Lapageria rosea

The national flower of Chile, rare in gardens, this distant lily relative inhabits the coastal rain forests of southern Chile where temperatures rarely hit 80F in summer or 20F in winter. Waxy pink bells -- forms exist sometimes picoteed pure white or even blue tinted. We offer seedlings descended from the exquisite forms at the Nursery El Vergel in southern Chile, known for its Lapageria cultivation. Our plants, some flowering size, bear clear, warm pink flowers with a white lace filigree toward the end of each petal. In shaded, moist gardens of the Pacific Coast and with some success in the Southeast, L. rosea grows 10 to 12 ft with glossy, evergreen leaves and flowers sporadically year round but especially in fall and spring. Appreciates cool, infertile soil, even moisture and humidity, and fertilizers low in phosphorous and potassium. Wonderful container plants. USDA zone 8 out of wind; our garden specimens are on a detachable small chain so the plants can be taken down and covered should cold weather strike.