WHAT'S LOOKING EXOTIC IN JUNE 2014

What is the above?!
It is a thing of beauty!

 

It's lovely, Armandii. I think lilies are allergic to cats (and I have one of those, as well as a dog and a toddler), otherwise I would be sorely tempted!

 

Mine's not even showing a bud!

Passiflora Anastasia, originally from Pete.

 

Hah! I knew that!

 

Anastasia is lovely @strongylodon.
My Passion Flowers are only just getting into growth!

Exotic in the sense of not common and a bit tender;
Isoplexis isabelliana - I wasn't too sure about this at first (they started blooming in pots), but since planting out they've got a lot better...............


Digitalis Illumination Pink is the result of a cross between Isoplexis canariensis and Digitalis purpurea...............


Solanum rantonnetii survived the winter planted out in the beds...............


As did both my Iochroma australis..................

 

When I bought this a few weeks ago it was covered in flower buds like these................


Slowly two of them extended (in the foreground of the photo) and last night the first two blooms on my Echinopsis subdenudata opened.................




My Clianthus puniceus finished flowering a few weeks ago but one small bud hung in there. Over the last week it has swelled and now I have one lone flower on it................


Clerodendrum ugandense.................

 

Callistemons (Bottle Brushes) seem to be flowering early this year.

C 'Inferno' intense red with a short brush.


C 'Hot Pink' deep pink with a short brush.


C citrinus 'Splendens'


Possibly C viridiflorus, not sure, very lax habit and less yellow than salignus, six years old and this is it's first flower!.

 

Macfadyena, is still flowering.

Solanum quitoense, sent to me by coolsox last summer, got a couple of fruit coming now.

repotted the A calidora, hoping to get some big leaves this year.


The Iochroma is still hanging in, despite the winter gales.

grow this one for the neighbours.

 

Armandii - lovely day lilies - way ahead of mine. That first one is a really good red rather than a dirty brown as some are.

LongK - that Isoplexis isabelliana is love;y. I don't know isabelliana.
Clerodendron ugandense if fabulous. Can you keep it tidy or does it get scraggy?

Strongy - I love those Callistemons - really exotic.

Pete - that Solanum quitoense is really impressive. Its one I keep thinking of growing - but - oh those spines. I was going to ask you about Alocasia 'Calidora' - how big do they grow. So I was very pleased to see your picture. I have just got one, which is slightly smaller than yours. I have a feeling that there are big ones and small ones. I believe that the big ones are very big - but that may not be the ones we have. Is the bottom one Konjack?



My contribution is by way of a group photo of my indoor garden, which is slowly starting to take shape. Canna altensteinii has already reached 7 feet. I have now got 9 climbers across the back wall.

 

I feel utterly humbled looking at that!

Me too - right by their kitchen window

I have a few seeds left...........

Get's straggly after a few years. Responds well to pruning or a frost well though!

Getting full!!!

 

Peter, the Solanum is the thornless variety, which is why I snapped it up when coolsox offered it last year.
I've never grown A calidora to any great size, up to now its just stood still once placed outside.
I dont think outdoors is really warm enough for them in a normal summer.

The last pic is
Dracunculus vulgaris, totally hardy and gets bigger every year, just dont let it form a seed spike, it puts it back about three years, I've found.