What's looking exotic in 2016

Strongy - you've got the magic. I am still waiting with baited breath for a flower - or perhaps I just haven't noticed them. You did me a great favour when you showed them before. I had never thought of trailing foliage flowering. So I Googled my Hoya longifolia, which does a similar job to the Spanish Moss, and found that it too did flower. And currently I have got a dozen Hoya flowers in bloom.

I visited Gordon Rigg's garden centre in Walsden (near Bury) today, which is the only place I know that has a good range of house plants (ie tropicals).

There is a good sized area devoted to house plants. There is some more area behind me but at this time of year it wasn't used for plants.


I think this might be Aechmea chantinii - spectacular


A good sized Cycad at £175




Aechmea fasciata. I found one of these on the bargain bench at £1.99. The flower was starting to go over, but it had pups. At that price I am willing to risk overwintering it. I also found a Kalanchoe blossfelckiana, a tall plant with big flowere, at the same price. So had that along with a Pachystachys lutea, which had finished flowering at 50p.


A number of orchids

 

I'm sure you must have the odd flower, got a magnifying glass??

We don't have any Riggs down here more's the pity.
I don't think the first Aechmea is Chantini, that has striped leaves and a slightly different flower although there are new varieties of it now. When I grew them many decades ago at Rochfords House Plants, (if anyone remembers them) all the Aechmeas had spines on the leaves, as with Pineapples, they have been bred without them and are now I suppose 'consumer friendly'!!

 

Certainly looks like an interesting garden centre @PeterS .
Cant think of anywhere down this way that sells that range of plants.
Most just have the same old stuff plant wise these days and most of the space it put over to gift shops, a kitchen fitters etc. etc.

 

I am sure you are right Strongy. I just looked at the images on Google, and it seemed to be the closest. My only (very small) criticism of Gordon Rigg is that some of the plants don't have names on. But its a pleasure to find a place that sells such stuff.

And, yes, I have looked very closely at my Spanish Moss but still can't see any flowers - though I understand that they are very small.

 

I would say they are, about 2mm across!!!!! so small I had to I use a 4x close up lens.

 

If your's are out now Strongy - I will have a close look at mine - who knows?

 

First cold damage, Coleus Saturn didn't like the -3c a couple of nights ago and suffered burnt tips.


Hedychium Rafflesii (I think) simillar to H tara.

 

I meant +3 not -3c, that would have caused a lot more damage!

 

Clerodendrum Ugandense just keeps on flowering, and I have cut some stems back twice in the summer.

 

First time ever for me, seed pods on the albizzia.

Bougie always looks at its best at this time.


Erythrina still doing well.

Will probably have to start hacking the ensetes back soon if I want to save them.

Basjoos have not done as well as expected, I think the last three months have been too dry.

T. rex has come on, but not very tall, and showing another flowering spike.Probably too dry also.

 

Pete - I am really envious of your bananas - amazing.

@strongylodon. I am very interested that you once grew Aechmeas. Would you mind telling us how?

ie what did you grow them from - seeds, cuttings, offsets or micropropagation ?
And how long did they take to flower.
And at what temperature and humidity? Did you give very little water over winter?
And once one has flowered, like mine, does the main stem die but they can flower again from an offset, and how long does that take?

Lovely ginger and Clerodendrum - by the way.

 

Growing them commercially over 40 years ago @PeterS is completely different to how it is done now by mass tissue culture as you probably know but for us the old methods are the only method! I have only grown Vriesea and Guzmania at home. Offsets are the easiest way as from seed to flowering can take 5 years or more against two to three for an offset. Commercially the temperatures were around 25/28c with reasonably high humidity. I have grown mine from offsets in the conservatory which can go down to 8/9c in winter during the night. My variegated Guzmania and Vriesea flowered in just under three years from an offset.

The main stem dies, being replaced by he offsets/pups which can be left as a sort of clump or separated as I do but it should be done in late winter or spring.

I hope my variegated Tillandsia cyanea offset will flower in it's third year.

 

Strongy - I much appreciated that information. I don't think any of us are into tissue culture, so Its the old ways we are interested in.

The two or three years to flowering from an offset is very helpful - I must be patient. Its no wonder that garden centres want to sell them cheap after flowering.

 

Here is a photo of my banana and bits so far pretty impressive growth this year
I'm in there somewhere can you spot me
Ps your garden looks stunning pete