"Oh my god - what's that"

I am looking for some help on this one. There is a carefully guarded group of plants that go under this heading. These are the plants that any gardener or even non gardener will go straight towards and say "Oh my god - what's that". I am trying to find some of these to grow, and hope you can help.

They will be unusual to all but the most keen gardeners - ie not seen in the neighbour's gardens, and striking in some way in terms of either foliage or flowers. They don't even have to be beautiful. But if they are ugly, they have to be show stopping ugly. :D They will generally be tender and require winter protection. If they weren't tender everyone would be growing them.

I am looking for suggestions of what would qualify for an OMGWT award that you would recommend to others to grow.

Three ones well known to GC members, that I would recommend, are Canna tuerckheimii also known as C. altensteinii. This is a really big and impressive Canna - possibly getting up to 6 or 8 feet in its first year.

A range of Echiums. E. pininiana is the most dramatic - but there are others.

Then Brugmansia. This has an amazing rate of growth (up to 8 feet in its first year from seed) with huge flowers and a fabulous scent. There are also its close relatives Datura and Iochroma.

Any other suggestions, The plants don't have to be that big but just have to evoke the right response.

 

How about Saracenia

I have a photo on my album the flower looks like a flying saucer

Spruce

 

Yeah, probably can think of some.
I had a omgwt experience a few weeks ago when I walked into a garden and saw a lovely specimen of Dasylirion, not sure which one.

The californian tree poppy, Romneya coulterii is great and should be used more often.

Cornus controversa variegata, the wedding cake tree should also be more widely used.

Sequoiadendron giganteum pendulum is a bit of a weird one.

 

Gunnera manicata.... End of discussion :D

Gunnera manicata - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

I would suggest
Amorphophallus Rivieri
calla hercules or giant calla
Giant Thai colocasia
plate hibiscus
opuntia and frost hardy cactus (still impressive to see cactus in uk)
dutchman pipe (impressive flower)
musa banana (they still impress peoples)
tetrapanax rex (still got the wow factor)
hardy lotus flower
papirus
gunnera manicata.
or looking for hardy tropical , giant leaves and huge flower.

 

I'm growing this for the first time Peter, 3 good size plants doing really well so fingers crossed for flowers this summer :D
MICHAUXIA TCHIHATCHEFFII SEEDS

 

Of the plants that I've grown, My Tacca chantrieri walks it! Honourable mentions based on the reaction of others go to the Lathyrus sativus azureus, Digitalis lanata, Arisaema costatum and Diplarrena moraea.

Of the plants that I wish I could grow, Strongylodon macrobotrys is the clear winner!

 

there are loads, herewith a few that I like

Gunnera the giant one

T-Rex

Rinicus (the red one)

the very large leaved hostas (especially the yellow leaved ones)

ostrich fern when fully grown (up to 2m tall)

a clump of very tall bamboo
Acanthus mollis

Acer palmatum 'Bloodgood'

Araucaria araucana

Arundo donax

Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple' when in full bloom

Dasylirion acrotrichum

Dicksonia antarctica when large

Euonymus fortunei 'Kewensis'

Melianthus major

Passiflora caerulea

Paulownia tomentosa

Rheum tangutica

Rodgersia aesculifolia

Trochodendron aralioides

Yucca rostrata

 

I've bought my Mother in Law a one-way ticket, she should be at your local station in a couple of hours :D

 

Its a cracking question. Looking forward to the debate.

Exotic is the obvious answer. Monster big leaves, and things that are not seen just anywhere, although quite a lot of people are doing it. As you say: tender plants - so make sure you have some over-wintering plans in place.

Not sure about Gunnera - massive yes, but I think well enough known that people will say "Great Gunnera" rather than the desired "WTF is THAT? !!"

For Exotic you would probably have a range of Bananas but of those I think that Ensete montbeliardii (or maurelii even) is probably the most impressive. You'll need to dig him up [for the winter], but you can chop all (I mean ALL!) his roots and leaves off, stick him in a pot with NO soil, and leave him in a frost-free attic or garage for the Winter. In 3 years he will be massive. Lovely purple foliage too, but needs to be sheltered otherwise the leaves "shred". Probably your only good source is Jungle Plants, and they ain't exactly cheap. long thread showing development over 3 years or so which you could flick through to see time-lapse photos [here]







Tetrapanax Rex has some big leaves, and I don't think folk would know what that was. Fatsias similarly, I rather like Spiders Web planted intermingled with a plain one



Not sure about Echiums. I think you are going to have the devil's own job getting them to flower. 3 years probably, and they really need to be out for their final Winter (and you probably only have a 25% chance of them making it through). Would Foxtail Lillies do instead? (Although all the mailorder spam catalogues flog them, so they may not be "unusual" enough?)





or Eucomis (Pineapple Lily) perhaps, although only a couple of feet tall, probably too pathetic!

Some trees that your stool to only allow a single stem and get big leaves? Paulownia tomentosa and probably Catalpa bignoides (Aurea perhaps?). 3 years to get a decent stool perhaps?

Ricinus Zanzibarensis is an annual, so you'll get the leaves in one season (drop me a PM I have some spare seeds), or Jungle Seeds have some New Zealand Purple ones



Amorphophallus Rivieri would be a hoot planted right next to the footpath - should keep the locals away! Anglia Bulbs have them (and some other interesting bulbs). I've spoken to them on the phone, most helpful and their stuff sounds good quality (my order not yet due to arrive)

If enough moisture then Cyperus papyrus as sal73 suggested (which you can grow from see :thumb: JungleSeeds again - and they have pitcher plant seeds too)



and things like Colocasia or Alocasia - again Jungle Plants has some good ones





You might find that Amulree and Urban Jungle (both Norfolk) still have winter sales on, and there is Akamba "up north", although I think its on the wrong side of the Pennines for you.

And you have GOT to grow some chillies to give to your visitors when they leave if you want to see the look on people's faces :D

 

It's gonna be hard to top those chillies!

Along the lines of the Amorphus, my Dracunculus vulgaris are now poking through and I'm hopeful of getting a couple of OMG's with these!

 

I reckon they look nice (nicer even) stooled to get strong growing stems and leaves - but no flowers then. But 'tis only my opinion

"Passiflora caerulea" I would choose a poncier Passion flower - although the bog standard caerulea is probably the most hardy.

 

Passiflora caerulea is probably too common...........

This elicited a few gasps in Sues garden last year - Passiflora antioquensis.


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My personal favourite is P.quadrangularis............

Passiflora Quadrangularis by longk48, on Flickr

..........which is huge in both blooms and fruits.

 

The Passiflora Quandrangularis certainly made me go OMG longk, stunning