Iochroma, Tubeflower, Violet Churur 'Royal Blue'

I agree with Helena Montana. I am in coastal central California. I have about 270 species, strange things, and the hummingbirds get rea...Read Morelly confused.

My immediate area is almost all gravel lawns so the Hummers are happy and learning to go beyond the usual.

Even Nicotania sylvestris which is a very toxic leaf if smoked.

I tried a hummingbird feeder that two miles away was fought over. Nothing like the Red Baron and Snoopy on drugs. Here for some reason they will not touch it. The LOL Over 55 Community has no Hummingbird feeders.

I am growing in pots and the Iochroma are not happy. They are 12 months old from Annie's at 4" and now two feet but almost all stem. Some plants just do not like being contained. Los Osos Nursery has these growing huge against a building. They are the same weather Sunset 17.

By not happy I mean covered in flowers but few leaves and little stem growth. I am going to put them in #15 pots and the ground.

Note in Annie's: Prune anytime to 3’ tall to refresh.

Stockton did not wish to prune his plant. At Los Osos Nursery they recently did a huge major pruning and in a few months the blooms came back. More blooms than leaves.

LO is a cool foggy area and they have the Iochroma against the Bromeliad building in mostly shade. Stockton is very hot.

Was reading the previous post about the hummers not responding to the Iochroma growing in the Stockton, CA area. I don't know if this hel...Read Moreps or is the reason but.....I grow a lot of strange tropicals and other flowers and plants that are not native here in Montana where I live. What I've noticed by watching the hummers closely is that if they don't recognize a plant right away, they'll usually buzz right on by. I think they have to get used to odd plants first before they'll dare to explore it and perhaps take a drink. I know it sounds weird but I really think it's the case in some instances. Now that I have had Brugs and Tecoma's and a few other tropicals and sub tropicals outside for the spring and summer for a few years, my hummers are getting curious and are actually beginning to drink from a few of them. They especially like my Manettia lutea vine which they'd always ignored before. Just a thought........

I really like this plant. I find it does best in full sun. Have not seen any of the numerous hummingbirds in my area show an interest i...Read Moren the iochroma, which surprised me as I had read somewhere that they would be interested. This plant is really a tall, lanky shrub that needs some support to look nice. I have not attempted to prune it small to see if it would get bushy because I did not want to lose blooms. It freezes back every winter and sprouts from the roots in the Spring. I have grown these in pots and had poor success. They thrive in ground and do not bloom in partial shade for me. I think the reason they don't like to be in pots is because they develop a huge root system that fills the pot quickly and then needs constant water to sustain it. In the ground, the normal sprinkler waterings are enough. I have had a problem with aphid, scale & mealy bugs, basically, if the pests like my Brugmansia plants, they like these. Has responded well to systemic fertilizer that I use for roses, and also has no problems with soapy water or rubbing alcohol that I use for spraying pests.