Family: Myrtaceae
Common Name: Feather Flower

These 50 or so species of flowering shrubs, mostly from Western Australia, are considered among the most beautiful in the world. The name, Verticordia, is derived from the Latin for to turn the heart', and these exquisite shrubs certainly have this effect. The flowers come in shades of scarlet, pink, mauve, deep red, purple, golden yellow, orange, cream and white, and are known as 'feather flowers'. Flowering is pro-fuse, almost covering the shrubs in spring and summer, with the delicate, feathered margins of both the petals and sepals adding to their strik­ing appearance. The leaves are small and neat. Verticordias have great horticultural value as garden plants and as cut flowers. Dried flowers retain their natural colours for about 18 months or even longer. Verticordias are not easy to cul­tivate, even in their habitat, but experimental work on the genus is continuing in Australia and southern California. In frost-prone cli­mates, verticordias, which are frost-tender, are best grown in an intermediate greenhouse or conservatory.

Species

These are not readily available outside their native Australia.

V. acerosa grows to 60 cm (24 in), with tiny leaves and yellow flow­ers.

V. brownii, to 60 cm (24 in), has tiny leaves and masses of creamy white flowers.

V. chrysantha is a small grower, with masses of bright, golden yellow flowers.

V. conferta is a tiny, rounded shrub, with blueish green foliage and cup-shaped, bright red flowers, which cover the whole plant during late summer and autumn.

V. densiflora is an upright-growing shrub, to 60 cm (24 in), with thick foliage and dense clusters of pink to purple flowers, from spring to early autumn.

V. grandis, scarlet feather flower, is a most spectacular species. It is an open, spread­ing shrub with roundish leaves and stem-clasp­ing, brilliant red flowers, trilled at the base.

V. mitchelliana is a spreading shrub, to 50 cm (20 in), with blueish green foliage and brilliant, deep red flowers, with prominent yellow styles.

V. multiflora is a very small, open shrub, with bright green, sharpish leaves and dense clusters of flat, golden yellow flowers, during late spring.

V. nitens, orange feather flower, is an open shrub, growing to about 1.2 m (4 ft). The blueish green foliage is quite succulent and the bright orange flowers are borne in abundance.

V. plumosa has a delightful massed display of cup-shaped, pink flowers in spring through to summer. This leafy shrub, with blueish green foliage, grows to 60 cm (24 in).

V. serrata is a taller species, to 1 m (3 ft), and hears flattened flowers in bright golden yellow to orange, in spring and summer. The thick, toothed leaves are bright green.

Cultivation

In the greenhouse, grow in pots of acid, sandy, soilless potting compost. The plants need maximum light and good ventila­tion. Do not overwater plants, particularly in winter, as most species are native to low rainfall areas. When feeding in the growing season, use a fertilizer which has a low phosphate content. Outdoors, in the right climate, grow in acid soil with very good drainage, and in an open, sunny position. Mulch with gravel. Propagate from seed in spring, germinated at 18°C (64°F)-but bear in mind that germination rates may be poor-or from semi-ripe cuttings in summer, rooted in gentle heat.

Climate

Zone 10.