Re: Iochroma australis

Here in the San Diego area, Iochroma is often infested with a critter whose name I don't know but looks like a very tiny, armored dinosaur - black with spikes covering its body. If I recall correctly, the head area is triangular.

This critter seems to prefer solanums as when I have iochroma in my garden, these little guys first appear on the Iocrhoma in summer, then migrate to the tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants in the vegetable garden, about 50' away.

Many of us have stopped growing iochroma for just this reason which is a shame as it has the most beautiful flower clusters.

Nan

On Aug 17, 2006, at 9:57 PM, david feix wrote:

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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