Cleome - pros and cons

I bought the seed for some rose cleome this year, but now I'm undecided about whether to plant it or not.

A friend of mine advised against it -- she said she tried it years ago but would never grow it again because it stunk, it had prickly bits that stabbed her, it self-seeded all over the place, and it wasn' t that good looking to boot. I've never seen cleome in person, but I've seen it look really nice in photos, and I know that many of you love this plant because I've seen lots of positive comments about it on DG.

I'm wondering what your specific experiences are:
--Does it stink only if you break or touch the foliage, or does it always stink?
--Do you find the prickly bits to be painful? Do you have to wear special gloves to work with it?
--Is it easy to weed out if it reseeds?
--Do you have any other comments, pro or con, about cleome?

We've grown this before and I don't remember any smell from it. I think we got one or two reseeded seedlings from it which got eaten by slugs/insects. And it grew very well in a HOT sunny dry spot that doesn't get watered much during the summer.

Steve

My experience with cleome is that it reseeds itself unlike any other annual. I planted it in a garden bed and not only did it come up all over the place near there...I had some come up in one of the greenhouses ( that I had not grown it in). I think it somehow came in when I had the plastic off, and the grhouse was about 150 ft away. I think of it as more of a weed now!

Hmmm. I wonder if it would reseed so much in my cool-summer weather. I've noticed that a lot of plants that can be pests in southern CA are pretty well behaved in my yard (e.g., jupiter's beard). I think the wet winters and springs (as well as the cool, often cloudy summer weather) inhibit their growth and spread. Of course, I hate to plant cleome and then find out that our weather doesn't stop it from spreading. :-)

Cleome is one of my favorite annuals.
I bought a pack of seed 20 years ago, only one pack.
They have been around ever since, and welcomed.
They are easy to yank up if they are in the wrong place.
I let them come up in a few gardens as filler, if/when they become too big, I yank them.
The little thorns are not much of a problem, just go easy grabbing a mature plant. There are no thorns at the bottom of the stem.
I don't think they stink, they do have a fragrance, though.
They leave a sticky residue on your fingers when handling, like making a bouquet.
Give them a sunny spot, rich soil and enjoy them.
Andy P

terracotta, I would advise you not to plant it until you have seen, smelled, and felt it in person. Like its smell, not everyone appreciates its appearance. My husband finds it extremely creepy looking. I hate the spines and the smell, but I do allow some to grow in an area of our property which is not good for much else and where it is not necessary to weed. From a distance, a large grouping or a single large plant can make a nice show.

Cleomes - well, I really like them. They do self-seed readily. You can stop this, or reduce it greatly, if you deadhead, or remove the seed pods that form below the flower BEFORE they break open. Or you can gather the seed pods just as they are about to break open (you can tell) and save the seeds for next year or give to a friend. Their colors are lovely and they attract butterflies. I wouldn't call them thorns, but they do have a very prickly stem that you don't want to grab with bare hands. You don't need special gloves, however, just regular garden gloves will do the trick.

terracotta! Nice to see you around again. Take it from another Eurekan! I love cleome - at least whenever I can get it to last here.... in our climate, I can barely get it to grow, let alone reseed. Up here on Humboldt Hill, maybe I'm not hot enough, but no, it isn't at all invasive. It does have an odor, but to me, not offensive. Good luck if you can get it to go. Usually Pierson's has 6-paks for sale. I think I try them every year, and each year say "oh well."

Good luck, and keep in touch if you want!

Sanna

I like cleome too. I think of it as a 'cottage garden' flower or for an informal border. I like to plant the rose colored cleome with rose colored cosmos and/or white cosmos. Funny thing about the invasive seeding--I wintersowed cleome (four colors) and only a few (maybe 6) sprouts came up. Apparently there are dwarf varieties now that grow up to 24 inches that might be nice in containers.

Try it from seed, you might like it. If not, yank it out. You never really know a flower 'til you grow it, they say...

P. Allen Smith likes cleome along his picket fence:

http://www.pallensmith.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=921&Itemid=120

The foliage is aromatic. I like it - it reminds me of gardens from my childhood. Do you like the smell of artemisia and boxwood? They aren't the same scent, but they are in the "herby" catagory, like cleome.

BTW, I'm hoping for seedlings this year from some of last summer's purchased cleome plants. What do they look like when tiny? Will cleome self-sow over cedar mulch?

Julie

Julie, This is what my Cleome look like today. All self seeded from last Fall.
Notice the seed leaves are sort of oval, the next leaves will be the regular looking leaves that you will recognize.
Andy P

Thanks, Andy, I'll have time to crawl around looking at seedlings this weekend. Are you getting frost tonight, and will it bother the cleome? - Julie

Julie, frost is possible.
I don't think the 'winter sown' seed will get damaged. They are pretty tough.
In any case, others pop up all the time.
Don't hurt your knees, LOL.
Look for clusters of them in low spots near where they grew last year.
Let them get at least one set of true leaves and then pot them up in those little cells, the 72 or 60 per tray.
Careful when you dig them up, they have a long tap root.
Andy P

How could you not like cleome? You would be depriving your hummingbirds of there favorite cheesburger if you dont plant them.

This message was edited Apr 29, 2006 9:15 AM