Fairy fan-flower

Fairy fan-flower: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Spreading to trailing, 15–20 cm tall and 40–50 cm wide.

Leaves

Obovate to spoon-shaped, coarsely toothed, slightly fleshy and lightly hairy; fresh green.

Flower

Fan-shaped, 2–3 cm across, with five petals on one side, from May to October.

Colour

Violet-blue with a yellow eye; also white, pink and lilac.

Roots

Finely branched; they do not tolerate waterlogging.

Flowering: May–October · Plants: May–June

Why grow it?

• Flowers from May to October without deadheading: it is self-cleaning.
• An ideal trailing plant: the stems hang 30–50 cm over the edge of troughs and baskets.
• Copes with sun and heat better than many other balcony plants.
• The violet-blue goes with almost any colour.
• Bees visit the flowers.

Fairy fan-flower: where does it grow best?

• Sun to light partial shade; the more sun, the more flowers.
• Light, free-draining potting compost, acid to neutral; in the garden, sandy or loamy soil.
• Moderately moist: do not let the compost dry out, but avoid standing water.
• Ideal in hanging baskets, window boxes and around the edge of large pots; allow 30–40 cm per plant.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Acid or neutral

Moisture

Normal

Size

0.2 m tall, 0.5 m wide

Hardiness

Frost tender: plant out after the last frost (mid-May)

Goes well with

• Bidens: Golden stars next to violet-blue: a strong contrast in a hanging basket.
• Petunia: Large flowers beside the small fans, in the same sun.
• Pelargonium: Red or pink flowers above the trailing stems.
• Marguerite daisy: White daisies in the centre of a large pot, with fan-flower trailing over the edge.

Fairy fan-flower: when and how to plant it?

Plant in May–June.

1. Plant in May–June, after mid-May, when night frosts are over. It is almost always sold as young plants raised from cuttings.
2. Choose a pot or basket with a drainage hole and good potting compost, perhaps with some sand or perlite for better drainage.
3. Set the plant at the same depth as in its pot, about 30 cm apart in a trough, and near the edge so the stems can trail.
4. Water in well and let excess water drain away.
5. Put it in a sunny spot straight away; in the garden you can add a thin mulch.

Care

Water

Water regularly, daily for hanging baskets in hot summers. Do not let the compost dry out, but do not leave it standing in a saucer of water either.

Feeding

Liquid feed for balcony plants every two weeks, from June to September.

Rainwater

Use rainwater if you can: hard water causes yellow leaves with green veins.

Deadheading

Not needed: the old flowers drop off by themselves.

Tip: Water baskets of fan-flower with rainwater if you can and never let them dry out completely: it will then flower all summer without you having to remove anything.

Fairy fan-flower: when to prune it?

When: Pruning is hardly ever needed: the plant is self-cleaning. Only shorten stems that become too long or bare in summer.

How:

• You do not need to remove faded flowers; they drop off by themselves.
• Shorten stems that are too long or bare by about a third, just above a leaf: new side shoots will follow.
• Water and feed after trimming and it soon regrows.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Cuttings

In August–September or in spring, take tip cuttings of 5–8 cm from non-flowering shoots and put them in moist cutting compost under plastic. They root within a few weeks.

Seed

Seed is rarely available and germinates slowly and erratically; cuttings are much easier.

Fairy fan-flower: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to 2 °C: protect in harsh winters.

• Not hardy: frost kills it. It is usually grown as an annual.
• It can be overwintered in a bright, frost-free and cool place at about 5–10 °C, with little water.
• Easier: take cuttings in late summer and keep them indoors on a bright windowsill.
• Only put overwintered plants back outside after mid-May.

Diseases and pests

• Yellow leaves: Yellow leaves with green veins point to iron deficiency caused by hard water or chalky compost. Water with rainwater and use a feed with trace elements.
• Root rot: The plant wilts while the compost is wet. Make sure there is a drainage hole, no water in the saucer and an open compost.
• Aphids and whitefly: Mainly in warm, sheltered spots. Spray off with water and let natural predators do their work.
• Few flowers: Too little sun or feed. Move it to a sunnier spot and feed every two weeks.

Through the year

• April: Buy young plants and keep them indoors, in good light and frost-free.
• May: After mid-May, plant out in troughs and baskets. First flowers.
• June: Still time to plant. Feed every two weeks.
• July: In full flower. Water daily in warm weather.
• August: In flower. Take cuttings for overwintering.
• September: In flower. Take more cuttings.
• October: Last flowers. Bring indoors before the frost or clear away.
• November: Keep cuttings and overwintered plants cool and bright, with little water.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• The name Scaevola comes from the Latin scaevus, ‘left-handed’: the flower looks like a hand. It refers to the Roman hero Gaius Mucius Scaevola who, according to legend, thrust his right hand into a fire.
• Because all five petals sit on one side, each flower looks like half a fan, hence the name fan-flower.
• It belongs to the Goodeniaceae family, most of whose species grow only in Australia.