WHAT'S LOOKING EXOTIC IN 2017

Impatiens Auricoma x Bicaudata

 

The first bloom of the season on my Canarina canariensis............
Canarina canariensis by longk48, on Flickr

Impatiens niamniamensis................
Impatiens niamniamensis by longk48, on Flickr

Impatiens niamniamensis by longk48, on Flickr

 

Like the passion flowers pete....I will make a trip in a day or two to a gem of a nursery on the Lizard where a range of tender ones are available.

 

This one gets me down, its Alpinia zerumbet variegata, a ginger relative, dont think it is grown for it's flowers, mainly as a foliage plant.
Problem I have with it is it wont grow during summer.
It's just started making new leaves.


I must be losing my touch, only noticed this M. basjoo flower today.
A bit late in the season, I'm thinking, for it to open properly.



Getting a bit interested in these two Echiums, not expecting flowers next year, but nice looking rosettes, Think they could be E. wildpretii

 

Pete, you have me hooked on that alpinia zerumbit variegata. Does it spread? How hardy? So, no foliage in summer?

 

LongK - I love that Canarina - they are such neat looking flowers.

Pete - those are good looking Echiums - but I am simply amazed at you M. basjoo. I had no idea it would flower in this country - well done.


Isoplexis had just decided to flower - I am sure it should do this in early summer.


Bowiea volubis (Climbing Onion). This is a weird one that someone gave me a short while ago. There was no sign of any growth when I was given it but since it has produced this thin stem, which I gather can get very long and very curly.


Thunbergia coccinea. I only just noticed today that this has produced its first flowers. I am delighted as it was one of the plants that came back in my case 18 months ago from Madeira. The Thunbergia flowers hang down as a raceme, its foliage is the large leaves on the right, the smaller leaves behind the raceme are Hoya.

 

Well yes it has foliage in summer but no new foliage forms.
I'm not sure how hardy, but my guess would be it needs to be frost free or warmer, other wise it would never make new leaves.
If you google it, you will find it forms very large clumps in places like Florida, my guess is that growth works on day length and anything over 12 hours of daylight seems to stop it growing.

 

That's when mine used to bloom. Still, better late than never.

 

The Amicia zygomeris has decided to bloom.


The hot spell in late June/ early July, (when in flower), has meant that the Aesculus californica has actually produced some "buckeyes" this year, first time for a number of years.


And finally, my worst enemy, red spider mite.

 

@pete those blooms and plants are something else
I really love this thread - i would never get the opportunity to grow such exotics climate and time being the top issues- im away from home too much to dedicate to such amazing plants and me poor housesitters got enuf on their plate ... so once again sharing

 

I think that is the first time that I've seen ine blooming

Bar stewards! I'm trying to work out if that is indoors or not?

 

It's inside, dont see them so well these days, eyes not what they were, and when I sprayed one of the Papaya seedlings with water it showed up the webbing so well.
It's a bit far gone, but hope to turn it around.

 

If there's no frost predicted in the near future I'd be putting it outdoors for as long as I could. It's cool enough to slow the RSM breeding allowing some form of extermination. The mites will impair the plants growth anyway so a bit of cool won't make much difference.

 

Impatiens flanaganae


The above has just come into flower having been planted last year and overwintered under a mulch of leaf mould.
Zanthoxylum laetum

This was a surprise as I had no information on what the flowers were like. As you can see straight out the stem like Fuchsia excortica. It is one of the spiniest plants I have come across. The foliage is described as aromatic but if a leaf is crushed it becomes more like headache inducing aroma. It's a relative of the Sichuan pepper.