Thanks mellielong! I sometimes just go to Hollie's to walk around and dream.

Hi plantnerd, and welcome to ATP.

I've been trying to root cuttings of my Swallowtail plant in both water and in perlite/water. So far none of them have worked.

It might be something to do with the time of year, day of the week, phase of the moon . . (just kidding). It seems to be a sort of leggy, sprawling plant and responds well to being pruned anyway, so I'm going to keep trying.

The other thing to try is "layering". In other words, just pin a stem down into a pot of soil, with a leaf node on the soil. Sometimes they will take root doing this. My begonias do, but then begonias are pretty easy to root.

Thanks Elaine, I have some cuttings in water at the moment and some in soil. Here's hoping! I did go to the nursery where I first saw them and the lady there said she puts them in the ground and they volunteer very easily.

Wonderful, I'm going to try that! I'd love to have more of these plants to spread around that pretty foliage.

I almost choked -- about a week ago I found a couple on a clearance rack at my local Wal-Mart. They absolutely did not have these plants on sale anywhere before this !! I'm still wondering where they came from and no-one could tell me. Actually, there were three plants and in large pots; but one looked a little bedraggled. I bought one and thought I'd leave the other for another lover of plants.
I was back in Wal-Mart two days ago (not really my favorite store, but it is close by and I was looking for some Halloween things) and those two remaining Swallowtail plants were still there. So, I bought the other nice one. They are looking great. I will definitely have to try and propagate. So they were 1/2 price and cost just under six dollars. I will take a picture tomorrow.

So glad you found some!

Here a picture of my bargain Swallowtail plants. Some of the leaves have brown, dried edges but they been on a clearance rack for a while. I'm hoping I have the right location for them. Thee seems to be quite a bit of new growth.

I bought a Swallow tail Plant last year from Walmart. Enjoyed it thoroughly all season. Never received so many compliments about a plant like I did with this one. Where can I order/buy one this year?

Hi Calypso1,

I don't see the Swallowtail Plants for sale anywhere very often and if I ever see another I know I will buy it ... even though I can never seem to keep them alive for very long ... they are just so pretty!

I just noticed that you live in Sebastian! My husband and I just relocated from Daytona Beach to Sebastian on May 1st. and we love the area!

I haven't seen any at the big box stores yet this year, either. I think that's all we can do is just keep our eyes open for them.

Mine didn't last very long last year either. They must be special needs plants, do you think?

I do think they must be very special needs plants and so far I haven't been able to figure out what their exact needs are.

Information regarding the Swallowtail plant is very spotty and confusing. I've tried growing them at least a half dozen times over the years, with no luck. The first time I ever saw one was at a nursery when I was visiting my sister in North Georgia. They had only one really large, beautiful Christia obcordata and it had already been sold! The nursery lady there told me that the plant grew in full shade. A couple of years later when I saw them at a local garden center, I just had to buy one and I brought it home and placed it in a bright, shady location and within 3 weeks it died. A couple of years later, I read something stating that it needs a few hours of morning sun to survive; which sure isn't correct in Florida because the next time I saw one for sale I purchased it and placed it in an area where it got only a couple of hours of morning sun and within hours, it fried and the foliage looked really pitiful. I moved the pot to the screened porch but the poor plant never recovered.

I've since been told that the Swallowtail plant likes a lot of water, which could be an issue under my care since I tend to buy plants and put them somewhere and then forget to water them. I also read that they go dormant during cooler months and return when the weather warms. That would surely not work for me since I forget what's-what and end up dumping pots, thinking that whatever was in there has died.

If I ever see a Swallowtail Plant for sale again, I know that I will buy one if it's not too costly. Even if it's a short-lived plant, I still love those leaves!!

Your experiences with it sound a lot like mine. I tried a lot of different things, including a little bit of sun which luckily only burned a small section of the plant before I rescued it. Finally set it out in a shady spot in my jungle, and it limped along until well into December. Disappeared again, and has not re-appeared even though I gave the pot a little sprinkle of fert and lots of water after the weather warmed. That pot is still sitting out there . . .

I also tried starting another plant from cuttings but had no luck whatsoever. Somebody must know how to grow these things because you sure do see nice big ones in the stores when they appear.

Duncheon's Nursery in Land O'Lakes (Pasco County) just posted a bunch of photos on Facebook of plants they have, and this was one of them. Maybe this is their time of year, or a shipment has gone out? Just wanted to tell everyone if you want one, this may be a good time to look around. I'm sure the suppliers send these to lots of places!

Hello.....was looking for info on the Swallowtail (Butterfly leafs) plant.....Mine seems to look awefully leggy...Didn't find any info on looks of plant after awhile...did see that it roots easily when just stuck in soil but won't root if put in water. Is this a rather open and airy plant or will it get more bush with tipping it??? Thanks for ideas....

Hi, yes these grow somewhat airy and leggy in style. Mine had to grow in the shade in my Florida garden. I thought more light might make it more bushy, but the leaves burned in the sun. (we have very strong sun)

plantladylin said:I rarely see Christia obcordata for sale anywhere and I bet Hollie's Farm & Garden over there by you does have it since they've posted that video on their FB page!

They told me there had been a crop failure the past few years and this year is the first year that they have enough to ship widely