Whats looking exotic in August 2014

Gingers coming out now, first flowers this year so might get some better ones a bit later.
H. gardnerianum.

H. "tara"

H. densiflorum

Plumbago doing its best in damp conditions.

 

Lovely gingers Pete. Is this early for them? I understood they were very late flowerers.

H. gardnerianum really is very tall. I have three at 7 or 8 feet - but no flowers yet.

 

does it smell divine - the flowers Pete? I remember them in Wanchai street market in Hong Kong. A lovely perfume,
Jenny

 

Almost there - Caiophora hibiscifolia..................

 

Great shot Keith - love that twisting stem,
Jenny

 

The gingers are a bit earlier this year, well H. gardnerianum is, Tara And Densflorum are probably on time.
Peter, not grown them under glass all summer, which I assume you are doing, I have gardnerianum growing outside all year, and its just budding up, but only about 30ins high.
The clump has at least 11 flowers coming this year.

@Jenny namaste, of those three only gardnerianum is scented.

 

Well spotted!

 

Caiophora hibiscifolia - really nice LongK.

Brilliant.

I had my gingers inside over the winter where they continued to grow, which probably explains the height. But when the weather warmed up I put them outside due to lack of space, and have only recently bought one inside into the warmth. This is probably why they have the height, but why the flowering is behind yours.

I also had another problem. The rhizomes have been growing so strongly that they distorted the medium sized pots they were in. I have since repotted them into larger pots, but it wasn't easy being 7 feet high and brittle. In the process I broke one or two stem tops off. I think I will also have a longer term problem, they will continue growing over the next winter, but I am already at the limit of practical pot size - 30 litres. I do have larger but they are a bit heavy to lift.

However, the height and neat foliage makes a nice display inside even without flowers.

 

I use a sack barrow for the bigger ones, dunno if that would work for you?

 

Caiophora hibiscifolia is open!


I'm rather smitten!


A big thank you to Charlie Pridham for this!


Impatiens niamniamensis in my fledgling exotic bed by the back door (excuse the pants photo and next doors Clematis).....................


Also in that bed is Solanum lancifolium (a big thank you to @Kristen for this)....................


In the greenhouse is Gloriosa lutea.....................


.............and Gloriosa carsonii......................

 

Mammillaria hahniana and Mammillaria Guelzowiana

 

Kieth, I really liked your Caiophora hibiscifolia, but then you had to take a shot of it with your fingers in it, I thought it was at least 4 ins across, up until then.

Peter, are your ginger stems the ones that grew last year?

Not sure what happens in really warm conditions, but I find only the new spring grown stems actually flower, on the odd occasion I've allowed stems to overwinter flowering has been very late and poor.
But that is based mainly on H. gardnerianum.

 

Small and classy, not bold and brassy!

The H. gardnerianum that you sent me are about to flower for the first time. It is the stem that started last autumn (and stalled for the winter) that is way ahead. Mine are in a pot but out all winter.

 

Looking like it had a hard life before it got to you, and is now putting on some good / large new foliage

Worth trying to dig a couple of for overwintering - from seed next year is fine (I have LOADS this year), but an overwintered plant will be a much better proposition next year IME. You can risk leaving out for a mild winter like we had last year mine all survived and are a good 15' tall this year