Calceolaria tomentosa | pocketbook plant

Regular price: $8.99
Regular price
Sale price: $8.99

Shipping calculated at checkout.

4" pot

order now for FALL 2025 shipping or pickup

Grown from seed in living soil without the use of pesticides, chemicals, or carbon fuels.

Calceolaria tomentosa is a little known semi-evergreen perennial that can be found scrambling up larger shrubs at high elevations in the Andes mountains.

This is the most floriferous plant we grow. The sweet little marshmallow peep-inspired blooms appeared in profusion at the end of June and are showing no signs of slowing down. They incredible neon yellow is hard to describe - a single bloom lights up the entire garden!

Growing note: Like many plants native to high elevations, Calceolaria tomentosa is intolerant of temperatures above 85 degrees. Fortunately, we have had great success growing this cutie through a very hot summer. Our day time temperatures regularly reach the high 90s, but our cool nights (mid to high 60s) seems to be enough to keep it happy.

Hudson Valley Gardeners: this plant is not hardy here. It can be grown as an annual, overwintered indoors (with some difficulty), or overwintered in a minimally heated greenhouse.

Zone: 9+(?)
Family: Calceolariaceae
Type: Tender Perennial
Height: 36 to 72 in.
Spread: climber
Exposure: filtered sun
Conditions: fertile, well-drained
Bloom Time: July through October
Native Range: the Chilean Andes

Special Characteristics

Evergreen
Tender

image credits

Dick Culbert from Gibsons, B.C., Canada,CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Ordering information

Preorders

You may place your order anytime to reserve plants for fall 2025 shipment. If you place multiple orders, we will combine plants into one box (or as many as needed) and any extra shipping charges will be refunded.

We will resume shipping plants as soon as temperatures cool in our location and yours.

We will check in with you a week before shipping to make sure you receive your plants at a time that is convenient for you.

Shipping

Live plants ship in spring and fall only. Plants may ship dormant, depending on variety and season. Shipping costs are most reasonable when bundling like size plants.

4-inch: 1-6 plants ship for $15.00 / 7-13 plants ship for $18.00 / 14-30 plants ship for $40.00
1-gal: 1-2 plants ship for $18.00 / 3-4 plants ship for $25.00 / 5-6 plants ship for $40.00
trees & shrubs: $27.00-$40.00 each, height dependent
seeds: $6.75 or free with orders over $15.00

We regret that we cannot ship internationally or to the following states: AK, AZ, CA, CO, FL, HI, ID, MT, NV, OR, UT, or WA.

Nursery pick up

Plants can be collected from the nursery Monday through Sunday from 10am-4pm in Spring, Summer, and Fall. We prefer 24 hour notice to get your order together and will email you when ready for collection.

Plant Sizes

We most commonly use the following pot sizes for perennials:

4-inch pot: 3.5" H x 3.5" W x 3.5" D
2-quart pot: 6" H x 5.25" W x 5.25" D
1-gallon pot: 6.87" H x 8" Dia (this is a true one gallon pot, not the smaller 'trade' one gallon pot used by many nurseries)

Check out our illustrated pot size guide here.

Representative trees & shrubs are photographed in their pots and posted on each plant page.

Sustainability

Sustainability is at the heart of what we do at The Old Dairy. We grow all of our plants outdoors without the use of chemicals, fertilizers, carbon fuels, or peat.

Many of our perennials are grown in the ground and dug upon order (this is especially true for larger sizes). This practice allows us to grow stronger, healthier plants using native soil, and ultimately reduces our impact on the environment.

Our open-pollinated seeds are collected from plants in our mother beds, which have never been treated with chemicals or sprays of any kind.

Read all about our sustainable practices here.