PUSHING THE BORDERS

For the Crocosmia does 'Hellfire' or 'Vulcan' ring a bell?

I think 'Vulcan ' has slightly paler veins in the petals though...

For the Abutilon settle for 'yellow from Madeira'; they self sow so easily in a clement climate that seedlings will outnumber named forms.

Chad

Hellfire was the one, we bought it last year as it doesn't seem to fall apart like Lucifer, not sure why I couldnt spot the name in the plant finder? I did look!

You could right re the Abutilon although Gerald normally uses named plants

Not the strongest scented of the Jasmines but definitely the best behaved, now in its 3rd summer outside not bad for a plant that hails from Fiji !

Jasminum simplicifolium 011 by charliepridham, on Flickr

No sign yet this year of Humming Bird Hawk moths

Verbena bonariensis 006 by charliepridham, on Flickr

Lavatera maritima 004 by charliepridham, on Flickr

I actually look forward to the flowers so I can cut them down! Love the foliage in spring but the stems are so heavy they fall all over the shop

Cardoon 003 by charliepridham, on Flickr

Berberidopsis corallina 009 by charliepridham, on Flickr

Now I know small green yellow flowers are not that exciting but its a Madeiran endemic which is in flower each year we go and you can smell it everywhere even though you seldom see it, it has one of those scents that wafts. Any way very easy to grow as it overwinters as tubers below ground .

Anredera cordifolia 016 by charliepridham, on Flickr

Abutilon 012 by charliepridham, on Flickr

Nice pictures Charlie, oddly enough I went to Hodnet Hall last week,( I just love his tea rooms ) he had hummingbird hawk moths on his Verbena, they always make me smile when I see them. I think hey look a bit special.

I forgot Hodnet was one that you go to Jason, we didn't do the plant sale there this year did Tregrehan instead, missed the garden (but not the drive) we are up there at the end of the month though, I am speaking at Woolerton Old Hall, not sure whether we will have the time to stick our heads into Hodnet

First Hedychium out of the blocks this summer is H. densiflorum 'Stephen'
The Colocasias are doing well but have needed plenty of watering. The Colocasia that has been known as 'Pink China' with Mus sikkimensis behindand some bigger leaves on it than I've had before
The fantastic colour and sheen on the leaves of Colocasia 'Fontanesii'
Plectranthis bojeriPlectranthus ciliatus with Colocasia gaoligongensis to the right and Begonia 'Little Brother Montgomery' behind.

Seems to have under gone a recent name change, I still think of it as Clerodendrum

rotheca myricoides 003 by charliepridham, on Flickr

I believe there are two distinct sizes of this (this being the taller) but can see no evidence of this in the plant finder, can anyone shed light on this ?

pondederia cordata 002 by charliepridham, on Flickr

pontederia cordata 001 by charliepridham, on Flickr

This is really good thing, the scent is wonderful

mandevilla laxa 006 by charliepridham, on Flickr

while this Mandevilla is tantalizingly close to being hardy, oh well it seems happy in very small pots in the conservatory

mandevilla hybrid 004 by charliepridham, on Flickr

Plant finder still has this as Sollya but a recent GOTE thread suggests that may be about to change.

sollya heterophylla 005 by charliepridham, on Flickr

The tall growing pontederia is P. dilitata. I believe the flower is a touch paler, too. There is also P. lanceolata with narrower leaves that also gets taller than P. cordata.

I think pond marginals are a much ignored and misunderstood group as a whole yet have enormous potential for adding an exotic element to ponds - different types of sagittaria, thalia, peltandra, pontederia and the like. I have a mate who is extremely keen on them and he has all sorts of weird sh!t growing in tubs round the back of his house. His retirement project is hybridising water lilies! Now there is a dark art if ever there was one.

Ask him what the secrete with Thalia is, mine didn't like it here (or me perhaps) its not dead but appears in august and gets to 2" before dissapearing in October, not really the effect I was looking for!

Thanks for the ID on the pontederia

I have Thalia dealbata and geniculata (or perhaps a hybrid) here happily and have always found them to be trouble free. Where and how are you growing yours?