What's looking exotic in May 2012

This looks weird. Its a Pleone formosana that I bought a week ago at the local flower show. But I have been a bit tardy about potting it up. So it has decided to flower.

However no bulbs were harmed in the producing of this picture. This is quite normal. I understand that you should pot a Pleone up in slightly damp compost, but not water it. It will then flower - but you should still not water it. Its only when the flower dies and green leaves start to appear that it starts to grow roots, and then this is when you should start to water it.


This is my ugly duckling. Nobody loves it - except me. And even I sometimes have my doubts.

Its Sonchus congestus - the giant Dandelion from Madeira. Its capable of reaching 16 feet. But perhaps not in this country.

Do show us what you have - doesn't have to be in flower.

 

Even so ... I don't have anything looking Exotic in May :(

Well ... the Nanas have nice big paddle shaped leaves, and this year (second season from seed) have some nice dark red markings.

The T. Rex leaf size has got a bit carried away ... perfect! Its in about a 25L pot at the moment.

I have a Canna Mystique that has been in flower for a month, and is probably 7' tall ...

Other than that all I have is an over stuffed conservatory of plants that are miserable because they are suffering from lack of light, lack of warmth, and general neglect from lack of time to water and feed them indoors :(

Even the Tomatoes look spindly and weak :(

 

My Impatiens niamnianensis is blooming outdoors! It has been out there since I moved as it has a severe whitefly issue.


Potted up just a month ago, this Hymenocallis festalis bulb has not only emerged but now stands at 60/70cm tall............




It has also found time to produce five offsets!

 

Got a couple of Aeoniums looking reasonable.



Not seen this flower yet, had it a couple of years Ochagavia rosea


The trachys are flowering, got three at flowering size and they are all female.

 

How on earth Kristen? My Canna tuerckheimii, hasn't even started to sprout yet - let alone think of flowering. The rhizomes are solid to the touch - so I assume that they haven't died over the winter.

LongK - I love the idea of the Hymenocallis having pups. Its a good arguement for putting a single bulb in a large pot. I potted up mine a short while ago but no signs of life yet.

Pete - that last picture looks weird - I love it.

 

My C. Mystique was a small plant, bought from Great Dixter last Autumn, so I put it in the unheated conservatory so it didn't have too harsh a Winter ... but it continued to grow all Winter!! and is now rather tall



This was 2nd April (before my mate Noah started building his boat ...)

 

Peter - the Pleione deal is indeed normal. It makes it a pain to display them nicely. If you look at this photo of mine earlier this year you'll see how I gave up on keeping the pseudobulbs upright.............



The Hymenocallis is a big bulb - 8cm or more in diameter when I potted it up after a winter dry.

Pete - Love your almost blooming Trachy!!

 

Everything has stopped growing , even with the heating on the lack of sunshine is remarkable , but overall is nice to see that the strong plants are doing well .

my first green goddes is out , left them in pot last year , finally survived winter .

and my red banana are ready to dominate the garden

 

Do you know what they are? Just curious as I'm growing a few too ...

...actually, probably better if I don't ask, I already have too many, and if you have one that I don't then I'm liable to adopt my normal "couldn't afford not to have it" frame of mind!

I've got 4 Musa sikkimensis grown from seed last year, which are real belters this season. Great big paddle leaves, lovely dark red stripy colouring (that they didn't have last year) in the leaves. I've a basjoo (although I think their leaves are rather skinny, and they don't really "do it" for me, but being able to leave it out will be a bonus), and then an Ensete maurelii and an E. montbeliardii ... and a Red Tiger ... and I'm also trying a couple of baby M. sikkimensis Mekong Giant (which is reputedly more hardy than other sikkis ... but so far it has leaves rather like Basjoo ... but its only a tiddler so hopefully they will "Man Up" as it gets bigger )

 

Kristen they are ensete maurelii , bought them from my local market at £2 each , best money I`ve ever spent , they reached 6 feet in one season and actually I`ve overwinter 2 in the GH and 1 indoor , the 2 in the GH are looking better then the indoor ,.
Talking about bananas , my mother live in North Italy where they see temperature of - 18/20 , last time I`ve noticed one of the neighbour had a banana and I was curious of how he was overwinter them , he is using just green plastic mesh , to protect them from frost , then my mum was asking what bananas are they and then he called them
Sapporo.
looking on internet , there are actually 2 species of basjoo and apparently the Sapporo it`s the hardyest of all with an astonish roots hardy to -20 , but it`s apparently impossible to find them in UK .

 

Interesting. Sapporo is a long way North in Japan - due East of Vladivostok!! - so sounds reasonable that it should be hardy . I think Basjoo (around these parts) is raised using Tissue Culture, from a specimen found to be hardy (so best to buy reliably propagated stock, not some any-old-seedlings ...)

Only found one Wunderground weather station [link] (an airport I think) near Saporo - and that definitely got down to -20 last Winter - in fact looks like daytime didn't get above freezing until first week of March!

When I was working in Japan (and that was near Tokyo, albeit in the hills) we had permafrost in winter - the concrete slabs outside the greenhouse doors were lifted by the perma-ice and jammed the doors shut such that we had to clamber in via the windows!

Fabulous view down the valley to Mount Fuji on a good day though ...

 

I`ve tryed musa Bajsoo for the last 4 years outdoor , but I have to admit that the winter have been the coldest I`ve ever seen and the plant didn`t manage to get any bigger ....
got 3 bajsoo at the moment and planted outdoor now after kept them in the GH , has many peoples on the forum have suggested they need to get thick before leave them outdoor , got them from Homebase on sale so don`t really think that they are the best you can buy , but I will try as long as I was try to find a sapporo basjoo as apparently they can -7 without protection and before turning to mash .
I would really love to see Japan , but I put New Zeland in my bucket list first ; )

 

Oxalis triangularis "Cupido" is coming to life - thanks go to Jenny Namaste.

 

This morning I`ve opened the greenhouse and a smell of dead cow was all around , couldn`t understand , i though it was the fertilazer , then finally notice that the voodoo lily was open , took it outside and in less then 30 seconds flys arrived.
beautie or freak? well still look tropical in May

 

Beautiful Sal!!