POURQUOI UN BUISSON DE BEAUTÉ (KOLKWITZIA) NE FLEURIT PAS ? (LE QUOTIDIEN DU JARDIN émission N°23)

NewsJardinTV, the channel dedicated entirely to plants, gardens, botany, and gardening, is pleased and proud to welcome you to issue 23 of "Le Quotidien du Jardin." This daily program is primarily intended for members of NewsJardinTV Le Club, who can access it at any time, along with all the "Bienvenue au Jardin" programs (since issue 68). Patrick Mioulane, editor-in-chief of NewsJardinTV, presents the program from his small garden in Essonne. Our favorite gardener is seated on a terrace decorated with Viola cornuta planters. We also see a beautiful Japanese maple (Acer palmatum 'Seiryu') in its autumnal glory and bonsai trees. These are part of the collection of the "Little Gardener," Nicole, who is filming the program. Patrick answers a question from our subscriber Jordy, who posted the following question on the website www.newsjardintv.com: I planted a Kolkwitzia three years ago, and it has never flowered. Do you have an explanation? It's curious that people generally prefer to call the Kolkwitzia by its difficult-to-pronounce botanical name, rather than by the delightful term "beauty bush," which suits it so well and is its vernacular name. The genus Kolkwitzia is monospecific, meaning it consists of a single species, Kolkwitzia amabilis, described and named in 1901 by the German botanist Paul Graebner (1871-1933). However, the mischievous international botanical nomenclature erased it in 2013 and replaced it with the genus Linnaea, which was created in 1753 by the Dutch naturalist Jan Frederik Gronovius (1690-1762). The species Linnaea amabilis was formalized in 2013 by the work of the Dutch botanist Maarten Josst Maria Christenhusz (born April 26, 1976). Kolkwitzia is now one of the common names for the plant. This shrub, belonging to the honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae), bears a profusion of pale pink bells with yellow or orange-tinged throats in May and June; a bit like tiny foxgloves. They are gathered in compact terminal corymbs, 5 to 8 cm in diameter, borne on the previous year's branches. Because kolkwitzias are an early bloomer, they should be planted near a well-exposed wall in regions frequently subject to severe spring frosts. It also tolerates strong winds, which tend to damage the tender and supple young shoots. Furthermore, kolkwitzias do not appreciate heavy rain or hail. However, they tolerate light shade, but the intensity and generosity of their blooms can then diminish. Be careful: strong growth often produces tangles of branches, which must be regularly aerated, to the detriment of flowering. Also note that the kolkwitzia likes to be planted comfortably, so that it can spread freely. It appreciates good, not too hot, light and having "cool feet" most of the year without being in stagnant moisture. After flowering, you can pinch back all the young stems to encourage the formation of branches that will bear flowers the following spring, since the flowers are borne only on wood from the previous year. Thank you for watching this daily program. We hope you enjoyed this short video interlude and enjoyed it, while providing you with useful information. Day by day, together with your questions and Patrick's answers, we are building a veritable encyclopedia of gardening knowledge that members of NewsJardinTV Le Club can consult at any time. The entire NewsJardinTV team wishes you all a wonderful evening and looks forward to seeing you tomorrow at 7 p.m. for a new segment, "LE QUOTIDIEN DU JARDIN." It's on NewsJardinTV and nowhere else! Tomorrow, Patrick will answer the following question: "How can we get rid of Japanese knotweed or limit its spread? This plant is colonizing the edges of waterways?"