Nolana

[Diane Whitehead]

I'm making up a list of seeds to order from Chileflora.

When I was there, I admired several species of Nolana.
I love blue flowers, and seeds of several species are on offer.

I can't find any information about growing them, though.
The only mention of one here was just a name in a list of seeds in 2008.

Is anyone growing any?

[Maggi Young]

Not many growing them I don't think - but doubtless somebody here is doing so!
 Perhaps this may help a little : http://www.sacha.org/Nolana/Nolana_supplement.htm

 This at least shows the habitat they grow in : http://www.sacha.org/Nolana/Nolana_supplement.htm

[Diane Whitehead]

Thanks for that link, Maggi.

Now that I'm thinking more about the ones I saw,  they were all growing along the coast,
so likely won't be hardy for me, or won't like my winter rain.  Oh well, I can grow them in pots
which can be sheltered in winter.

further thought:  I was there because they had had winter rain, so the desert was flowering.

So I might not even need pots.

[Carolyn]

Diane,
Like you, I love blue flowers and have grown nolana Bluebird in the past - this is, i think, described as a half-hardy annual in UK seed catalogues and makes a nice flower for summer tubs and baskets. It never overwintered for me, even when I lived in the south of England. I have never tried any of the Chileflora species, oh dear, I can feel a new seed order coming on.....