The magnificent candle is only very partially hardy outdoors in Central Europe, but can be overwintered in pots and tubs. In a carefully chosen and prepared spot, this perennial only needs some attention in autumn and winter.

Faded flowers of the magnificent candle can be removed

Care during flowering

The flowering period of the magnificent candle lasts from June to October. During this time, the clump-forming perennial, which grows to a height of about 1 meter, produces numerous individual flowers, which wither very quickly. Faded individual flowers can be plucked off for visual reasons, but they also fall off by themselves over time. So that the long, filigree shoots of the plant do not buckle in locations exposed to strong winds, they can sometimes be tied to a support rod.

The pruning in autumn

If you want to try to overwinter the magnificent candle in a sheltered location outdoors, then you should promote the formation of so-called overwintering buds by pruning after flowering. To do this, cut off the herbaceous stems of the plant about 10 centimeters above the ground. This pruning also promotes more branched sprouting of the plants (even when cultivated in a bucket) in the next vegetation period.

Reasons for later pruning in spring

Some gardeners are of the opinion that pruning the magnificent candle in autumn would open the door to germs and therefore advocate a later pruning in spring. This offers the following opportunities and disadvantages:

  • the dead plant material itself serves as winter protection
  • the magnificent candles are easier to locate in the perennial bed in spring
  • when pruning in spring, consideration must be given to the freshly growing greenery

tips

If you don't cut off the plants too early in the fall, then magnificent candles will also sow themselves in suitable locations for the next season. You can also collect the ripe seeds by hand in order to sow them in the perennial bed in early spring. An alternative to propagating from seeds is growing prairie candle cuttings for perennial plants. These can be obtained easily when cutting back by cutting off plant parts about 10 centimeters long. These are rooted in lean substrate by removing all leaves below the top two pairs of leaves and inserting two-thirds of the cuttings into the ground.

Category:

Herbs