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Sacha[_3_] · 15-08-2008, 04:22 PM posted to uk.rec.gardening

On 15/8/08 15:43, in article ,
"Charlie Pridham" wrote:

In article ,
says...
On 14/8/08 23:21, in article , "Tony
D" wrote:

Am I correct that there are several varieties of these plants

Which one's can be grown in the garden and left out all year

And are they an easy plant to find in garden centers or are they a more
specialist plant

I live in the Midlands

Many thanks

I've never gardened in the Midlands though David Poole has and I hope he'll
see your question. However, Aristolochia gigantea will go to 5C and A.
grandiflora will go to 3C. I've seen the former grown outdoors in Jersey
but cut down and killed off by an unusual frost there. I would say that
most of them are grown as conservatory plants in UK and kept just above
frost level. I would say they're rather more specialist than usual garden
centre fare. The other name for A. gigantea is Dutchman's Pipe.

Well I don't do them! the hardier one is enormous with small occassional
flowers, the tender sorts have gorgeous flowers but if are cut down by
frost they are shredded by slugs and snails when they attempt to regrow,
told Guy Sissons who had the national collection of them he was mad!
Anyway if he is still trading he is the man to contact.

We have the A. gigantea. But the one we grow ourselves is definitely inside
and staying there! The one I knew in Jersey was in a walled garden, facing
south but it still got 'taken' in a harsh winter, as did the Mandevilla
suaveolens growing with it! I think we should try one here, somewhere
outside and see how it will do. If it has a bit of tree cover, it might be
okay. Guy is certainly still trading but in France.
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon