Does anyone else grow Lisianthus ?

[Greensage45]

Hi,

I just noticed one of my Lisianthus is throwing buds and will be in bloom any day now. I have the single-petal blue. Here is a picture of last year's bloom.

Lisianthus reminds me of a rose, a sort of poppy/rose combination, a blue rose to be exact. Mine is a single petal but they come in double as well. The colors are unique if you have pinks to mix in with them, as they cross pollinate easily and make new colors each year. The seeds are like granules of fine sand; very microscopic. Being as blind as I am I cannot see the seedling for several weeks after they sprout.

I will add the new pictures once the flower opens over the next week.

I want to hear if anyone else grows this flower. I find it to be quite intriguing, especially since I never know where they will show up and often if I plant them in pots I cannot even see them growing without a magnifying glass.

Ron

here is the google page with pictures of other colors, now tell me, do these not look just like roses? Amazing!
http://images.google.com/images?q=l...&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1

 

[Broke Down Ranch]

Oh those are lovely! Very elegant and simple all at the same time. I like how they use them to make bouquets. Thanks for adding to my "list"....lol

 

[Reinbeau]

I've got them in my garden, I'll take a photo later. They aren't the best looking plants and have a rather odd growth pattern, but the flowers are absolutely divine!

 

[patandchickens]

I don't do annuals, too lazy , but my mother has grown them for twenty or thirty years, because they are such good cutflowers or drying flowers or one or the other or maybe both, I forget.

She always whines and complains about how early she has to start them (they don't self-seed for her in PA, she has to start them in flats under lights in, like, January)... but apparently she finds it worthwhile as she does it all again every year


Pat

 

[Greensage45]

Wow,

I cannot wait to see those Reinbeau.

patandchickens, are you nearby your mother so you can take a picture for us? I would so love to see them.

The lisianthus is actually a frost tender perennial. It is possible to overwinter them in a mudroom or a kitchen. I did keep one batch indoors and they acclimated well the following Spring. My only problem is that along with all my other Spring starts they take up too much room and so sometimes I let them die off come Winter.

This year I have them in a planter and will pull them in; probably by late October at the latest.

Hoping to see some pics soon,

Thanks,

Ron

As a side note, I have never seen that little clicker Smilies until just now. I have limited myself all this time to those simple ones above my typing screen. Can you believe it? No wonder I cannot see the Lisianthus seedlings.

 

[injunjoe]

Ron welcome to Smiles.

Those flowers are very pretty! :rainbow-sun

 

[patandchickens]

patandchickens, are you nearby your mother so you can take a picture for us? I would so love to see them.

Sorry, she lives about 10 hrs away from me -- but she does not grow anything exotic, just the common cultivars like you can get from Burpees, T&M, etc. They are pretty though.

Pat

 

[Greensage45]

Wow,

This post was pushed way back, and finally my Lisianthus bloomed today!!

That took a few weeks

Ta Daa! row

Ron

 

[Broke Down Ranch]

WOW!!!

That was worth the wait! Beyoouuutimus!

 

[injunjoe]

Great flower.
They grow pretty easy from seed?