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Solanum album

FireFire Posts: 19,096
edited October 2020 in Plants
I might put this is in next year, in place of a clematis. South-west facing, as full sun as I have. London, sheltered garden, no kids or pets. Do you have any thoughts, experience, aspects to flag up before buying? Could it act like a clematis - semi-evergreen, white flowers, mild scent ...? The album is less hardy than the other. Best to buy and plant in the spring? Good over an arch or pergola? Needs tying in?

Posts

  • LG_LG_ Posts: 4,360
    They're very vigorous! I'm not aware of any scent.
    But I think they're lovely. I have mine in a large trough, which is not really suitable for it - it hates to dry out and could do with being in the ground, but it is what it is. It's more manageably vigorous this way, at least!
    Yes, needs tying in. I think it'd be OK planted now in a sheltered London garden, but obviously we don't know what kind of winter we'll get.
    'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
    - Cicero
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Thanks @LG_ - does "vigorous' here mean 'fast growing and gets large'. How do you prune yours? Does it get woody?
  • LG_LG_ Posts: 4,360
    Mine is not huge, but that's because it's really in an unsuitable growing environment. It's the height of the fence and about 8ft spread, but it got to that in its first season. A neighbour has one also growing against a fence, but in the ground, and I'd guess it covers a good 30ft. I tie mine in to the fence and don't particularly prune it, just trim off any dead bits (the ends of some stems do die off, but again that could be because it's in a trough). It flowers on and off throughout most of the year, with flushes in late spring and about now. I would grow it again.
    'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
    - Cicero
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    @pitter-patter
  • pitter-patterpitter-patter Posts: 2,429
    I share a solanum with my neighbour. It was here when we moved in so I’m not sure how old it is. It does look like a mature specimen. A third of it grows on my shed, a third is trained on the fence and trails on the other side almost to the ground and another third grows on our neighbour’s shed. It’s about 5 meters wide on both sheds combined and another 2 meters on the fence. 

    It is very vigorous and quite unruly. It doesn’t have a slimline profile. I cut it back whenever it interferes with the guttering or covers the window of the shed too much. The flowers are lovely and numerous, but not scented.

    I’m not planning to grow anything in that corner, so I quite like its romantic nature, but I wouldn’t want it anywhere else in the garden and I’m lucky enough that it spreads out in both gardens. 

    My plan is to add a sitting arbor against the fence and train it on that as well. 
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Many thanks for your thoughts, LG and PP.
  • LG_LG_ Posts: 4,360
    Are you going to get one, @Fire?
    'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
    - Cicero
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    I think it will end up being a PITA in my small garden - akin to a montana, which I have recently taken out. I am thinking of putting in a perola and it might suit that. It would have made a better choice than all sorts of other climbers I put in over the years. I'm not sure why I never thought of solanum album before. It ticks all sorts of boxes. But hey ho. We live and learn.

    Rather worryingly, I find myself making a plant list for my 'next garden'. 😶
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