What's looking exotic in May 2012

Just a few things that are catching me eye in the garden, Eurphorbia palustris,Pineapple Broom,T Rex make me smile everytime I see it.

 

Peter,
I tried a Melia few years ago and no, it wasn't hardy, very close but just didn't like those one or two nights we get every winter.
So these have been outside most of the winter but taken in during the coldest spells.
That was early Feb this last winter.

I'm thinking of planting one out this year and potting one on, I've run out of micro climates so its a case of full exposure.
Yes it grows very fast and would make a largish tree very quickly in the right climate.

 

Like the T rex Wayne

 

Love the coleus Kristen. Never had any luck with them.
I says on the packet for kids and beginners lol

 

Arisaema speciosum...............


The spathe and spadix are a little deformed - too much heat?

 

The seedlings are fiddly, and slow to get under way. Several things like that - Petunias, Lobellia ... all the ones I grow I wind up saying "Would be better to just buy plug plants of that" most years ...

The small fiddly things tend to need to be started off early, to have enough growing season to "bulk up" to be ready to plant out. That needs heat and light - I supplement the natural light using growing lamps in late Winter / early Spring, and that certainly makes a significant difference to the size of the plants.

 

Not really an exotic, but I reckon that they have an exotic look - Lotus berthelotii

 

This certainly looks exotic despite being as hardy as they come - Iris japonica..........


This is the first one to bloom properly before the slugs got it. They're small blooms of about 5cm, but by a long way my favourite Iris.

 

I'll be very interested to see how the Caladiums do this summer Kristen.

Lonk, not seeing your pics right now.

 

Me neither, but they were there earlier!! This server move is doing my head in

 

Had to re-upload three days worth of photos, but they're there now.

 

Hello all, I bought what I thought was common Iochroma Australis, but it's turned out to be the white variety. I'm not complaining, and now it's got me thinking of collecting the other types, doh! another obsession

 

Keith - I like your Arisaema speciosum. Mine is just showing three inches at the moment. But as I have never seen one (except for the enormous bulb/tuber) its a most exciting time. And in my book Lotus berthelotii is truly exotic - lovely.

Wayne - lovely Iochroma. I bought some seed for the blue I. australis a couple of years ago, which resulted in equal numbers of blue and white. So if you get any seed from your white one, you may well get some blue offspring.

 

I've been unable to get the yellow form this year........

Would that be the seeds that I now have? That means growing on all twelve plants that I have if so!

 

Yes LongK - if you have seeds of Iochroma australis, I suspect that you may have a mixture of white and blue. That was my experience with seeds from Chilterns - even though the packet said blue. I was initially disappointed when the first flower I saw was white, as I had really wanted the blue. But when the next plant to flower was blue - I was delighted. Two for the price of one.