What's looking exotic in July 2012

Apologies to PeterS for starting this, but I wanted to show this off!

It's a Vulystekeara orchid which was shoved out in the small courtyard by the back door on April 15th when I moved.................

 

Love it

 

Hello Gaz, the Dyckia is about to flower.


Aloe aristata, with Hedychium gardnerianum growing though it, OK I know its a strange combination.


And Gasteria flowering as well.

 

What do you do with them over the winter Pete?

 

Nothing, they stay put.
Its under the eves of the house so gets shelter from cold winds and rain, faces west.

The first pic is slightly different location and gets the occasional blanket thrown over on really cold nights.

 

Is sempervivium exotic?

I'm sure it is.

 

Can`t even manage to keep alive my aeonium zwartkop and dickia in the greenhouse and you even manage a gasteria outdoor , I`ve been really inspired by your pictures in the past and finally created my little cactus corner as well , finger cross for winter.
I always wish that could plant my barrel cactus outdoor and make a protection for winter but really don`t know how much I want to risk.
vodoo lily have now become leaves , including the baby bulbs.

inside the greenhouse something has come out.

and my flax variegata is about to flower at 6 feet high ; )

 

My Beschornia yuccoids is blooming..................




I'll get better photos if it ever stops raining!

 

my Beschornia yuccoids , turned to mesh last year , moved to a dry position and finally is shooting new leaves , been looking for one of them for months and now are available even at b&q or homebase ....really nice flower.

 

LongK - thanks for starting this thread. I am hoping it might be a regular for showing off exotic beauties, but also just a general chit-chat on subjects that might not warrant a thread of their own. I find I learn so much often from casual throwaway remarks about offsets, winter proctection and feeding etc.

Pete and Longk. Those are totally new to me - I presume they are hopeing for a bit of heat.

Sal - I have only just started to grow some Arisaema - I love those attractive stems.


Cestrum parqui grown from seed last year. However its not as impressive as some other members of the Solanaceae family.


Duranta erecta, which is rather sweet. I read that if it is warm enough it could flower almost all year round. Fat chance.

 

They are both new to me Peter.

Sal, the Aeonium zwartkop, did not overwinter outside, but all the others did.

 

PeterS , they are terrific easy a fully hardy , but kept mine in the greenhouse ......strange i dug them last year didn`t found any baby bulbs , but they had lots of seeds on it , them last may i found 3 more baby bulbs , but at the moment i count a total of 10 ......didn`t get it at all , i think they are multiply by seeds .this is a picture of the leaves.

and this is how they looked in May

and by October they will change again ...a seed flower will come out again.

 

Sal which Colocasia (new leaf) is it?

 

Strongylodon , they are not colocasia , but Sauromatum guttatum , also called vodoo lily , despite the rain all my colocasia are not doing good at all , some of them have rotten .
I have to admit that Sauromatum guttatum is just one of them plant that don`t care ....perform in any weather and soil and no insect dare to get closer.
This is how they look at the end of the season.


and this is how you overwinter them .

 

Plumbago capensis - nice "Darker Blue" than the normal more washed out one (from Jungle Plants)



and Passion Flower "Incense" - the first of my "I'm not growing that boring bog standard one any more" varieties!