardening Addition
Hello Weekly Whorlers! This week we discover the delicate charm of Diascia also known as Twinspur. These colorful annual cuties are becoming more and more popular to garden enthusiasts, for their abundant blooms and easy to care for nature. Those of us who are lucky enough to live in a mild climate can even plant these as perennials. Let's take a look inside these cheerful blooms!
How We Got Here: The History Of Diascia
Twinspurs are relatively new to many home gardeners, but they have a rich history and some fascinating characteristics.
All 70 species of Diascia are indigenous to Southern Africa, specifically South Africa, Lesotho and other neighboring areas. While botanist documented Diascia earlier, it wasn't until the late 19th century that Diascia barberae was introduced to Kew Gardens in England. The plant remained largely obscure to cultivation for decades, until the real boom in popularity began in 1985. Horticulturist Hector Harrison started breeding and hybridizing seedlings, leading to the hundreds of vibrant cultivars we enjoy today.
The word Diascia comes from the Greek "di" (two) and "askos" (bag or sack). This does not refer to the two spurs, but rather to two translucent sacks found in the upper part of the corolla of the original specimen Diascia bergiana.
Traditional South African medicine used Diascia for various ailments like fever, skin diseases and digestive disorders.
Vibrant Varieties And Tips For The Garden:
As mentioned above, there are now hundreds of varieties of Diascia to pick for your garden. Typically they grow in a mounding or trailing habit making them perfect for containers, hanging baskets. borders and edges or rock gardens. They have an abundant amount of blooms and can stay flowering from late spring up to the first frost!
They are easy to grow and require little minimal maintenance. They thrive in full sun to partial shade with shade in late afternoons helping them in hot climates. They prefer well draining soil rich in organic matter. They like consistent moisture but make sure to let the soil dry out a bit between waterings. For continuous and repeating blooms feed them once a month. Deadheading and pruning can help promote a bushier Diascia with more blooms.
Flying Colors: known for its vibrant range of colors and upright, bushy habit
Whisper: offers delicate pastel shades with a more compact growth habit
Piccadilly: features larger flowers and excellent heat tolerance
Darla: praised for its robust performance and continuous flowring
Did You Know?
The twin spurs themselves do not contain nectar, but instead a special oil. This oil is a vital food source for highly specialized bees with unusually long, hairy forelegs specifically adapted to collect this oil and feed to their larvae.
The Rediviva bees co-evolved with Diascia and have grown their forelegs to be the exact same length as the twin spurs.
Diascia offers a beautiful kaleidoscope of colors that will fit into any garden including pinks, oranges, corals, reds, whites and purples!
We hope you enjoyed getting a bit more scientific and dissecting Diascia (Twinspur) with us this week. Add these to your next gardening project and enjoy their colorful long lasting blooms!