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The Woody Nightshade is a fairly common hedgerow plant throughout the British Isles but I tend to keep my distance
because it is worth noting carefully that the berries are RATHER POISONOUS. In general terms I stay away from poisonous plants because they add worry to the garden, which isn't an especially useful attribute but one or two creep in. This one does a little more than creep. If it is happy the green form can scramble through shrubs to a height of 3m or more. The variegated one is a little less vigorous. I first grew it a couple of decades ago when The Plantsman Nursery closed down. I bought one in their final sale because I am irrationally fond of variegated forms of native plants and I had never seen it before. It grew in a pot for many years without ever looking good . I was always a bit wary that if I planted it in the soil it would seed too vigorously and become a nuisance. In the end I was too cautious and it died in the pot one winter without me noticing. Fast forward a decade or so and I ran into it again at a nursery in north London, looking rather scruffy in a small pot but well worth giving a second chance. I have planted it out in the herbaceous border and perhaps a richer soil will suit it better. Lazy S's Farm Nursery (now closed) said in their catalogue: "Handsome, large, wide variegated leaves with stunning deep violet reflexed flowers with a yellow beak in July and August. Flowers are followed with berries that change from green to yellow to orange to a ripe red at varying times so it is possible to have all four colors at the same time. Good cut flower. A most unusual close relative of, all things, the potato! Can be grown as a free standing shrub or wall climber. Well drained sunny site or conservatory. Like all members of the Nightshade family, berries are poisonous so don't eat them!" |
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| 22nd October 2011 | ||
