Limonium sinuatum QIS Apricot

The Limonium sinuatum 'QIS Apricot' belongs to a series of statice called 'Pacific Improved', appreciated especially in floristry for the size of its inflorescences, the solidity of its long stems and its well-homogeneous growth. 'QIS Apricot' offers beautiful clouds of flowers during a long summer period, with colors ranging from old pink to salmon pink and apricot. It is a bushy and frost-tender perennial plant, often grown as an annual in our climates. Its tiny paper-like flowers are very beautiful in flowerbeds and precious in fresh or dried bouquets, as they retain their color for a long time. It can be sown in the sun, in well-drained, light soil, not too dry in summer.

Limonium sinuatum or Statice sinuata, commonly known as sinuate sea lavender, is a Mediterranean herbaceous plant in the plumbaginaceae family. With a bushy appearance, it has an upright and somewhat stiff habit. 'QIS Apricot' is an improved variety selected in Holland. The plant forms flowering clumps of 80 cm (31.5 in) tall on average, with a diameter of 30 cm (11.8 in) in just a few weeks. It develops a dense basal rosette composed of oblong, undulate, lanceolate, bright green, deciduous leaves. From July to September, winged, branched floral stems adorned with a few small leaves appear, bearing clusters of 10 to 15 cm (5.9 in) consisting of tiny flowers with rose-orange, paper-like bracts that are brightly colored. The flower itself is much more discreet, almost invisible. The flowering is nectar-bearing. The fruit is a capsule containing a single seed. This plant readily self-seeds in light soil, not always true to the parent plant.

The sinuate sea lavender 'QIS Apricot' is undoubtedly one of the easiest flowers to dry; simply cut the longest stems possible, hang them upside down in a cool, dry and airy place. They retain their colors for a long time, which soften slightly. These plants help lighten the composition of flowerbeds and rockeries, alongside more massive blooms of Dahlias or even roses. They can be combined with yarrows, Crambe maritima and Russian sages, which are also very light and frugal.