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Callisia 'Turtle'

inch plant 'Turtle'

A tender evergreen perennial grown as a houseplant, with a trailing habit, forming mats of branching purplish stems that root at the nodes, with densely packed, slightly fleshy, pointed green leaves to 4cm long, purple beneath. Clusters of tiny white flowers are borne in the leaf axils of ascending stems in late spring and early summer. Image shows Callisia Turtle Eden Elegance

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Ultimate height

Up to 10cm

Time to ultimate height

2–5 years

Ultimate spread

0.5–1 metres

Loam

Moisture

Well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full shade
Partial shade

Aspect

East–facing or North–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

H1B

Botanical details

Family: Commelinaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Matforming, Trailing
Genus: Callisia are trailing or bushy evergreen perennials with slightly fleshy stems and leaves, and small, 3-petalled white or pink flowers
Name status: Unresolved

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in a hanging basket or container as a houseplant or conservatory plant, in in two parts peat-free John Innes No 2 and one part grit, in bright filtered light. Water freely from spring to summer and apply a liquid fertiliser monthly. Water to keep just moist in winter. Can be grown outdoors where temperatures do not fall below 10°C in winter. See houseplant cultivation for further advice

Propagation

Propagate by softwood cuttings, by root cuttings, removing 6-7cm of the root tip in spring, or by division, removing rooted offsets. To produce dense coverage, pot up several cuttings in an 8cm container

Suggested planting locations and garden types

hanging basket
Houseplants
Patio and container plants
Sub-tropical
Conservatory and greenhouse

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

Generally disease-free

Get involved

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