Most of my experience with growing Lapageria rosea is based on container cultivation at my home in Napa, California. Some of the following recommendations may be specific to my situation but, for the most part, I think this information will be useful in cultivating the plant in a variety of situations.

All of my plants (with the exception of one plant) are grown in clay flowerpots along the southwestern side of my house, against a stucco wall. They are shaded during the summer by a very large sycamore tree and receive very good indirect morning light and strong, dappled sunlight during the afternoon. This is more sunlight than generally recommended for Lapageria; however, they do not burn and produce strong, hard growth. My only caveat would be to try to maintain cool temperatures around the roots. However, my plants have seen 100+ degrees with no ill effect. New growth will wilt at this temperature in full sunlight, but it quickly recovers when the sun goes down or the temperature drops. I will hose my plants off in hot weather if I'm home, but this is probably not really necessary.

My compost is a commercial soilless mix (I try to buy an organic acid mix), which I usually amend with some fine redwood bark (seedling orchid grade) and perlite (though I don't like the way the perlite rises to the surface). I usually add spent mix from my pleoine collection (which is composed of orchid bark, sieved long-fiber sphagnum, perlite, beech leaves, charcoal, and peat moss) as a method of both getting rid of it and keeping the Lapageria compost from becoming too tight. I add Osmacote and fresh pig manure (which appears to be very mild in the case of potbellied pigs!). The spent pleoine mix might contain some bone meal as well, if any remains after a season.

All of my plants are in clay pots, with a piece of screen placed over the drainage hole to discourage slugs. The plants still manage to push roots out through this and I continually shift the pots to keep them from rooting into the ground. Most of the root system moves to the bottom third of the pot, with very little surface activity. I repot irregularly, and have moved both dormant and actively growing plants. DO NOT REMOVE OLD SOIL FROM THE PLANT AND TAKE EVERY PRECAUTION TO LEAVE THE ROOT BALL UNDISTURBED!!! I have received bare-rooted plants which took up to a year to settle down. Plant deeper (as with a clematis) rather than shallower and the plant has a tendency to rise up out of the pot. Also, be very careful of new growth, which is quite brittle, and which tends to emerge along the rim of the pot (just where your pick the pot up). If a growth snaps off, resist the temptation to "tidy it up" by cutting it off. It could very well re-sprout, either from the base or further along the emerging stem. Stems also wither and die off for no apparent reason.

I tend to overfeed, but my plants look all the better for it. I use a half-strength formula and feed once a week in summer. I use a variety of foods, including Miracle Grow, Maxicrop, and fish emulsion. However, I try to stay on the acid side. I also used iron chelate as Lapagerias have a tendency toward chlorosis. Foliar feeding is highly recommended (I use the same dilution, plus a very small amount of soap if bugs are present). The one plant which I do not regularly foliar feed looks nowhere near as nice as those which are, even though it is growing in extremely rich soil. I decrease feeding around October, and feed only about twice a month (if I remember) in the winter. When strong new growth commences in late January, I begin to feed on a more regular basis. I think Lapagerias are extremely greedy feeders, and you can certainly push them to grow with food. As I mentioned in Compost, I add Osmacote and pig manure when I repot.

Pests