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Nicandra physalodes - Apple of Peru
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Dispatch by letter from €3.90.
Delivery charge from €5.90 Oversize package delivery charge from €6.90.
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This plant carries a 6 months recovery warranty
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We guarantee the quality of our plants for a full growing cycle, and will replace at our expense any plant that fails to recover under normal climatic and planting conditions.
Seed-only orders are dispatched by sealed envelope. The delivery charge for seed-only orders is €3.90.
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The Nicandra physalodes, (sometimes misspelled physaloides) is commonly known as False Cape Gooseberry or Peruvian Ground Cherry for its proximity to the physalis. It is a non-hardy perennial plant grown as an annual with rapid growth in our climates. In summer, it produces ephemeral, campanulate blue flowers with white hearts, followed by lantern-shaped fruits in capsules. Invasive and toxic, with foliage that emits an unpleasant odour, its strengths lie in its ornamental qualities and its ability to repel whiteflies, cabbage flies, and carrot flies in the vegetable garden or greenhouse. This plant is easily grown in open ground or in a pot, and its flowers also beautifully adorn flowerbeds.
The Nicandra physalodes is a non-hardy perennial plant of the Solanaceae family, originating from South America, specifically Peru. It has more or less naturalized in many regions, where it is considered invasive. Its rapid growth allows it to be grown as an annual in our climates. This plant has an upright, bushy, and ramified habit, reaching up to 1 m in all directions, with angular, hollow stems. Its alternate, mid-green leaves are glabrous and deciduous, ovate and pointed, petiolate, with irregularly dentate margins and a slightly puckered texture. The undersides of the leaves are veined. The flowers, short-lived, appear from June to October depending on the climate. They are campanulate, hermaphroditic, and nectariferous, closing at the end of the day. The subsequent fruits are enclosed in large bracts, forming swollen lantern-shaped capsules, reminiscent of the physalis.
The Nicandra physalodes, also known as False Cape Gooseberry, Blue Poc-poc, Big Poc-poc, or Blue Flower Poc-poc, can be planted at the back of a sunny flowerbed for its beautiful summer flowering. It is valued for its repellent qualities in the vegetable garden and greenhouse, where it grows rapidly. It is however essential to control its invasive tendencies. Not demanding in terms of growing conditions, in well-drained ordinary soil that remains fresh, it also thrives in a pot and enjoys summer warmth. It can be sown under cover or directly in open ground.
Flowering
Foliage
Plant habit
Botanical data
Sowing:
Sow the seeds of Nicandra physalodes from March to April under cover at a temperature of 15°C, on the surface of good quality soil and lightly cover the seeds with vermiculite. Keep the soil moist but not waterlogged and do not exclude light. Place in a propagator or enclose the seed tray inside a polyethylene bag until germination, which usually takes up to 21 days. When the young plants are large enough to handle, transplant them and grow them at a minimum temperature of 15°C until they reach a height of 20cm. Once all risk of frost is gone, plant in any well-drained soil in full sun or in a greenhouse.
It is also possible to sow directly outdoors in late April to early May, avoiding frost.
Cultivation:
Sowing period
Intended location
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Hardiness is the lowest winter temperature a plant can endure without suffering serious damage or even dying. However, hardiness is affected by location (a sheltered area, such as a patio), protection (winter cover) and soil type (hardiness is improved by well-drained soil).
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The flowering period indicated on our website applies to countries and regions located in USDA zone 8 (France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, etc.)
It will vary according to where you live:
In temperate climates, pruning of spring-flowering shrubs (forsythia, spireas, etc.) should be done just after flowering.
Pruning of summer-flowering shrubs (Indian Lilac, Perovskia, etc.) can be done in winter or spring.
In cold regions as well as with frost-sensitive plants, avoid pruning too early when severe frosts may still occur.
The planting period indicated on our website applies to countries and regions located in USDA zone 8 (France, United Kingdom, Ireland, Netherlands).
It will vary according to where you live:
The harvesting period indicated on our website applies to countries and regions in USDA zone 8 (France, England, Ireland, the Netherlands).
In colder areas (Scandinavia, Poland, Austria...) fruit and vegetable harvests are likely to be delayed by 3-4 weeks.
In warmer areas (Italy, Spain, Greece, etc.), harvesting will probably take place earlier, depending on weather conditions.
The sowing periods indicated on our website apply to countries and regions within USDA Zone 8 (France, UK, Ireland, Netherlands).
In colder areas (Scandinavia, Poland, Austria...), delay any outdoor sowing by 3-4 weeks, or sow under glass.
In warmer climes (Italy, Spain, Greece, etc.), bring outdoor sowing forward by a few weeks.