What's looking Exotic in 2022

We often have to plant where we have space, just looked back and I bought the Butia in late December 08, sounds like a song, I got it half price from B&Q because it was frozen solid and TBH I never thought it would survive.

 

Chamaedorea cerifera.


Protea flowers on the way.


Banksia, now 6ft high.

 

The Butia looks pretty big @strongylodon, I grew one of those chamae cerifera from seed, and it's come out reasonably good to type, it's just been over run with other stuff, being so slow, and suffers a bit.

 

Did you plant the Banksia out, mine is still in a pot as I lost a couple overwintered in the cold frame.

 

The Banksia is outside but I did put it in the greenhouse during Jan and Feb.
I have two cerifera, one is blue, the other is grey/green!
Next to the Banksia on the right of the pic is a Hakea which I grew from seed brought in Sydney Botanical Gardens along with some Melaleuca and Kunzea. I hope if will flower one day.

 

Wow @pete @strongylodon those palms are impressive! I'm resisting them though, due to lack of space. My protea cynaroides is just finishing, though p. 'little prince' has small buds and will probably wait till spring. They both live outside from April/may till around now - I haven't risked them yet

 

P. White Knight

P. Tasman Ruby a bit slower

And I was wrong re cynaroides - it's little prince that has already flowered - it's the one with more red on the outer sepals(?)

 

Its always risky if you only have the one plant, and you never know what kind of winter we will get.
My Cerifera is still fairly small, must be nearly 20yrs old now though, partly obscured by one of my tempory overwintering shelters, but you get the idea.

I'll just throw this in as its doing its usual early winter flowering, very small plant but its name is big, Titanopsis.

 

Did you buy plants Caroline?
Something very interesting about the Protea family I find.

My Leucospermum has got pretty big now, its still outside, I'm debating whether to try and put it in the garage or hope for a mild winter and just fleece it over when frosty.
On the one hand you cant wait for these plants to really get growing but then the overwintering problems start.

 

Yes @pete I bought them from Palm Traders though he seems to be out of them at the moment. They've grown very well, but I've been unsuccessful taking cuttings. I'll keep trying.
Another source of tempting banksias etc is Plantbase - his website is a bit old fashioned but I have visited him and he has a great range of interesting stuff.

 

I visited plantbase years ago when he was just setting it up.
Is he the one near Lamberhurst/ Wadhurst on the edge of Bewl water?

I've got the feeling that the E bay seller in Madeira is selling in the UK again.

 

I bought my Protea at the flower market in Madeira three years ago no label so I'll wait for the flowers to see which one it is.

I've had a Brahea armata outside in a pot for about seven years which grows even slower than Chamaerops and is not as hardy but I am thinking about planting it out and hope for the best.

 

I'm seeing Brahea amarta doing well in lots of the UK, @strongylodon , wish I had bought one years ago.

 

Yes @pete, he is. I am sorely tempted by his range of stock. Unfortunately postage costs in general are now so high that getting good sized plants becomes prohibitive.
The Madeira chap has some decent cultivars, but I won't buy from him again.

 

I've not looked at plantbase lately, so not sure what he sells these days, back when I went there he said he wasn't allowed to sell direct to the public as such as he wasn't really nursery open to the public, I was the only one there and I took him loads of sarracenias.

Did you have problems with the bloke in Madeira?