Have you seen the elephant bush flower? They are tiny and adorable. Although they are not famous as their mother plant, it is important to learn the basics about this cute flower.
In this article I am trying to cover as many important problems as possible related to elephant bush flowers.
Does the elephant bush flower?
Elephant bush bloom when they grow in their natural habitat.
On the other hand, when you grow them as outdoor plants they will flower only when they get the right growing conditions and in a mild climate. When they bloom, they produce flowers in pink and they are tiny in size.
To briefly touch on the Elephant bush plants, they are perennial shrub type succulents and native plants to South Africa.
Elephant bush is a trendy plant which many succulent enthusiasts are starting to grow. This is called elephant food since elephants tend to eat when they are in the wild.
They only require easy maintenance from you also. In terms of the sizes of the plants, they would reach a maximum height of 8-15 feet when you grow them in the ground in mild climate conditions.
Their leaves tend to take a round to oval shape and they are hardy in USDA hardiness zones 9-11. You could spot the Elephant bush leaves in emerald green.
Their stems would be reddish brown in color and the branches would tend to take a gray color.
How often do elephant bush flowers?
You could expect the plants which are grown in the ground in areas like southern California to flower in late spring or early summer.
It is somewhat rare to spot them flowering when you grow them as houseplants.
You could expect the Elephant bush plants to flower in either pink or white during late spring or early summer when they grow in the wild.
Colors of elephant bush flowers
The prominent color of the Elephant bush flowers would be pink. You could expect the Elephant bush flowers to come up in clusters right at the branch’s edges.
They would tend to take a star shape and would further consist of 5 pointed petals and prominent stamens as well.
As aforesaid they will be small and transparent. They contain seeds as well. In addition to pink, you could spot them flowering in rose, lilac blooms as well.
How long do elephant bush flowers last?
Elephant bush flowers last around 2 to 3 weeks.
Do they die after flowering?
Elephant bush are monocarpic plants which literally means they will die right after flowering.
Having said that you could easily propagate them from using their offsets. Hence you do not need to worry about losing your plants as you can always make new plants easily through their propagation.
How to make elephant bush flowers?
Usually , Elephant bush will flower right after a rainy season and when they are dry. This is quite common among the plants which you grow in western USA.
How to care for elephant bush flowers?
Soil requirements for Elephant bush.
It’s crucial that you select the right soil mix when you grow them.
Bear in mind that they are drought tolerant plants and hence best is to grow them in a sandy, rocky soil mix which has an excellent drainage.
Ideally you need to grow the plants in a loose, rocky soil mix which is enriched with nutrients as well.
Those conditions would be optimal for the plant’s vigorous growth. I encourage you to go ahead with a soil mix which is specially designed for succulents and cactus since they are well draining.
In addition to that ensure that you are growing them in a pot which has adequate draining holes.
Sunlight and temperature requirements
The exposure for bright intense and indirect sunlight would be ideal for them to grow well.
To be precise, you should make sure that you are exposing them for several hours for full sunlight and several hours for semi shade.
You may grow them as either indoor plants or outdoor plants and they are hardy in USDA hardiness zones 9-11.
Since they are used to growing in dry and hot weather conditions in their natural habitat, you should try to provide the same conditions when you grow them in your garden or when you grow them as houseplants.
Water requirement
Despite the fact they are used to growing in drought weather conditions, you need to ensure that you are watering them adequately too.
That will ensure a rapid growth in the plant, and it will further help the plants to become more fresh and lusher.
Having said that you should never supply them with excess water too. If you do so, it will create so many repercussions on the plants.
Elephant bush hate to be in waterlogged and soggy conditions, and it is critical to water them properly.
To elaborate further on watering, you need to water them from the spring to fall. However, you should check whether your plants are getting any rainfalls and if so, you need to avoid watering them.
Further the most crucial thing you need to keep in mind is to water the plants only when they are dry. You need to ideally water them once every two weeks and when watering ensure that you do it thoroughly.
During winter, Elephant bush will be in their dormancy, and you need to suspend watering them during this season.
Right pot to grow the Elephant bush
You need to grow the Elephant bush plants ideally in a terracotta pot or in a clay pot so that it will ensure that the excess moisture is evaporating faster in the pot.
In addition to that , you should ensure that it has one draining hole in the bottom so that the excess moisture can move through from the pots.
Finally
Trust you found this article helpful, and you were able to gather some knowledge on how to properly take care of the Elephant bush plants flowers.
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