What's looking exotic in November 2012

I know there isn't a whole lot left, but I wanted to show a sequence of Hibiscus mutabilis, also known as Confederate Rose. These 3 photos are of the same flower, on Nov 1-3.



This shrub has many flowers in bloom at different stages, so it can put on quite a show. It is also the only hibiscus to change like this.
Of course I have several daylilies in bloom, not exotic, but they look the part:

Daylily cross: Sybil's Blues x Rainbows In Heaven

 

Lovely pictures Wylie. I have read about H. mutabilis - but its nice to see the sequence of pictures.

 

Thanks. I thought it would be better to wait until I had the whole sequence. Today it has withered.

 

Life's a bitch - and then you die

 

Its encouraging that even during a cold wet spell things are still happening, the out door strelitzia is beginning to put up next years flowers, believe it or not this has appeared in the last week.


The Nepenthes prefer the warmth of the conservatory.

 

That Strelitzia is amazing Pete. I always thought of them as being tropical exotics that would hate our weather.

 

They only appear to hate sub zero temperatures Peter, the rest of the time they love it.

 

Strangely enough, my Lotus berthelotii appears to be just about to burst back into bloom, despite having been left outdoors.

 

Thanks LongK - its nice to have hints on what will and won't flower in our climate. that Lotus has been hovering around my wanted list for some time - but I have already got the new years seeds and I don't think I can manage any more.

 

Remind me in the spring and I'll send you a cutting if it gets through the winter in the shed.
Still blooming outdoors here are I.niamniamensis, Leonotis nepetifolia (thanks for the seed), Lobelia tupa and Grevillea juniperina. In the greenhouse I have Bomarea hirtella still in bloom and Isoplexis almost blooming.

 

Longk - thats very kind - I would love a cutting - thank you.


I find the above interesting rather than impressive. On the left the Bougainvillea seems happy to continue to flower. On the right there is a first flower from a very late Gloriosa. But it has no colour, other than a faint stripe on the petals that indicates they are not leaves. I have always suspected that some plants' flowers can lose colour if they don't get the heat and light they need. This seems to support my theory.

Has anyone else noticed this?

 

I've noticed passion flowers can be a bit "washed out" early and late in the season.

 

Is the Gloriosa a new tuber to you, or from your own stock. I was just wondering if you had maybe lucked in and got a G.lutea tuber...........

 

Crikey Keith your Isoplexis are doing well mine are growing really well but no sign of flowers !!!!!!!!, unlike this passiflora thats covered in buds in the sunroom, had flowers on this at Christmas last year.
Passiflora 'Crimson Tears'

 

Longk - I had to look up G. lutea. Thanks for the intro.

It was a bought tuber, but I think it is a rothschildiana because there is a faint purple stripe where it should have a red petal. The plant next to it has flowered and I have been watching as the ovary has been swelling. But it has now withered and there are no seeds inside. Even so I have had a lot more luck this year than last.

I hope next year will be better still, as one thing I have learnt is to chit the tubers first. ie lay them on a heated pad to encourage the first signs of growth. They don't need to be covered at this stage. Then when there are three tubers all showing some growth they can be potted up. This is just what you do with Dahlias - and potatoes. By covering three tubers with no sign of growth, there is a danger that one may grow a long time before the other, and that the third may not grow at all. That is what happened to me this year - though part way through the process I lifted them and repotted singly the two tubers that were still alive.