What’s the secret with Incarvillea lutea?

[MartinNicklin]

My neighbour had some lovely Incarvilleas so I suggested to him that he might like the much rarer species lutea with its unusual yellow flowers.
It’s much harder to get but one seller had three left so he bought them all and gave one to me. This is its fourth year and so far not a hint of a flower despite the fact that it is supposedly robust and easily grown in a pot.
In my smallish garden every plant has to earn its place and I’m running out of patience with this one. Does anyone grow it and can give some tips regarding its ideal growing environment?

[Chad]

A nice plant and new to me.

Looking it up it seems to grow to 2M, so would probably like a larger pot.

I think you need to make the one and a half hour trip to BHGS and buy some nice peat based compost.

Their Cornish arm, Monro is happy to sell me bags of compost a few at a time, but if travelling a distance you should fill the car.  A few  big bags of perlite and a few bags of several different composts to choose the one you like.  

Monro have a table out with dishes of each of the composts so you can get a 'feel' for what each one is.  A big bag of Osmocote is expensive, but cheaper than buying lots of little ones. 

I'm currently working through some 'retail' compost [not from Monro] that is peat free.  I'm mixing it 50:50 with peat to make it work!

Chad

ps. The RHS Dictionary of Gardening says I.lutea 'is shy of blooming'; which, on reflection, might be why it isn't often grown.

[MartinNicklin]

Thank you Chad. I actually bought a big bag of peat and have been mixing it with other composts, grits, perlite and top soil, so far with good results. I’m reluctant to use just one stand alone compost now because I simply don’t trust them and I’ve lost too many plants. It’s sad that we still are being sold poor quality material. A local nursery I go to has no faith in the composts generally available to the public, slamming them as “rubbish”. What they use is wonderful stuff and plants grow amazingly in it but when I asked they said it is only available in the trade. So they sell you their lovely plants, all growing well, sell you the compost to pot them up in and … you lose the plant!

Reading what you report from RHS information, I don’t know whether to persist with the plant and view it as a challenge (because the limited photos of it I have seen show a very attractive looking plant possibly worthy of a bit of effort) or just dump it because it is unlikely to produce the goods!

[Chad]

I'd ask your local nurseryman where he buys his compost. The 'wholesale' seller may well be happy to sell to you as an individual. And it could well be more local than BHGS.

Your local hydropoinics wholesaler sells some peat based composts...

Chad

[MartinNicklin]

Thanks Chad. There is one just down the road so I will make some enquiries. I still can’t get my head around why it’s not a simple matter to get decent compost and we have to go through all this rigmarole to avoid plant death!
PS Just seen this image on the net and it’s made me want to persevere with it: