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| Category: Shrub |
| Family: Pittosporaceae (Pittosporums) |
| Origin: Australia (Australasia) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: Blue |
| Bloomtime: Summer |
| Synonyms: [Sollya fusiformis, Billardiera heterophylla] |
| Height: 3-5 feet |
| Width: 3-5 feet |
| Exposure: Cool Sun/Light Shade |
| Seaside: Yes |
| Summer Dry: Yes |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Medium Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 20-25° F |
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Sollya heterophylla (Australian Bluebell Creeper) - A climbing, evergreen shrub that will grow 3 feet as a shrub, but with support it will reach 6 feet tall or higher. The nodding bright blue bell-shaped flowers bloom in the summer. Plant in sun (along coast) or part shade and water occasionally - it is drought tolerant once established but looks best with regular irrigation. Older plants hardy below 25° F but young plants are more frost tender. Shows promise in first exposure beach plantings and grows well under Eucalyptus trees but is intolerant of overly wet slow draining soils and can reseed in the garden. This species is native to the southwestern corner of Western Australia where it grows in open forests and woodlands. The name Sollya honors Richard Solly a 18-19th century British botanist and the specific epithet is from the latin word 'hetero' meaning "other" or "different" and 'phylla' meanin "leaf" in reference to the plant having differently shaped leaves. Recent treatment has now placed it in the genus Billardiera, named for the French botanist Jacques-Julien Houton de Labillardière but we continue to list it as Sollya until such time as this name gets wider general acceptance. This species received the coveted Royal Horticultural Societies Award of Garden Merit in 1993 and we have been growing this great landscape plant since 1981.
The information on this page is based on the research that we have conducted about this plant in the San Marcos Growers library, from what we have found on reliable online sources, as well as from observations made of our crops of this plant growing in the nursery and of plants growing in the nursery's garden and those in other gardens where we may have observed it. We also have incorporated comments received from others and welcome getting feedback from those who may have additional information, particularly if this information includes cultural information that would aid others in growing Sollya heterophylla. |
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