Description
Nolana –
There are about 18 species of spreading annuals, perennials, and sub shrubs, usually grown as annuals in this genus. Most are clump forming to semi trailing and rarely exceed 8″ tall but can spread to 18″ Or more wide. They occur in semi desert and coastal areas in Peru, Chile, and the Galapagos Islands. They have simple, elliptical, 1-2 ½” long, bright green, alternate or whorled sometimes succulent leaves. The broadly long tubed, bell shaped, 5 petaled, blue, pink, or white flowers with yellow throats are held singly or in clusters. Grow in a border, or as short lived container plants in cool greenhouse. In warm climates, grow perennials in a rock garden.
Outdoors, grow in any moderately fertile, humus rich soil, in full sun or part shade. Under glass, grow in soil based potting mix in full light. Water moderately during the growing season.
Prone to aphids, and leaf miners.
N. paradoxa ‘Blue Bird’ – This fleshy, glandular hairy annual or perennial with a creeping habit grows 8-10″ tall and 15-24″ wide. It forms basal rosettes of stalkless, inversely lance shaped leaves, to 2″ long, and ovate to elliptic stem leaves. In summer it bears masses of trumpet shaped, rich deep shade with a white throat flowers, to 2″ across, with yellow throats that only open in full sun.
Zones 9-11
