In reviewing the PF entries for Brunfelsia I noticed B. grandiflora and B. gigantea are to zone 8a. Is this an error or do they survive 8b? Anybody have experience growing these outdoors in 8a or 8b? Thanks! :-)
Brunfelsia for 8b outdoors?
My copy of 'Flora' lists B. grandiflora as Zone 10 so I don't know if I would trust that it'll survive in 8b. No listing for B. gigantea though so can't help you on that one, and the only Brunfelsia that I've grown in my garden (as opposed to protecting for the winter) was B. pauciflora which does fine here in 9b, no idea if it would make it in zone 8 though.
I have a few B. pauciflora so I might try one outdoors next year. They took forever to heal and then root. I think the PF files might be a bit off.
I have the b.grandiflora and it did survive outside last year. I have it planted in a bad spot, got too wet and no protection and too much shade. It lost all the leaves during the frost but has come back nicely. Did not bloom but its only 18" or so, still small. It looks almost the same as the one I wintered in a pot in the greenhouse and we did get a lot of frost last year, I am as zone 9. I say stick one outside. If you are lucky and have a mild winter it should be able to survive more cold in the coming years, having a nice root system by then.
Rebecca