An online contact in San Diego is sending me some seeds. I've already asked about the Caesalpinia, but now need to know if anyone has grown Alamanda? Alamanda is a tropical vine so this is a pure indulgence on my part, but it is one of my favourites. The seed is from the hybrid "Cherries Jubilee". One of the parents is A.cathartica which can be rampant if it is happy. Here is a photo of it at the Eden Project............... A close up from Oxfords botanic gardens................. At OBG it is grown in the Lily House - warm and humid. The hybrid Cherries Jubilee is supposedly less needy of such uber tropical conditions and it's claimed that it can be bloomed in year one. Anyone had any experience, or got any tips?
I 've only grown it in a tropical palm house (years ago) not a domestic one and I remember it being a rampant climber and needed lots of space. I don't think it likes to go below 10c, possibly slightly lower if kept dry in winter.
Just asked a friend in Italy , they are not as tropical as they look , they almost invasive over there , they hold few degree of cold , apparently the pink is more delicate as in case of frost it die down , that is good enough to me to pot growing and overwinter indoor.
Longk, I can only admire your enthusiasm for growing these impossible things! Having lived in the tropics I now realise what torture it must be for these plants to have to try to survive the cold, damp and dark of the British climate in winter. So I think you are a real trier - though I suspect you are much, much better at caring for stuff properly than me. Have you got a nice cosy conservatory to keep it in?
I don't have any, but it is very common here where I live, lots of people have it growing in their yards.
Having spent a lot of time in SE Asia myself (mostly Malaysia and Queensland) I'm fully aware of how cruel I am!!!! No conservatory, so it'll have to live in the bathroom over the winter - good job that it responds to hard pruning (this is assuming that I can get it to grow in the first place). I believe that it is now considered an invasive species in Q/land?
I never lived in Q/land (I lived in Sydney for 10 months), but I spent just over three months there in '93. Split the time between Cairns and Townsville.
