Tropaeolum notes
Jane McGary (Sat, 12 Jan 2008 11:19:59 PST)
Paul in Canberra wrote,
Tropaeolum tricolor isn't bothered by -8 or -9'C in the slightest. I grow it
outside here, both in 8 inch black plastic pots and in the
ground. No problemo at all here at least, but obviously I can't
vouch for any colder.
An interesting thing about this species is its wide distribution in the
wild. You can see it right on the coastal strip where there probably is
never anything approaching frost, and up into the Andean foothills
flowering within the winter snow zone, in really nasty chilly weather. I
suspect seeds from the populations in colder areas would produce hardier
plants than seeds from the coast. I don't know where the material in
general cultivation came from originally, though.
Like Diana I prefer twiggy branches to chicken wire supports for the small
trops. When we get a severe cold snap and I have to lay microfoam sheets
over my bulbs, I carefully lift the trop supports and lay them flat, then
reset them when I remove the foam. You can manipulate the threadlike stems
quite a bit without harming them. T. brachyceras seems to be the most
cold-hardy species I have here. I've recently seen it on Dutch wholesale
lists, so perhaps Russell Stafford (Odyssey Bulbs) will be bringing in tubers?
Jane McGary
Northwestern Oregon, USA