How to Grow Zaluzianskya capensis, the Night Phlox

I can remember the first time I read about Zaluziantkya – trying to pronounce it in my head before daring to speak it out loud. It’s one of those words that once you master pronouncing it, you just love to say it over and over again like a two year old. At the very least, you will impress your friends. Za-loo-zee-ann-ski-ya.

While Zaluzianskya may sound like a Polish polka, it does have a connection to Poland as the genus was named in honor of the a Polish botanist Adam Zaluziansky von Zalusian in the late 1500s, so I suppose the name potentially could have been even more of a tongue twister. Even though it isnt all that common, the plant does has a long history as a container plant in Europe. The genus is larger than one may think, with more than 50 species all native to South Africa, but only three species are generally grown ornamentally and one, Z. capensis being the favored one.

Why grow this small flower with a long name? One reason only – fragrance. It’s not going to look like much during the day as the small, 1/2 wide pure white flowers will close into maroon, rounded buds while in full sun, but everything changed once evening arrived. Like most night-blooming plants, these tiny white star-like flowers are pollinated by nocturnal insects or moths. Zaluzianskya transforms a garden at sunset when it emits a super-sweet fragrance not unlike vanilla extract. And while it is hardly as intense as some garden writers make it out to be (for example, I’ve never found it strong enough to ‘waft across a garden’ ) it’s more like that first scent of a can of play-doh.

Seed of only one species is commonly found, and at that, only in good seed catalogs. Z. capensis does have a named cultivar, named ‘Midnight Candy’ but a couple of other relatives are worth seeking out such as Z. vilosa or Z. ovata, which is taller growing and may good choice for cut-flower growers seeking something different for evening weddings.
The plants themselves can be straggly and visually not much more charming than a weed but if planted out in larger containers (which is the best way to enjoy them) such as in pots 12 inches in diameter with 6 plants each, the show is effective enough to garner attention from visitors, and of course, once the fragrance butting is pushed at sunset, everything becomes all about this plant.

Easy to grow from seed, sow it indoors early at least 8-10 weeks before last frost, and no worries as it transplants easily. Keep light bright (under lights is OK) to keep seedlings strong. Pinching plants is essential to stimulate side branching. Pinch out the growing point just as the second pair of leaves begin to form.

High fertility helps create lusher growth and more flowers, so this is one place where a balanced liquid feed bi-weekly will help the final display as it will promote lush growth and more flower buds.

As a native of South Africa, the soil mix should be well-drained, be it in a bed or in a container. Choose an airy commercial mix (ProMix HP -HighPorosity is excellent) or create a mix with half sand, or with 50% Perlite and 25% sand. These are natives of the famous Namaqualand in South Africa where many annuals and tender greenhouse bulbs grow.

As it is with many plants from Namaqualand, periodic droughts sometimes occur, but generally the floral season follows a rainy period. Similar conditions are shared by many plants native to the Cape area in South Africa. Most benefit from brief periods of drying out between watering so that the roots can grow deeper, searching for water as they do in the wild. It’s also a good insurance policy in case you forget to water during a heat wave.

VARIETIES
Zaluzianskya capensis ‘Midnight Candy’ – The most commonly found cultivar is an improvement on the species as it produces more abundant flowers.

Zaluzianskya ovata – a true perennial shrub, this is sometimes available at nurseries, but the flowers are not as fragrant as ‘Midnight Candy.’ Nurseries often grow it as the flowers remain open during the day, but its sticky foliage can smell strongly of a wet farm dog if touched.

Z. vilosa – Nearly as fragrant as Z. capensis, it has a more almond-like scent than vanilla, but also with the annoying wet-dog aromatic foliage. Just don’t touch the leaves!