Alyogyne hakeifolia syn Melissa Anne
Alyogyne hakeifolia, Melissa Anne
I’ve grown quite a few Alyogyne hakeifolias over the years. The best feature of this Alyogyne would have to be the deep purple tulip type flowers which occur on mass over summer. There aren’t many plants around that actually flower this well over summer so it may quite possibly be the only plant you may have in your garden that’s flowering at this time of the year.
Alyogyne Huegelii
The other great thing about this Alyogyne is that it is very drought tolerant and actually seems to thrive on a lack of water. It comes from the desert areas of South and Western Australia and has very long needle like leaves which are a little bit succulent like and obviously help with its drought tolerance. The leaves are a deep green colour and actually seem to glisten in the sun on a hot day which adds to its appearance.
Alyogyne Hakeifolia, Elle Marie
This Alyogyne grows to about 2m and it is best if it is pruned quite hard after flowering as it can grow very tall and lean and as the branches can be quite brittle this with help it with its wind tolerance.
The best place to plant Alyogyne Hakeifolia is in full sun in a raised bed or well drained soil in an area sheltered from the wind. Also never fertilize this plant as despite not being a member of the Proteaceae family it still really doesn’t like fertilizers with Phosphorus as this will probably kill the plant.
The other type of Alyogyne that is popular is Alyogyne huegelii but I think I will cover this in a separate article.
Alyogyne Hakeifolia also has a variation called “Elle Marie” that has creamy yellow flowers which look great as a contrast but don’t look quite as good as the purple ones. But that’s just personal choice.
Possibly Related Posts:
- Pruning your Alyogyne Huegelii
- Growing Agave Attenuata in a Pot
- Eremophila “Big Poly”
- Eremophila Images
- Isopogon Formosus
Posted: May 26th, 2009 under Alyogyne, Garden Plants, Gems.
Tags: Alyogyne hakeifolia, drought tolerant plant
Comments
Comment from Mike
Time February 17, 2010 at 9:53 pm
Have you noticed if all the different types self-seed? I’ve got a purple flowering one that does but 2 yellow/white that don’t.
Comment from Rebel Gardener
Time February 18, 2010 at 8:22 am
That’s really interesting, no I haven’t. Are they seedlings or do you think they may be suckers? I planted a plant about 1m from an Eremophila once and cut through some of the Eremophilas roots in the process. A few months later I had a small Eremophila emerged on the other side of the new plant I’d just planted. The funny thing about the sucker was the leaves were slightly different to the suspected parent Eremophila so I’m waiting for the sucker to flower to confirm if it’s a sucker or seedling. My bet is it’s a sucker though because Eremophilas don’t easily self seed.
If you’re Alyogynes turn out to seedlings then you may have some interesting flower colours if they’re growing close to your cream ones.
Please let me know how you go
Comment from mike
Time February 18, 2010 at 4:46 pm
They’re just nursery bought plants.
Purple flowered have set seed but the white haven’t. Strange.
Comment from Rebel Gardener
Time February 19, 2010 at 7:25 am
Hi Mike, the original nursery bought plants would have most likely been grown from cuttings. As far as the seedling/suckers go I was referring to the seedlings that had sprung up in your garden. Do you thing they may be seedlings or suckers?
Comment from mike
Time February 19, 2010 at 9:21 am
Just talkin seed pods – not plants.
Comment from Rebel Gardener
Time February 19, 2010 at 10:21 am
Fair enough! I’d be interested to here how you go propagating the seed. You may get some interesting flower colours if they’re cross pollinated with the other flower colours?
Comment from JaneRadriges
Time June 14, 2009 at 5:56 am
Great post! I’ll subscribe right now wth my feedreader software!