Sanchezia nobilis - Sanchezia

fabulous pics...:-)

Thanks! :>)

I miss mine!!. I always forget to order more. Terrible house plants..fine outdoors.

I never saw one grown outside in the SF Bay Area. I know it's hardier than the very similar Aphelandra squarrosa, though. I once had a very nice A. quarrosa at my other house. It grew very well in a eastern exposure outside, along with a beautiful Shaueria flavicoma.

I had a.squarrosa grow and flower every year...then about the fourth year? It..looked old. Like it had aged. Then one day it collapsed. from 3' to nothing.

I had Sanchezia too. It flowered by February,was very easy to grow from cuttings. It just faded away one winter. Too much rain that year- cold rains.

A. quarrosa didn't grow outside, right? I tried growing it outside in the Bay Area and all the leaves fell off by December and then it died. Sanchezia I never tried up there. I would guess it would grow pretty well as long as it was in protected spot.

I did grow a beautiful Pachystachys coccinea in Fremont.

Yes- the Aphelandra was on my porch. Photos on Daves Garden (bayareatropics). Did fine,had a nice little trunk. One day the rot set in. But,like I said,after about 4 years it looked old..smaller leaves. They must be short lived.
Sanchezia would have sailed the last three years. I was growing it during 2004- 2007? in that range. I guess it was the extra cold of 2007.
As always,hindsight says- I should have covered it.

I think most Aphelandra species are pretty long-lived. I saw the photo. It's a pretty impressive plant for even being grown on a porch in the SF Bay Area. I think the plants need to be pruned back after flowering, though.