Calceolaria
Hi
First time poster!
I am growing an indoor Calceolaria which seems to be a plant with very little information about it on the internet.
My information on the plant is very limited; my grandfather was a prolific grower of them in the 1960's and 70's but he died when I was a baby so all I have are a couple of poor quality photos of his plants and his RHS diaries from the 1930's where calceolaria seemed to be as common as chrysanthemums.
The plants seem to have disappeared from everyday gardening butI have been determined to grow them so I was pleased when I eventually discovered their name and located an online company to buy the seeds from, but I can't find any information about how they arrived in this country or how to propagate them either by seed or leaf cuttings of the ones I have grown.
If anyone has any knowledge on this plant I would be so grateful if you could share this with me so I can continue to grow them and continue a link with my grandfather who I never knew but share his passion for these (now) unusual plants.
Thank you.
Posts
Hello Miss Pink
I certainly remember them being very popular greenhouse and conservatory plants back in the 60s ... I've never grown them but I've found this website and hope it helps
http://www.thegardenhelper.com/index.html
Hi Dovefromabove
Thank you for your reply.
The site confirms there are 300 species but it looks like my search for more knowledge about how they got to the UK continues.
Given that a name of one of the varieties is Darwin's Slipper, I suspect he may well have had something to do with it