Goniolimon

( gon - ee - oh - LEE - mon )

At-A-Glance Information

These interesting perennial flowering plants need full sun and regular water, and are commonly called Statices. The blooms will attract butterflies and other pollinators to the yard. These are considered hardy plants, and form rosettes of leathery leaves that sprout from a woody rootstock. Flowers are in bloom from mid to late summer, held in sprays that are great for both fresh and dried arrangements. They will perform best in areas where summers are warm and dry. Use these plants in drought-tolerant or water-wise landscapes in mixed beds and borders.

Goniolimon Species and Varietals

The genus Goniolimon is a member of the plant family Plumbaginaceae and includes 21 distinct species. Goniolimon grows best in USDA hardiness zones 4-9 or Sunset growing zones 2-21, though this varies somewhat depending on the species. For more information, see the descriptions below. To find your zone, click here: Zone Map.

Goniolimon collinum (Sea Lavender, Statice, Bulgarian Statice)
This species grows best in USDA hardiness zones 5-9 or Sunset growing zones 3-21 and is native to the Balkan Peninsula and Eastern Romania. Leaves are bluish green and form a tidy 16-inch wide rosette from which branches clothed in tiny white flowers rise.

Goniolimon speciosum (Dwarf Statice, Plaintain-Leaved Thrift)
This species is native to Eurasia, and is a common horse grazing fodder. Flowers are small and purple. Plants reach about 12-15 inches tall when mature and in bloom. These plants are low-growing, and form a mat of foliage over time. It is used ornamentally as a rock garden or container plant.

Goniolimon tataricum (Limonium tataricum) (German Statice, Tatarian Sea-Lavender, Tatarian Statice)
Grows best in zones 1-21 and is native to southern Russia and the Caucuses. Foliage clumps 18 inches wide are dark green and produce upright stems that fork repeatedly. Flowers are tiny and whitish-purple. These are hardy choices for both cold and heat, though they need partial shade in warmer zones. This species is considered invasive in the northern United States and neighboring regions of Canada.

Caring for Goniolimon

Goniolimon plants do best when planted in an area of the garden that receives full sun. Between 6 and 8 hours of direct sun per day is recommended for best blooms. Statices love to be planted in sandy, well-draining soils, with a pH of between 6.0 and 7.5. They can tolerate poor soils, but will flower and perform better if soil is moderately nutrient-rich. If local soils are particularly poor in nutrients or do not drain well, make sure to amend the planting area with plenty of organic compost before installing. Water newly planted Statice regularly to help it develop a strong root system. At maturity, these plants are drought-tolerant, able to get by on rainwater alone with a some supplemental waterings in the warmest months of the year.

Fertilize yearly in early springtime with a application of 2 inches of compost around the base of plants. Pull mulch back before applying, work the compost gently into the soil a bit, water it in, and then replace mulch. These plants are not heavy feeders, and this should be sufficient to provide the necessary nutrients for the active growing and flowering seasons. Pruning Statice plants is simple: remove spent blooming spikes and any unsightly foliage at any time during the growing season. Statice plants are perennials, and are able to survive for 2-3 years in the landscape before needing to be replaced. They will reseed freely in the garden, providing plants for the landscape indefinitely.

Propagation

Goniolimon are best propgated using seed. To propagate your Statice, follow the instructions below:

Propagating Goniolimon by Seed

Keep in mind that the plant you get from seed will not necessarily mimic all of the characteristics of the parent plant. To propagate by seed, you will need a paper bag, a pot or tray filled with well-draining compost or other organic material, a spray bottle and a fork. If you don't have any potting medium on hand, you can make some. Just mix together equal parts (by volume) moss peat and horticultural-grade sand or grit sand. You will also, after a few weeks, need individual 3-inch pots for each seedling that grows.
Harvest your seeds. The seed heads on plants are pretty easy to spot, they're left behind after flowers have faded. Once they have dried out and begun to split open, you can harvest the seeds inside. Cut them off of the plant, placing them in a paper bag. Harvest as many as you can, and place the paper bag in a dry, cool, dark area. They will continue to split open and release the seeds contained inside. Once they have been released, take them out of the bag and put them in a container so you can work with them.
In either late winter or early springtime, get your container prepared. Water your prepared seed tray or pot filled with soil, and ensure that good drainage is occurring. Place your seeds in your prepared pot or seed tray about a quarter inch to a half-inch under the soil surface. Cover them with soil and water with your spray bottle. Place your tray of seeds in a warm area that receives bright, indirect light. A greenhouse is the most ideal climate, but a planting tray inside a window will do as well. Germination usually takes 2-6 weeks from sowing. Once you begin to see seedlings sprout and they are able to be handled, transplant them to their own individual 3-inch pots, filled with the same potting medium as described in Step 1. Loosen the seedlings from the potting medium by digging down with the tines of your fork about an inch and a half, gently working the seedling up until it is out. Then, replant the seedling in its individual pot.
Keep the seedling's potting medium moist, but not wet, by spraying the soil with your spray bottle. Keep your new plant in an area with bright light (though not direct sunlight) and temperatures between 65 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure that the soil stays moist, but not wet, until the next spring (after the danger of frost has passed), when you can transplant it to its new home.

Problems and Pests

Certain species are considered invasive in some regions; see the species descriptions above for more information. Check with local authorities before planting. Although Goniolimon plants are typically pest and disease-free, they can have issues from time to time with the following: