New York City created 3' X 6' mini garden plots along the new Avenue of America bike trail heading up town in the middle of Manhattan. I...Read More volunteered to develop the plot.
A nursery in Brooklyn had Solanum Pyrachanthum in small 4" pots. I planted the the Pyrachanthum in the middle of the plot and it grew to 5' tall X 4' wide. It attracted bees and maintained it's purple blossoms for several months.
Since it displays fluorescent spikes all over the trunk, branches and leaves the Pyrachanthum stood to protect the whole garden from millions ( literaly ) of passers by who live in or frequent the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan. Being my first year growing Pyrachanthum I am unsure if it will come back from being a brown skeleton of itself complete with all it's cherry fruits ( now shrivled and brown ) still intact on it's branches.
From what I've read the Pyrachanthum does not like being exposed to temperatures below freezing. This winter has produced a few periods of sub freezing temps. So we shall see in later this year. I'm not planning to pull it out yet !
I purchased a porcupine tomato and planted in front of the house in NewEngland. It grew huge (about 2.5 ft high and wide) and was always...Read More covered with pretty little flowers all summer into fall. Friends loved it. It was also constantly humming with bees. I would definately do it again
I picked one of these up in a Berkeley nursery. Started out cute, and quickly grew monstrous (~1.5M). I watered it fairly often and it ...Read Morewas in a warm North-facing window. It dropped a large number of leaves during growth, and a number more since it has gotten cold, but it continues to bloom. I tried self-pollination, and got a largish crop of tiny tomatoes. They are "edible" only by the strictest definition of the word.
I had one seedling sprout out of several seeds I planted. It's one of my favorites. It has spent most of it's 4 years in a small pot in...Read More the basement under 24x7 fluorescent lights. it stays about 0.5m tall; it blooms if I water it 3 to 4 times per month, and the air is very dry here (winter sometimes 10% rh). My plant has never made fruits though. I can't tell if it just can't self pollinate or not. I have tried to manually pollinate it with no success.
i saw this plant 3 years ago at hampton court and i fell in love with it! it was only last night i found it again and i plan to get the s...Read Moreeeds at some point!
I planted a small 4" one and it grew to about 4 feet or so the first year. I thinned and tipped it back regularly so not sure how big it...Read More's ultimate size might have been. I never had any seedlings sprout as one commenter said. The plant seems to be short lived, as it began to fade after three years in the ground and finally died. I recently bought a new one, love the orange/purple color combination and the spines. Use care when pruning, though!
I just acquired my second solanum pyracanthum. I had one years ago that thrived, planted up in a terra cotta pot on a hot patio, (though ...Read Moreit only grew to a very manageable 3 1/2 feet). I was amazed to see it come back from the dead the next summer, having spent the cold months in an exposed area with no winter protection. It put on a great show the second summer once again, bearing fruit, but the second Seattle winter did it in. I'm looking forward to growing this oddity again, and have added Solanum "Malevolence" to the spiny collection this year. I found this plant useful in keeping animal marauders out my garden too: no squirrels digging holes near that pot.
I too was fascinated with the bizzare plant when I first saw it, and having a garden full of spiny things decided to add this one to it.....Read More it is an extremely drought tolerant plant here in So Cal... but it spreads like crazy all over the place. Each dinky little seedling immediately produces those noxious orange spines making weeding them a painful and delicate experience. I have since tried to rid my garden of this plant unsuccessfully. It gets huge, by the way- mine was nearly 8' tall and 8' wide before I hacked it down (two years later) and there are literally hundreds of seedlings showing up all the time- OUCH! Planter beware before adding this one to the garden!
This plant is visually amazing. Just purchased it and interestingly the very same blurb at the plant shop is the first comment posted her...Read Moree. Plan to keep it inside over winter as it is frost tender.
New York City created 3' X 6' mini garden plots along the new Avenue of America bike trail heading up town in the middle of Manhattan. I...Read More
I purchased a porcupine tomato and planted in front of the house in NewEngland. It grew huge (about 2.5 ft high and wide) and was always...Read More
I picked one of these up in a Berkeley nursery. Started out cute, and quickly grew monstrous (~1.5M). I watered it fairly often and it ...Read More
I had one seedling sprout out of several seeds I planted. It's one of my favorites. It has spent most of it's 4 years in a small pot in...Read More
i saw this plant 3 years ago at hampton court and i fell in love with it! it was only last night i found it again and i plan to get the s...Read More
I planted a small 4" one and it grew to about 4 feet or so the first year. I thinned and tipped it back regularly so not sure how big it...Read More
I just acquired my second solanum pyracanthum. I had one years ago that thrived, planted up in a terra cotta pot on a hot patio, (though ...Read More
I too was fascinated with the bizzare plant when I first saw it, and having a garden full of spiny things decided to add this one to it.....Read More
This plant is visually amazing. Just purchased it and interestingly the very same blurb at the plant shop is the first comment posted her...Read More