Gardening : Standards Come in From the Out of Doors
To lovers of popular music, a “standard” is a song that will live forever: “Stardust,” “Embraceable You,” anything by Irving Berlin or Cole Porter.
To teachers or moralists, a “standard” is something set up as a rule or measure to be followed.
To botany buffs, a “standard” is a plant that has been trained into a tall, slim, bare-trunked “tree” with a rounded, bushy, flowering-in-season top.
For years, the only botanical standards commercially available in the Southland were strictly for the outdoor garden: roses, lantana, fuchsia and the like.
But lately, we indoor gardeners have been given cause to cheer: Table-top standards using indoor plant material have been popping up all over Southern California in nurseries, garden centers, flower shops and yes, even supermarkets.
The most commonly available “small standards” are the weeping fig (Ficus benjamina), which comes in two versions: a single-trunk or an intricately braided one; azalea, which is ubiquitous during the spring and early summer and is virtually irresistible when covered with pink, white or red flowers; hibiscus, (H. rosa sinensis), one of my personal favorites because it’s relatively easy to keep in bloom indoors; and geranium, an old faithful that, with lots of bright sunlight, an occasional outdoor vacation during the warm days and lots of TLC will live indoors for years and years.
Certain herb plants, such as rosemary or myrtle, can be made into truly lovely little standards, and I’ve seen some really dainty and beautiful serissas, often called “snow rose.” Many of the herb standards could actually be called “little topiaries,” as they’re trained to look sort of like the poodle of small standards: Two, even three balls of foliage divided by several inches of bare, woody stem.
Any plant that tends to grow upright--primarily those with thick or woody trunks--can be trained into a standard, but because such a process takes time--in many cases up to two years or more if you want a relatively tall one for a bright, living room corner--most commercial standards are very expensive. Depending on their height and variety, top quality standards can cost anywhere from $25 to $50 and up.
The good news is that you can make a small standard yourself, and now’s the time to do it.
Begin by purchasing a ficus, or azalea, or geranium or any of the other recommended plants that is no more than six inches to one foot in height.
Also, while you’re at the nursery, pick up a package of “greensticks” or plant stakes at least three feet tall.
Clip off the side growth of your standard-to-be about three-quarters of the way up the stem, leaving the foliage on the top one-quarter of the stem. Next, push a greenstick into the soil right next to the stem, and secure the stem to the stick with a plant-tie, a twist-em or a bit of raffia.
Put the plant into a very sunny window and for the first six weeks water the plant regularly, before the soil dries out, and feed once a week a good liquid houseplant food such as Miracle-Gro according to package directions.
(If you have an outdoor area, such as a yard or a patio, and presuming the temperature is mild, it speeds up the growth process if you put the plant outside for the next month or so, making sure it gets the proper balance of sun and shade required for its species.)
As your plant begins to grow upward, start clipping off--not pulling--all new growth that develops on the stem.
When your plant reaches the desired height, which should not be more than 18 to 24 inches, clip off the “terminal” growth--the leaves at the top of the stem. This will force the plant to send out side branches at the top, and the formation of the small standard will be under way.
Continue this process of clipping or pinching off new growth at the top and trimming off new shoots which pop up from the sides of the stem until the plant has developed a thick, lush head, on top of the now straight, sturdy stem.
If a braided ficus is your objective, be sure to purchase a weeping fig in a six- or eight-inch pot that has at least three sturdy separate plants in it and be sure that the main stems, or trunks, of the plants are nice and supple. Clip the sides of each little tree as described above, then carefully weave or braid the trunks up to the base of the foliage. There is no need to graft the trunks together--as your ficus standard grows the trunks will meld together.
As in the case of all plants, especially those that flower, the care will vary from plant to plant. Azaleas and geraniums, for instance, need to be in bright, sunny spots and watered frequently. They also like those summer vacations outdoors.
Your geranium standards might tend to be particularly temperamental: The geranium has a difficult time during the bleak winter months, so try to keep it in a western or southern exposure during those cold, gray days and water only when the soil is dry. Ficus benjamina, on the other hand, is a true indoor plant and will be very easy to maintain. Just provide it with at least an eastern exposure and water only when the soil dries out.
All small standards should be pruned from time to time to maintain the desired shape at the top and encourage year-in and year-out blooming.
As I said earlier, it might take a year or two for your home-grown standards to be ready to be photographed for the decorating magazines. But it’s fun to do and well worth the wait.
Rapp is a Los Angeles free-lance writer , the gardening editor of Redbook magazine and is heard Sunday mornings on KGIL radio.
