| I just bought a potato tree that is quite spindly and needs pruning. How far back should I prune it, and how do I get it fuller, with lots of flowers? |
| Solanum Rantonnetii 'Grandiflorum', the Blue Potato Bush, is probably what you're growing. It's sometimes classified as Lycianthes rantonnei, or Paraguay Nightshade. It's generally grown as a shrub but can be staked into a tree form. It's evergreen in mild winters, deciduous in colder areas. The bright green oval leaves are about 4" long and the plant is covered with violet blue, yellow-centered, one inch wide flowers throughout the warm months. You can prune the branches back by about one-third this winter, or very early next spring to encourage new flowering wood. |
