Siberian Wallflower
Common Name: Siberian Wallflower[1]
Scientific Name: Erysimum x allionii cv. (syn. Cheiranthus x allionii and C. x marshallii)
Description: Spring flowering biennial or short-lived perennial; showy, terminal clusters of bright orange-yellow flowers; deliciously fragrant
Size: Grows 18 to 24 inches high and 12 inches wide
Cultural Information: Prefers full sun and well-drained garden loam
USDA Zones: 4 through 9
Historical Notes: The ancient garden Wallflower has been in cultivation for so long, its origin is uncertain. While serving as president, Jefferson sent his daughter Martha a "bundle of Wall flowers,"[2] and he ordered wallflower seed from Philadelphia nurseryman Bernard McMahon in 1807.[3] Wallflowers are divided into two genera, Cheiranthus and Erysimum, and there is much debate as to the differences between the two. The name Cheiranthus derives from the Latin for "hand flower," referring to this fragrant flower's use in nosegays and tussie mussies. Wallflowers attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
Footnotes
- ↑ This article is based on a Center for Historic Plants Information Sheet.
- ↑ Betts, Garden Book, 327.
- ↑ Ibid, 337. See also Edwin M. Betts, Hazlehurst Bolton Perkins, and Peter J. Hatch. Thomas Jefferson's Flower Garden at Monticello, 3rd ed. (Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1986),56.
Further Sources
- Bailey, L.H. Hortus Third: A Concise Dictionary of Plants Cultivated in the United States and Canada. New York: Macmillan, 1976
- Stuart, David and James Sutherland. Plants from the Past: Old Flowers for New Gardens Harmondsworth: Viking, 1987
- Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants
Add comment