Dracunculus vulagris
James Waddick (Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:32:58 PDT)

Dear Friends,
This has been a banner year for Dracunculus with a succession
of 7 flowers over a week plus.

Although I have grown it for years, it is still often listed
as too tender for my location. Mine rarely get over 3 ft and a few
seedlings giving their first bloom were mini-sized at a foot or so
with tiny spathes.

In Crete there are populations with white / cream/ yellow
spathes that are very lovely, but still stinky.
Under prime conditions it can reach to 7 ft in height. I
suppose with a proportionately large , proportionally stinky flower.
And finally there are some variants with well marked silvery
'chevrons' on the leaflets and others with plain green leaves.

Definitely a plant worth trying in hot, dry as well as moist,
shady sites. Readily available and modestly priced.

Best Jim W.
--
Dr. James W. Waddick
8871 NW Brostrom Rd.
Kansas City Missouri 64152-2711
USA
Ph. 816-746-1949
Zone 5 Record low -23F
Summer 100F +