Does anyone have a success story growing lapageria rosea in
Cambridgeshire (or similar climate)? I have a north-facing (well, more
north-east really) wall that is reasonably sheltered to the east and
west, but would get the full brunt of any northerly winds. I expect
that the house casts a rainshadow, but the waterbutt sits just around
the corner, so I can easily irrigate it. Am I going to get away with
it?

Jon

Living on the Chiltern plateau, I have one in a pot, which I leave outside all winter, but right next to the patio doors. It prefers quite a big deep pot. I did bring it in the first winter, but it didn't like being put back outside in the spring once it had woken up early, so now it stays out all winter to keep it dormant longer.

Well it's still alive, but showing no signs of flowering and not doing too well. But I haven't succeeded in protecting it from the molluscs very well. It is gourmet snail-food, so you have to protect it well against them.

I wouldn't worry too much about "north facing" here in Britain. Obviously you don't want to fry it against a south wall. But it would like a bit of warmth and some of our low-intensity sunshine, in comparison to its natural range where the sun is as intense as Morocco or southern Spain, and temperatures in the mid-20s are common.

"Jon Connell" wrote in message
ups.com...
Does anyone have a success story growing lapageria rosea in
Cambridgeshire (or similar climate)? I have a north-facing (well, more
north-east really) wall that is reasonably sheltered to the east and
west, but would get the full brunt of any northerly winds. I expect
that the house casts a rainshadow, but the waterbutt sits just around
the corner, so I can easily irrigate it. Am I going to get away with
it?

Jon

Assuming you soil is already on the acid side, increase humus and drainage.
You may find the plant would suffer less damage to its long lived evergreen
leaves if you grow it up another plant such as a wall trained Camelia or
euonymous.
As regards frost damage, adult growth is hardy to around -10c and on a wall
is not likely to suffer much damage, but young growth starts in January
(depending on mildness of the winter to date and is very frost sensitive (as
well as suffering from mechanical damage) so some fleece kept on standby may
prove a good investment.
I know people are growing them in your part of the world because I have sent
plants there but as I have never seen the plants in situ, not sure how they
are going about it!

--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collections of Clematis viticella (cvs) and
Lapageria rosea

On Jun 12, 10:12 am, "Charlie Pridham"
wrote:
Assuming you soil is already on the acid side, increase humus and drainage.
You may find the plant would suffer less damage to its long lived evergreen
leaves if you grow it up another plant such as a wall trained Camelia or
euonymous.
As regards frost damage, adult growth is hardy to around -10c and on a wall
is not likely to suffer much damage, but young growth starts in January
(depending on mildness of the winter to date and is very frost sensitive (as
well as suffering from mechanical damage) so some fleece kept on standby may
prove a good investment.

Useful, thanks.

I know people are growing them in your part of the world because I have sent
plants there but as I have never seen the plants in situ, not sure how they
are going about it!

Well ... I may well follow them on that.

Jon

"Jon Connell" wrote in message
ups.com...
Does anyone have a success story growing lapageria rosea in
Cambridgeshire (or similar climate)? I have a north-facing (well, more
north-east really) wall that is reasonably sheltered to the east and
west, but would get the full brunt of any northerly winds. I expect
that the house casts a rainshadow, but the waterbutt sits just around
the corner, so I can easily irrigate it. Am I going to get away with
it?

Well I grow it here in Cambridge (well just outside now). I've two of them,
raised from seed years ago. I've always grown them in pots, in ericaceous
compost, but outside (apart from their early seedling life). Indeed they
don't seem keen on sun, and the new growth wilts of there is much sign of
any.

You'll know they have this reputation for being 'difficult'. I've attempted
many 'difficult' plants, and in most cases they die just like everyone else
finds, but in a couple of cases (the Lapageria, and the other being Aloe
polyphylla) I've had no problems.

I sometimes think that I ought to grow some more - perhaps to get better
colour shades, though I can't imagine wanting the white one - surely the
'pink' (there must be a better word for it) shade is the main point of
Lapageria!

Good luck if you give it a go.