*** Growing near Houston, TX: sub tropical zone 9a. Mild winters, hot, extremely humid summers that last half the year. ***
Purchased Mar 2011 Chamblee. Ended the year about 2x1, flowered fairly well, no major disease problems.
June 2012- Six feet tall and very skinny- needs support to stand up straight. Flowers almost continuously, even through months of 95+. My D.C. may even have a sport, as one cane near the bottom only blooms striped flowers. Took a cutting in June and it rooted immediately.
August 2012- Chilli Thrips have hit this plant hard and it was the worst infested in my garden. I cut it back to five feet at first, and then later to four feet before new leaves began to emerge clean again. The possible sport branch has been decimated from what I can tell. The cutting though is fine.
June 2013- Blackspot problems this cool spring, but it has been all over the garden. Plant is a little over five feet tall and just about four feet around. I didn't really expect this one to get so big, and it's in an awkward space. My (possible) sport cutting has grown quite a lot this year, and I've pinched off six buds so far. It REALLY wants to bloom. Plant is only about 6in x 8in so I think it needs to grow more first. 6/18/13- After pinching another 4 buds, I finally let one develop. Definitely striped!
September 2013- Death due to chilli thrips. This one is insanely susceptible to damage. The sport cutting lives on.
Striped Sport...
September 2014- Sport plant is in the garden, about 3x3. Did not like being sprayed with conserve to prevent chilli thrip infestation, and foliage turned pretty ugly. Currently trying to revert. :/
4/9/2015- Has started to bloom this week its pretty little striped flowers. Foliage does NOT appreciate being sprayed with anything ever.
