Nolana paradoxa seeds

Nolana paradoxa is a non-hardy perennial plant, grown as an annual in our latitudes. It has a low, creeping habit, creating a colourful and flowery carpet in summer with small funnel-shaped blue flowers with a contrasting yellow and white centre. Its almond-green slightly succulent foliage covers flexible stems that generously spread in rockeries, planters, or hanging baskets. It thrives in full sun, in ordinary soil, even if occasionally dry.

Nolana paradoxa has several botanical synonyms: Sorema acuminata, Nolana atriplicifolia, Nolana acuminata, Nolana rupicola. It belongs to the solanaceae family. It is a frost-sensitive perennial plant, native to South America, Chile, and Peru. It is a small creeping plant, reaching up to 20 cm in height and 60 cm in spread, with alternate slightly succulent leaves in a beautiful almond green. It is grown as an annual in colder climates due to its lack of frost resistance, although it is perennial in a greenhouse. Its trumpet-shaped flowers bloom abundantly throughout the summer, from June to September-October. They are bright blue, with a vivid yellow throat surrounded by a white circle. Each flower has a five-lobed calyx, a widely flared funnel-shaped corolla, and five stamens. The succulent creeping stems are covered with small, pointed, fleshy leaves, a characteristic adaptation to dry conditions.

Easy to grow and requiring minimal maintenance, nolanas offer prolonged flowering, are easy to cultivate from seeds, and tolerate drought. Nolana paradoxa makes an ideal ground cover for dry areas, rockeries, or walls. It is perfect for creating lovely borders in a raised bed, in combination with plants like Nepeta cataria, Artemisia schmidtiana 'Nana', Delosperma cooperii, Thymus serpyllum, or Lippia nodiflora. It also adapts very well to planters and hanging baskets.