Jupiters Beard
The other day I was at the nursery and lo and behold I saw Jupiters Beard (Centranthus ruber) for sale. I, for one, am pulling this plant out of my garden by the bucket loads and am wondering who is actually paying for this plant, surely those same suckers could come and dig up mine and take it away. It is the scourge of our neighborhood. While it is lovely in some senses, it does have its serious negative sides. So consider the negatives before you plant it or actually buy it.
In our area (California) or any mild climate area it can become invasive and take over your whole garden if you let it. It spreads two ways – one by its gargantuan root system and one by seeds (hundreds of them). The plant will endure almost any amount of neglect. It easily adapts to either dry or moist soil, will grow in clay (or any soil for that matter – just the thought of dirt makes this planet grow), sun or shade – actually really deep shade is the environment that this plant will probably not flourish in, but don’t count on it.
In some parts of the country where it freezes and is only propagated by seed, there is a bit more control but here in sunny California the plant is a wild thing with a determined will to dominate the earth. It should be labeled seriously invasive. Now all that said the plant has some real upsides and if used correctly, it is hard to beat for its long showy bloom in difficult situations. It is the Ever-Ready Bunny of the garden.
Use it in the fringe areas or on rough slopes or banks. Plant with day lilies – they can take abuse as well and bloom about as abundantly and at the same time. When the flowers begin to fade, shear plants back to the main clump of foliage. This promotes continuous blooming and keeps the plant compact and tidy. Removing the spent flowers (about once a month) and their downy seeds greatly reduces the plant's tendency to eagerly self-sow. Keep in mind that there are no limits to this plant's generous nature.
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