Lisianthus

These lovely Eustoma grandiflora are commonly known as Lisianthus or Prairie gentian. There are many different varieties but these dwarf Lisianthus will flower for several weeks in late spring/early summer with very little care. They can be enjoyed indoors on a windowsill or outdoors in a pot or border.

Outdoors you probably can allow the rain to do your watering but try to make sure the soil is kept damp in hot weather and that your Lisianthus does not sit in a puddle if it is very wet. If you are keeping your plant indoors, aim to keep the compost damp not dry or soggy.

These plants have recently been potted up so should have plenty of nutrients to keep them going for the first month. After that if you are keeping it in a pot, a general-purpose plant or houseplant food will keep them looking fresh and producing new flowers.

Problem Solving

Each individual flower is quite short lived but if you pinch out the spent flowers as they die off it will keep your plant looking tidy and encourage more blooms. If you have a nice, sunny or partially shady spot in the garden you might decide to plant it out but do be warned these are annual plants and we wouldn’t expect them to last more than one season.