"Oh my god - what's that"

on my wishlist (a newer Huechera called magnum with huge leaves)
http://www.pioneergardens.com/images/Heuchera 'Magnum' 040510.pdf





----------------------
and .... Hydrangea Everlasting TM ‘Amethyst’

 

and ... for a larger garden:

gold rush redwood (yellow in spring and summer and orange in fall):


and a closeup of the foilage:

 

Peter...overall we can name plants for hours , but I personally think that if you want the omgwt effect , you should work more on the detail and the structure of the garden , something unique ....
I`ve seen the black bamboo 5 years ago and I had the omgwt effect , but now everybody got some.....all the rare plants one day will be common plants all the strange flower will not last longer then a months ....what you need is a unique garden shape ......look ot those.







or look at this one simple line simple plant ...but still have the wow factor.

 

Sal - very good point. I really love that tree house in the second picture.

I was Googling Hibiscus schizopetalus, that was mentioned by LongK, as I have really fancied it since I saw a picture in a book. And I came across this source of seeds for many exotic plants. Rare exotic tropical plants and seeds

 

agree fully, however, you don't need to erect special structures ....

a good garden is a combination of colours and textures and leaf forms that bloom at the same times and contrast each other ...

and that fill a space and make it a focal point for most of the year

it boils down to effective 'space management' .... get that right and you will have a decent garden for most of the year

 

H. schizopetalus.............

..........is my favourite Hibiscus.

I had no idea that they did seeds PeterS!
Two standouts are Aristolochia ringens (Fiche) and Copernicia macroglossa (Fiche)

 

Yes - there are some lovely plants there LongK. The problem is that a lot of them say a minimum of 17C over winter, though I am sure many would survive with less.

Sadly they didn't have seeds for H. schizopetalus. And that raises another key feature of the OMG plants - that is knowing where to get seeds. I don't mind the cost of seeds even if sometimes they don't germinate, but I am reluctant to pay £25 for a plant that may well not survive the winter.

 

I know I'm biased cos I love Rhododendrons, but how about one of the large leaved varieties?

Unusual and stunningly beautiful with leaves up to 35cm long, with either silver or brown indumentum on the underside



I've got Rhododendrons praestans and rothschildii which I bought last year and which are in planters - hoping they will flower this year.

praestans





rothschildii

 

Peter sometime the best place to get some rare seeds is EBAY , another option is to pay a visit to grug farm ( Crûg Farm Nursery - Home) they have all the new frost hardy introduction , but expect to pay lots of money for them.
Another good one is Amulree (Amulree Exotics | Tropical Garden Plants, Exotic Plants and Wholesale Plants) .
As much as you we are all looking for somethink never grown or seen before , but the problem is winter , many nice plants will die even indoor unless you keep a constant temperature . I still belive that you should look your omgwt , from the details of your garden with a combination of nice plants of course.
look at those simple plants and tell me that you don`t have the omgwt fact.

 

PeterS - half the battle and fun!

I'll ask an on-line "buddy" in So Cal to keep his eyes open for H. schizopetalus seeds for me. He sent me seeds from his Deppea splendens which germinated - however my Dad killed them whilst I was on holiday:gaagh::gaagh:

Mucana is a poor mans Strongylodon...........
Schling & Kletterpflanzen, M
Not sure about your growing facilities though, but the seeds there are cheap enough. It is one of those that does have a short shelf life though.

For my money, the Puya has the best OMG to availabilty ratio, but is very much a long term project. And T.mysorensis is pretty available too.

Lacking the ultimate OMG factor, I can share cuttings come the summer of;
Tibouchina urvilleana............


..........and Clerodendrum ugandense

 

Wow Keith , you really now your plants I`ve just looked at the s&k cataloque , didn`t even know that there is a red jade vine , love it.
follow this link .Extremely rare Deppea splendens! - Extinct? - Must see | eBay

 

Without clicking the link I can safely say that is StrangeWonderfulThings Sal!

More Deppea seeds coming from this years blooms - my Dad will be nowhere near them!

The Mucana (Red Jade Vine) is theoretically doable in a warm conservatory. What has put me off is the fact that it is reputed to hate pruning.

 

if you had to suggest a cold hardy climber with the omgwt factor what would you suggest?
the mucana would deftnely have that , but no frost hardy variety out there.

 

Crikey - you don't want much

I personally dislike most Clematis but this one at OBG was rather spectacular, although OMG material I'm not sure.............


This is the link to my favourite climbers that I grow and have flowered
http://gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/members/longk-albums-my-climbing-plants.html

The Gloriosa is not hardy, but grows well in pots and is easy to care for.
People were drawn to the blue Sweet pea.
The Canary Creeper (Tropaeolum peregrinum) is a fast growing and easy annual. One of my favourites, but a bit of a pest magnet.
The Purple Bell Vine is hardy in a frost free greenhouse and grows well in pots.

I have three Vigna caracalla that should flower this year - I will leave one in the ground heavily mulched to see how it goes. That has a certain OMG factor.

I also have a Tropaeolum speciosum seedling - these are said to be hardy in the right spot.

Aconitum hemsleyanum should be hardy (I've just sown seeds for this) and again has a certain OMG about it.

 

Longk - you certainly have some lovely and unusual stuff. Have you ever bought from "Strange Wonderful Things". I think his photos are superb.

There is almost an argument for different people to grow different things and then swap, rather than trying to grow everything yourself. Also an argument for swapping half used packets of seed once you have got a few seeds to germinate. I usually sow only half a packet - so as to leave some spares. I am certainly up for any swaps.

LongK - how are you proposing to take cuttings of your Clerodendron. Its lovely and seems quite easy to overwinter. Mine is looking healthy on my kitchen windowsill, as compared to a Bourgainvillea next to it which is down to its last 5 leaves.