Cestrum 'Newellii'
5th December 2014
6th June 2015
Cestrum elegans is a large mexican shrub that produces long cascading shoots tipped with clusters of bright red flowers. It may be hardy for a while
in the mildest gardens but I have usually seen it grown under cover. There are a number of similar species and reliable identification is not easy.
C. 'Newellii' was raised in the 1870's by Mr. Newell of Downham Market and is assumed to be a seedling from a species in this group.
It has particularly vivid flowers which it produced reliably for me in the cold greenhouse for a couple of years before being killed in winter. It is possible that in
a sunnier (and therefore warmer) greenhouse I might have succeeded for longer.
References:
James Armitage, Dawn Edwards, Neil Lancaster, John G. Hillier and Roy Lancaster (eds), The Hillier Manual of Trees and Shrubs, 8th edition, 2014.
W. J. Bean, Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles, Eighth edition.