Tropicals & Tender Perennials: wintering blue brugs and red brugs, 0 by Alistair

Alistair wrote:
I noticed posts in another forum where people agreed that Iochroma cuttings are much better taken in autumn, so maybe try some now.......

Seed: I think most Iochromas are self-fertile but not self-pollinating - something (you?!) has to get in there and do it. (Having said that I have never seen fuits forming on my cyaneum so maybe that one's not self-fertile???). The fruit is a greenish berry containing seeds that look like tomato seeds but a quarter of the size at most, and in a mess of gloopy muck! Have fun separating them lol.

I've no idea what zone I'm in lol. I did work it out once and it seemed to make no sense regarding what I could actually grow vs what I ought to be able to grow in the zone. Winter here gets down to about 0C - frosts are no more than a bit of frozen dew. Summer temps in mid to high 30's with peaks in 40's and rarely to 50C. I have Iochromas outside now, but started them off in pots. The only one which seems to require nursing friom the heat is grandiflora which I nearly lost last year, but I have replanted it somewhere hopefully more sheltered and its putting on a good show.

Your collection sounds great: Wish we could get some of those here - these are such good shrubs for our conditions here. I have a hybrid called 'Red Red Wine' which I rather suspect is the same thing as 'Wine Red'. I think our generaly available cyaneum is actually 'Indigo'.

This message was edited Nov 6, 2006 8:30 PM