Iochroma 101
Another one of those great Solanaceae evergreen vining/upright shrubs that folks should grow if
you enjoy the solanaceae family. Again there is some mix up in the names so be warned if
you find one at local nurseries do check out the names that they label them with.
We currently have 3 in our collection and started out growing them when we saw photos in
Thompson & Morgan of the Acnistus australis in 1993 catalog. So we ordered seeds and our
plant has grown to a great size but few blooms with little care. It is now known as the I.
australis, a must have. We also recommend that one gather all the information on these as
they are from Central and South America and have some miss information out there. We in Zone 8
here just cut her back to the soil and leave her next to the greenhouse, she has returned each year
without a problem. So a protected area is a must for these and yes these can be grown in pots
so that if you live in the north can move them to a safer area during the winter months.
We have noted this year in the growing of the one above that her blooms are white and not the
pale blue they were in past years. I'm wondering if others have noted the change in bloom color
if one has a higher temp as she was a pale blue in past years.
We have noted that the books state full sun or partial shade but we grow our on the north side
of the house with only early morning sun. We found this year putting them out in the hosta
bed with sun until mid day was way to much sun and heat as our temps have been unually hot this
year. We watched them droop so we decided to move them and to our surprise one decided to bloom
within a couple weeks of being moved. The leaves on the I fuchsioides came back looking so health
and glossy instead of the fried look! All are putting on new growth so this was a great move.
We also take tip cuttings of there, bottom heat and light with cooler temps is the key to this one.
Taking upwards of a month for the roots to form so be patient.
We have set up a photo album on our PB site for those of you that might enjoy looking at the photos.