Solanium crispum glasnevin(chilean potato tree)

Just wondering if anyone has one?i bought one last week but not sure where to plant it now ... are they easy to prune back? looking on google pics they can get thick set and huge i was wanting to plant it against shrubs n lilacs trees to climb up, with morning and evening sun im hoping is classed as full sun about 6hrs)?im not sure i want to put it near a clematis now in case it over powers it? so would it be ok covering a shed i need ideas i think please just wish i knew what would be best for it....its homeless at the mo thank you,julie

 

Hello Joolz , I had an SCG for several years . A lovely fast growing shrub it will look good with the clematis . It just needs cutting back to size every year . I pruned mine back too hard and killed it You get a lovely show of purple arching flowers , although some years it hardly flowers , and at the end of the autumn you get a crop of little potatoes

 

Hi Joolz, I have one of these that i bought from Home Bargains last year for just over £1, I grew it on last year and potted in to a very large pot against our fence this year, its now a good 3ft high and 4ft across (I am training it on wires).

The best time to prune them is in the spring when the new buds are just emerging; cut back any damaged stuff and remove unwanted growth to tidy it up. That said it will do no harm during the year to remove odd shoots that are out of place.

Mines is currently smothered in bunches of bright purple flowers, I love them but they can be 'boistrous' when they get going, I still wouldn't worry about the Clematis, they would look good together I think..

Here's mine now;

 

Thanks for the post Joolz, and for the picture Bilbo. I bought one two years ago, which did nothing last year, but I have just had a look now and see that it is 5 feet tall and has lots of flowers. I never noticed it before.

 

Hi Joolz. I had one for many, many years in Bucks and it developed a tree trunk like stem. I had it south facing and it was incredible but I did have to be ruthless with it every year cutting it back. A love feature climber indeed.

 

Thank you i feel a lot better now i think i shall plant it out on my front (try to train them over the door) with my clematis rubens then,i think that gets pretty stump based as well victoria might even invest in some wisteria
Peters it will prob be 2yr before i see mine flower its only 15 inch high at the mo But bilbo you got a bargain price with yours and glad its doing so well for you
Harry..iv put it on my prune list with my viticella:WINK1: ....ya dont really get spuds do you ??? you pulling my leg fella?

 

Would I

 

Got mine already in flower from a local garden centre about ten days ago - and it's still alive!!.