Iochroma

@pete

I am directing this to you pete as you are the only person I know has one.

We were sitting outside earlier in front of the I cyanea and T'other Half asked if we could cut into the trunk of it to encourage new growth below. I don't know. I have planted an I fuchsioides at the foot of it but it is only 35cms tall at the moment but want it to fill the lower gap.

Any thoughts? Thank you in advance.

 

I can only speak about I. australis, but during my winter hack back I did two of mine and this is the result, obviously I'll miss flowering for a year but might get a few.

 

That looks promising pete, but mine have sprouted from the top and are starting to bloom. We were wondering if they would sprout further down.

 

Well, they will sprout lower down, but only if you cut the top off.
How about cutting a couple down this year and the rest next year?

 

I just cut it down about a meter but don't want to go lower as I want it as a canopy. I will just wait for the red one to grow up and fill the space.

 

Now there's a difference pete ... yours was cut back in the winter and is just sprouting. I waited till March and mine is starting to flower.

 

I think it will still sprout, I have a white flowered one which I cut back hard to the stump every year after flowering, it then goes on to grow enough wood to flower on the following year, which is then in turn cutback the following year.
Been doing that for years, so it never actually gets bigger.

 

Five days later ...

 

@pete Do you only cut yours back the once each year? I am thinking of having mine done again. I was reading the following where it was cut back three times a year.

How to Care for and Prune an Iochroma cyanea | Joy Us Garden

 

Well I only prune once a year.
I think different climate might mean different approach as mine flowers on last year's growth.
So I prune after flowering late June here.
I do get the odd flower on the new growth late summer but it's not much..

 

I should add I gave some a really good hack back during the winter when they were dormant.
They have come back strongly but not flowered, this one from just a stump.
I left the rusty oil drum for scale

 

I will bring this old thread back.

Iochroma in June with Plumbago ...


... on Friday ...


... and today following Saturday's cutback with Plumbago cut back behind ...

 

I think I have one plant of I. fuchsioides from seed this year, might flower next year I hope.

 

I like the flowers on that. I don't think I'd be able to grow it here.

 

I lost Iochroma coccinea and several I fuchsiodes last winter in the cold greenhouse; I purpurea survived although it took until late May to sprout, now a single tem 1m tall with a tassel of flowers.
Currently there are 4 I fuchsioides grown from seed last spring, one of which is planted in a new flower bed. The others are still in pots and will go into the greenhouse soon.