(http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l309/tig69_2006/DSCN3187.jpg)
hi. i got this plant during the summer and dont know its name ???, i believe its from chile though. its got spiky leaves which have started to turn red coming into autumn. it also produced a lovely light blue flower in its centre. the seller told me it can grow with almost no soil at all , he was growing one in a piece of tree trunk. anyway , as we are expecting some frost ive got a little nervous about leaving it outside even though the seller also told me it was hardy . any thoughts most wwelcome. much thanks.
It is Fascicularia bicolor. See here for more details http://www.nccpg.com/gloucestershire/plantweek21e.html
thanks palustris , that is exactly it, think ill take it into the greenhouse as i live well upnorth .thanks again . :)
If it's from Chile, it may well need to be kept dry, at least in winter.
thanks robert , i have it in a pot so i was thinking of taking it into the greenhouse, then again maybe ill cover it with some glass or something ???? decisions decisions
???
It survives outside at Bodnant on the North Wales coast, but they are fairly mild. There is a question about this plant on the Alpine Garden Society website too. From my reading it is probably water which would be a problem to it over winter rather than pure frost. We have a fair number of 'tender' plants which survive when kept dry and succumb to cold when wet.