Zexmenia hispida
( zecks - ME - nee - uh HISS - pih - duh )
At-A-Glance Information
This species of flowering shrubby perennial (also known as Wedelia hispida and commonly called Coastal Zexmenia or Hispid Zexmenia) needs full sun to light shade and little to moderate water. It is native to Texas, Central America and Mexico, and forms a rounded plant 2-3 feet tall and wide, producing a great show of bright orange-yellow daisy flowers that bloom from late springtime through fall. Leaves are dark green and a little sticky. In cold winter temperatures, leaves can drop or the plant can even die to the ground (though it will regrow quickly once spring rolls around). It makes an attractive groundcover in shaded areas, where its growth habit tends to be more sprawling. Zexmenia hispida grows well in zones 10-13. To find your zone, click here: Zone Map.
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Caring for and pruning zexmenia hispida shrubs
Plant these shrubs in full sun to partial shade; they will bloom more profusely the more sun they receive. Ensure that the plant is receiving at least 6 hours of sunlight per day to avoid legginess and sparse flowering. Plant in well-draining soil to prevent roots becoming waterlogged; these shrubs prefer a pH of between 6.1 and 7.8. These shrubs are drought tolerant once they are established, though they will need regular waterings in their first year or so. At maturity, provide these shrubs with waterings when there are periods of prolonged drought; otherwise they are good with no irrigation. Apply a layer of mulch around the base of the plant to suppress weed growth and help retain soil moisture. Prune Zexmenia as needed to maintain an appropriate size and shape for your garden. Encourage more bushy growth by pinching back new growth in springtime, and encourage more blooms by deadheading regularly during the blooming season. Hard prunings done in late winter or spring can take the shrub down to the ground, and it will regrow in the same season.
Propagation
Zexmenia hispida can be propagated either by using cuttings or from seed. To ensure that your propagated plant will have the exact same qualities and characteristics as the parent plant, use the cutting method. If you would like to experiment and see what plant you can grow from seed, just keep in mind that it will not necessarily be the same as the parent plant. To propagate your shrub, follow the instructions below:
Propagating Zexmenia hispida by Cutting
Propagating Zexmenia hispida by Seed
Propagating Zexmenia hispida by Cutting
- Gather your materials. You'll need a clean, sanitized, sharp pair of garden shears, rooting hormone, a pencil, and a 3-inch pot filled with well-draining compost or other organic material. 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.
- In spring or early summertime, choose the plant that you'd like to propagate. Ensure that this plant has had a good watering the night before, as this will improve the chances your cutting will take root. Cut one or more 6 inch portion(s) of the end of a non-blooming branch and strip the leaves off of the lower half. Make a hole in your planting medium by pushing your pencil into the soil. Dip the end of the stem in rooting hormone, and plant it in your pot. Fill in soil around the cutting to support it, but do not pack it down too much.
- Moisten with water, and ensure that the pot has good drainage. Your pot should be kept in warm, sunny conditions indoors (and not in direct sunlight). Water whenever your soil is dry under the top layer. After about four to six weeks have passed, your cutting should be rooted. When you notice new growth on your propagated Abutilon, you'll know you have roots.
- Keep your new plant in an area with bright light (though not direct sunlight) and temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure that the soil stays moist, but not wet, until the next spring, when you can transplant it to its new home. Ensure that the last frost of the year has occurred before doing this, as it can seriously damage your new shrub.
Propagating Zexmenia hispida 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 pods on Caesalpinia plants are pretty easy to spot, they're large and dangle from the branches, 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 begin 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.
- Caesalpinia seeds have a hard coating that protects them, but this coating also makes it a little difficult to get them to germinate. We can help the process along by scarifying them with sandpaper (or simply rubbing them against an abrasive surface). Do this with as many seeds as you can; they will probably not all sow, and the ones that do will be of varying characteristics. The more seeds you plant, the more chances you will have to get the resulting shrub you want. Place your seeds in lukewarm water for six hours. Viable seeds will sink to the bottom, and non-viable seeds will float to the top. You can discard any seeds that float.
- 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 7-14 days 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 55 and 70 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
These plants are generally resistant to most pests and diseases, but it is still a good idea to look out for the following common garden pests:
- Aphids
- Spider Mites
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Resources
The New Sunset Western Garden Book: The Ultimate Gardening Guide (2012) - Page 660, Zexmenia hispida
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