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Nicandra 'Alba'
Seed Packet

Nicandra 'Alba'

Nicandra physalodes
For a tropical look in your summer garden, Apple of Peru grows by leaps and bounds, making a hedge with pure white flowers all along the reaching branches. A sleepyhead, it blooms midmorning to midafternoon, a time when all the bubblebees in the area actively seek it out and become dusted with a coating of white pollen. Cannot ship to OH.
SKU #S419
$4.00
Details
Approximate Seeds Per Packet
70
Lifecycle
Annual
Annual Hardiness
Hardy Annual
Mature Size
4-5' h x 3-4' w
Sun
Full sun to partial shade
Soil
Rich, moist, well-drained
Season
Summer to fall
Color
White chalice-shaped flowers.
Features
Great Cut Flower
Deer Resistant
Attracts Bees
SOWING INSTRUCTIONS
Depth:
1/16"
Sprout Time:
5-15 days
Starting Indoors:
Start in containers 6-8 weeks before last spring frost. Keep at about 55-65°F.
Starting Outdoors:
Direct sow at last frost date.
WHEN TO SET OUTSIDE
In springtime, after all danger of frost has passed.
PLACEMENT & CULTIVATION
Apple of Peru is celebrated for its swift growth during the summer heat, culminating in a statuesque form with substantial branches studded with white-throated lavender-blue flowers. These exquisite blossoms unfurl around midmorning and gracefully close by midafternoon. As autumn draws near, Nicandra produces decorative inflated seedpods, perfect for harvesting and adding to floral arrangements, whether fresh or dried. These plants excel as hedges or as striking specimens positioned at the rear border of informal cottage gardens. Self-sows abundantly—we recommend cutting before seed capsules degrade in late fall.
Final Spacing:
3'
Water Requirements:
Medium Water Use
Watering Details:
Keep moist but avoid saturated soils. Do not allow soil to dry out between waterings.
Soil pH:
Not particular about soil pH.
Fertilizer:
Mix in several inches of compost into poorer soils before planting.
Diseases & Pests:
No major problems.
When to Cut for Bouquets:
Useful for decorative lanterns on long arching stems