Re: Iochroma australis

I am always rather surprised that this plant is not
more popular here in California, where it is usually
evergreen when grown in USDA zone 9/10 conditions, and
is very long blooming to boot.  I finally have some of
this now that Annies Annuals is growing it, and love
it, except for the fact that it gets so big if left to
its own devices.  I recently visited a friend's garden
where I first saw it, and the plant is now 10 foot
tall by across.  I had originally thought it was very
similar to Iochroma grandiflora, which has longer
flowers of similar blue, and much larger leaves. 
However, Acnistis doesn't have the disagreeable wet
dog smell to the foliage, nor does it get attacked by
caterpillars as does I. grandiflora.  I highly
recommend this plant for those desiring the summer
blues without the muss.

--- Gill Pound <gill.cei@wanadoo.fr> wrote:

> I have grown Acnistus/Iochroma australis from seed -
> harvested from a friend's garden locally and sown in
> autumn, no special treatment and it germinated
> easily, with the bonus that some of the seedlings
> were the white form.  Curiously the white form seems
> to be slightly more vigourous than the blue.  Both
> seem winter hardy here in the Languedoc, I have
> plants which have passed the last six winters
> outside, including some fairly severe cold spells -
> I certainly expect -8°C at some point during the
> winter although our winters are generally drier than
> in the UK    I also have a similar but not identical
> plant that I grew from seed labelled Acnistus
> arboreus which is also winter hardy.
> 
> Gill Pound
> Nr Carcassonne
> S France
>   ----- Original Message ----- 
>   From: Tristram Smyth 
>   To: 'Medit-plants Forum' 
>   Sent: Thursday, August 17, 2006 12:08 AM
>   Subject: Iochroma australis
> 
> 
>   Here in the UK we have, at the moment, to grow
> this as an overwintered plant in the unheated, but
> frost-free, greenhouse. It goes outside in a
> sheltered site in summer. I have numerous fruits
> that have formed this summer, of large pea size, due
> no doubt to the exceptionally hot July temperatures
> we have seen here. 
> 
>    
> 
>   What is the best advice of germinating seed from
> Iochroma? When should it be sown - and after what
> period of ripening? Does it need a re-fridgeration
> period before germination? It is a plant that is not
> difficult to propagate by cuttings but I have no
> experience of seed sowing since it doesn't usually
> set seed here. 
> 
>    
> 
>   Tristram
>
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