A CHINESE VEGETABLE POTPOURRI - Growing Chinese Vegetables in Your Own Backyard - page 117

Appearance
Aubergine is a lovely plant in flower, even prettier when loaded with fruit. The compact
plants grow 1½ to 2 feet and are interestingly shaped. Eggplant flowers are lavender,
but the Asian varieties tend to have flowers of a much deeper hue. According to variety,
eggplants are various shades of purple, brown, green, cream, snow white, gray, or
striped. The shapes vary from almost round to narrow and elongated like a zucchini.
They are beautifully glossy and very decorative.
How to Grow
Getting started. Eggplants are long-season, warm-weather vegetables. Although you
can successfully sow seeds directly in the ground if your growing season is long
enough, you may want to start seeds indoors.