TWEEDIA AND SCHIZANTHUS

BJT72 Perrysburg, OH(Zone 5a) Jun 06, 2001

I bought a pack of tweedia and schizanthus, I've never heard of them before and was wondering if anyone has any planting tips or general info about either of them. As always when my favorite nursery put a sign above something that says "NEW", "HEIRLOOM", or "BECKY, YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO SLEEP TONIGHT IF YOU DON'T HAVE THIS PLANT IN YOUR GARDEN" I just have to buy it, you know what I mean!!!!LOL
So here I'am with a couple of great looking and interesting plants that I can't seem to find too much on in any of my books, so your input would be a great help.
Thanks,
Becky

Post #6037

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Jun 07, 2001

I am familiar with tweedia but never grew it, I have grown schizanthus and it is wonderful although for me it has a relatively short bloom time. Schizanthus is related to petunias, tomatoes, datura, tobacco etc. (nightshade family). It dislikes excessively hot summer temps and for that reason I would plant it in a bit of shade if you have hot humid summers. When in bloom, it makes low billowy masses of richly colored blooms so thick that the foliage is obscured, no fragrance though. The foliage is attractive too, deeply cut and almost fernlike. After the first flush of bloom I would trim it back a bit and hope for the best. Even though I only get about 6 weeks or so of bloom out of it before it poops out due to summer heat, I still grow it because its so spectacular when in bloom. There are some varieties that are dwarfer than others while some grow tall enough (will need to be staked) to be used as cut flowers. Hope this helps.

Post #80956

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jody MD &, VA(Zone 7b) Jun 19, 2001

I've never grown tweedia either. Jerseyguy is right on with the schizanthus though. You can see a pic of mine here http://davesgarden.com/gj/jody/viewentry/1498.html
They are starting to look pretty ratty with the heat though, and most have already bloomed, so soon they will probably be pulled out of their containers and replaced with something else. Good luck!
Jody