About

This bushy annual, vegetable and a long-established variety, which will reach 1m. It has green leaves and purple flowers, which develop into a crop of large egg-shaped purple-black fruits.

About the genus

Solanum can be annuals, perennials, evergreen or deciduous shrubs or twining climbers, with simple or pinnnately lobed leaves and star- or bowl-shaped, 5-lobed flowers with prominent stamens, followed by fleshy fruits

Growing conditions

SunlightFull sun
Soil typeChalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil pHAcid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil moistureMoist but well-drained
AspectEast-facing, North-facing, South-facing, West-facing
ExposureSheltered
UK hardinessH1C

Plant details

Plant typeFruit Edible, Conservatory Greenhouse
HabitBushy
FoliageEvergreen
Height0.5-1 metres
Spread0.5-1 metres
Time to full height1 year
Suggested usesMixed borders, hedging, foundation planting.

Care notes

CultivationGrow in fertile, moisture-retentive soil in good light. Can grow outside in summer. For more advice see aubergine cultivation
PruningPruning group 1
PropagationPropagate by seed. See sowing vegetable seeds or sowing seeds indoors for further advice
Pest resistanceMay be susceptible to aphids, glasshouse whitefly, glasshouse red spider mite and two-spotted mite
Disease resistanceMay be susceptible to honey fungus (rarely)