What's looking exotic in 2016

A couple of pictures of my conservatory, left and right. There is not much in flower at the moment, but I am enjoying the different shapes of greenery.

 

PeterS I want your conservatory. I could happily live there.


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Hi TMAK, thanks for the comment. I really enjoy my conservatory. Its at the bottom of the garden, where the sun is, rather than attached to the house. This means that its usually warmer than the house, and a wonderfully restful place to have cups of coffee or read.

I have one friend, who lives a few doors away, and he will never go in there as he dislikes heat. But I often have a cup of coffee there with my neighbour who is an Indian lady, and she loves the heat and insists on keeping the door closed. Two days ago, for the first time in my life, I was so hot having coffee with her and was sweating so much (its also very humid) that immediately afterwards I had to go and have a shower and change my shirt.

However the plants love the heat, with two different Cannas now reaching the roof.

 

Wow some gorgeous plants in here The Pleione, Pelargonium Cordifolium, Oleander, Adenium obesum and Solanum laciniatum are so pretty. That Bougainvillea is stunning too, really like that.
Is the digitalis x isoplexis poisonous/harmful like normal digitalis? How needy are these plants to grow and do they all need a greenhouse? Would love to be able to grow something unusual looking, I did have a parrot plant when I was about 10 and was advised to feed it black tea.. think that killed it off though.

Whats the present @pete @longk, type of orchid? Looks lovely anyways

 

Blimey tell us more ,

On a serious note it looks lovely, I was considering installing one at the top of my garden, ive seen used ones go for a pound on ebay.

 

How warm do you keep it in the winter @PeterS does it take much to heat it. And what heat do you use? Sorry for all the questions I'm just crazy jealous !!!


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Well looking at the label it says Dendrobium, (fine up till now),kinganumbarryoda.

Dont know where they get these names from.

 

I noticed an Araucaria in there @PeterS, in that heat it might hit the roof in a few years!

 

Hi Linz. By definition tropical plants tend to need winter protection. And this is what makes them different, because most people can't or don't bother to grow them. However not all things that look tropical are that tender. Pete grows some marvellous stuff outside in Kent. And some palms like Trachycarpus fortunei will even grow in Yorkshire. Musa bajoo is the most hardy banana, and some people can grow it outside, but usually with a bit of protection. However tropical plants are no more than house plants, which could be overwintered inside the house, until they get too big, and most of them would enjoy being outside over the summer.

I am afraid I have no idea about how poisonous Isoplexis is - on principle I tend not to eat my plants.

Hi TMAK. My conservatory is 16 feet by 10 feet. I heat it to about 12C over winter. I have two electric heaters, set to 1 Kwh, running off thermostats. I understand that above about 10C most things such as bananas will continue to grow slowly, whereas at say 4C many would go dormant. In cold weather there is a lot of condensation, with the danger of dormant plants rotting. I use a dehumidifier, but the humidity level is still high. Dehumidifiers use something like 150 watts, but that energy contributes to the heating. Whilst electricity is expensive per Kwh hour, you have very good control with thermostats, only using it when needed, and you don't need any of the expensive equipment such as gas cylinders and regulators that other systems would need.

I have had my conservatory for three years. Winter 2013, set to 10C, used 750 Kwh, costing £111; 2014, 12C, 1268 Kwh, £151; and 2015, 12C, 1206 Kwh, £133. It's my interest and I can remember the pleasure I get from it, whilst my neighbour probably spends more than that in the pub and can't even remember it the next day.

Yes Strongy, there are quite a few things in there that are going to get big. A month ago I saw Thunbergia mysorensis and Mucuna sempervirens in Madeia, both of which I am growing, and each was about 50 feet long. The problem with the Araucaria, is that you can't prune it without ruining its shape

 

They're not poisonous if you don't eat them. Easy to grow if you can keep them frost free.
A hardy alternative is the "Illumination" series. It is a Digitalis/Isoplexis cross. This is Illumination Pink..............




This is Isoplexis isabelliana and you can see the similarities................

Define Parrot Plant?

Dendrobium kingianium.

 

Here's my cabbage plant
(I'm not sure what the green plant is which is growing in the same pot but it looks like it's going to flower, does anyone know what it is?)

 

Gladiolus byzantinus possibly.

 

Cheers @PeterS think I'll have to give some a go.. Don't particularly fancy trying Trachycarpus fortunei or Musa basjoo though, I don't have the space. Sure I can manage overwintering a few small pots though

And I'm not fond of eating plants so think I'll be safe

It was a impatient niamniamensis @longk a friends nan gave it and advised the tea.

I love the Isoplexis Isabelliana, such a nice colour and I like the foliage. Plus my daughter's name is Isobel so thanks for that

Came across Isoplexis sceptrum too, now that is funky.

 

Looks a bit like Sysirinchium striata to me.