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Iochroma ‘Royal Queen Purple’

Lochroma 'Royal Purple' - Mike Darcy
We have many pots on our deck and I always like to try some new plants each year. This year I planted Iochroma ‘Royal Queen Purple’ using Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Soil and the results have been outstanding. In June, I started with three small plants in 4” pots and planted them all in a 14” pot. They began blooming in early July and have not stopped. The flowers are tubular and come in clusters at the end of the branches and are a deep purple. I have done some selective pruning to keep the plant from getting too tall and it has branched out nicely and is a nice compact shrub. It is in a full sun location and seems to like the heat. I doubt if it will survive the winter but regardless, it makes for a great summer blooming plant.