Shoofly Plant, Apple of Peru 'Black Pod'

Shoofly Plant
Nicandra physalodes
Was very surprised at how easy it was to sprout from seed and when plants were only a few...Read More inches high, it started flowering and hasn't stopped. From this early spring to end of Aug 2012 and it is still doing very well. The mass of true blue (sky blue to med. blue flowers) is amazing and many comment on how beautiful the flowers are, even the stems which are a dark purple and black and there is spotting all through the light green leaves with purple and black. Very attractive plant! Does seem to hold up to truth about keeping away white flies and have noticed black flies have not been a bother at all this hot summer at least near this plant.

After walking around a nursing home's garden, I was really impressed by this unusual plant. I had to wait weeks before dropping on the ga...Read Morerdener to ask him more. He told me to take some seed and sow in spring. They grew very easily and now, four months on, provide dazzling light blue flowers, very attractive foliage and seed pods similar to Chinese Lantern in form. Certainly an eye stopper.

Juice the leaves or roots and add to a saucer of milk. Flies will drink the mixture and die. They do not alight in the section of my gard...Read Moreen where shoofly grows, but they love my borage.