Other Names:  Paraguay Nightshade, Lycianthes rantonnetii

Description:

An exceptional plant in tree form, offering intense violet-blue flowers with bright yellow centers from spring until fall; great in containers

Ornamental Features

Blue Potato Bush (tree form) features showy lightly-scented violet round flowers with blue overtones and yellow eyes along the branches from late spring to mid fall. It has green evergreen foliage. The oval leaves remain green throughout the winter.

Landscape Attributes

Blue Potato Bush (tree form) is an evergreen dwarf tree with a strong central leader and an upright spreading habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This is a high maintenance dwarf tree that will require regular care and upkeep, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Blue Potato Bush (tree form) is ideal for use as a garden accent or patio feature, and is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• General Garden Use

Planting & Growing

Blue Potato Bush (tree form) will grow to be about 6 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 4 feet. It tends to be a little leggy, with a typical clearance of 2 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years.

This dwarf tree should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America, and parts of it are known to be toxic to humans and animals, so care should be exercised in planting it around children and pets.