I call back I have finally mastered growing Sinningia tubiflora , one of the many new ‘ hardier ’ gesneriads , those plants in the African Violet fellowship , which are getting more and more payable by those in - the - know . This calendar week , my crushed rock container garden has been overcome by a magnificent specimen , which , I have to let in , was an fortuity . This Sinningia tubiflora is develop in a mysterious terra cotta heap , and its become basically , a jumbo Citrus limon scented tune freshener , yes , its evening fragrance linger across the garden in our hot , humid summer weather .
Thanks to fellow blogger , referee and friend , Brian Morely , who share this works with me last year . He had station me a few tubers in the mail , wrapped in paper . Thanks Brian ! I ’ve essay Sinningia tubiflora twice before , with little hazard . Apparantly , I am not alone in finding this species difficult to flower . Lots of leaf , ( which often pick out and became sloppy ) and when blossom stem finally did look , they flopped over before blooming , go forth them twisted and deformed . Last twelvemonth , I only had three stem with a few heyday .
This year , it ’s a whole other story . I can only guess that a few change in how I deal my flora may have helped , I can say , that I have not fussed with the plant , if anything , I have discount it . First , I did n’t divide the tuberous good deal of Solanum tuberosum - like tubers , instead , I drag the overgrown deal into the greenhouse on a inhuman , freeze - threaten day in October last twelvemonth . Yes , it says ‘ hardy ’ but it is not deep - stop dead hardy here in New England . I develop Sinningia tubiflora in containers . Once in the greenhouse for the winter , the plant stumbled along at near freeze temporary worker . Once in mid - winter , I had decide to thresh the plant life , but I resolve not to since Joe would see the rootball on the C ( he hat that , and I am too lazy to drag my arse out to the compost stilt . Once I unpotted the mass of tubers , I was impressed , and a piddling overwhelmed , so I like any bozo who is faineant , I shoved the mass under a terrace and forgot about it . There it pass the total winter , never looking worse for the clothing .
In springtime , I noticed that the giant egg of tubers and tooth root , was sprout all over , and I briefly believe about separate it into a few dozen tubers , to portion out , plant and maybe to sell on eBay . But I never catch to it . So one day in May , I just decided to try pot the integral mint of shoot and tuber . It was so big , that it only correspond in one giant 14 inch Lucius Clay pot , so in it went , and I set it on the red-hot crushed rock bottom in full sun .
Here is what I think pass off . First , the mass of tubers probably prefer not to be part , hence , the great deal of sprouts evolved into growth , and the fore are stronger , holding each other up . Then , the shabby foliage never appeared , which I finger is the result of the red-hot crushed rock below the plant , which dry the foliation off early in the break of day , and the effective zephyr circulation keeps the foliage dry . Third , the full sun helps keep the plant strong and impenetrable . Fourth , the cold winter in the glasshouse probably facilitate the industrial plant vernalize more , or whatever . I have come up many notes online that colder winter temporary worker have leave in more flower , not sure if this is straight or not .
Regardless , I now have an incredibly stunning specimen plant as a container flora , and it ’s sweetness fills the entire side yard , drifting over the garden even giving the lilies a campaign for their money . you’re able to find this plant at Plant Delights Nursery , or , you’re able to find protagonist who will share tubers with you . Plant Delights states in their catalog that the plant is a hummingbird magnet , but I have yet to see one on it , even though the Hummers gossip this garden every few arcminute . I see them on the Agapanthus next to it , on the Nepeta sibirica , and on the Humminbird feeders , but never on the Sinningia . I imagine that their beak are too scant for the totally tubelike blossoms , but in other areas of the nation where there are more metal money of Hummingbirds , such as Arizona , this might work out well as a Hummingbird works .
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