PUSHING THE BORDERS

One of the things I love about plants is the constant stream of new introductions, or plants suddenly becoming available. They seem to make it into general market much quicker now, every year there is something else available that was not available before. I am guessing this is the same for all types of plants.

There are a few agaves and aloes that would rank up there, but probably the biggest change has been the echeverias, especially the variegated forms. My selection would be echeveria 'comptom carousel'.


echeveria-comptom-carousel

Mind you doesn't work for all pants as aloe Hercules is readily available in the states now and while other plants have made it over we are still waiting for this one in any sorts of numbers.

So what is your favourite new/ recent introduction?

One of my favourite genera of plants is Plectranthus for their attractive foliage and ease of care. Despite being frost tender they are very easy to overwinter and will put up with quite a lot of neglect. I particularly like the many forms of P.ciliatus as they look great mass planted and are happy when grown in sun or shade.
While visiting a local nursery I spotted some 3L pots of a Plectranthus I had never seen (or heard of) before, they were very bushy with lots of potential cutting material and only £6 a pot. It is called Plectranthus oertendahlii 'Emerald Lace'. I've no idea how long it has been for sale in the UK but a good new find for me. Here it is after having removed enough material to make 15 cuttings.


You can't see very well from the picture but the stems and underside of the leaves are maroon.

Difficult to choose, but there's an Arisaema that I've just got hold of that I absolutely adore ... which is saying something because I've never been a huge admirer of Arisaemas. Anyway, it is A. consanguineum 'Perfect Wave', which has wonderfully blue-green leaves in near perfect formation. Mine is only a small tuber just starting into growth, but here's how it should turn out ... eventually:



I should add that the pic is not mine.

Oh and ... a couple of Begonias that are proving winter hardy here.

This is Begonia sp. U614 as yet unidentified and put out by Cally gardens as B. sikkimensis, which it most certainly is not:



It is highly variable with seedlings that may be almost plain green, but all have a strong red edge to the leaves. The best is this silver form of which I now have several. During winter 2011/12 it remained evergreen, but the persistent, near freezing winds during March just past have reduced my clumps to leafless rhizomes. Happily, they are starting to leaf up again.

The other was ordered from Himalayan Gardens as B. josephii, although the pic on their site showed B. flaviflora. This was pointed out to me by John Boggan and I ordered rhizomes in the hope that it would turn out to be B. flaviflora. At first it looked as though the Begonia was going to be flaviflora, but as time went on the leaves became progressively too large and strongly marked for that sp. Flowering took place late last summer with quite large, palest pink flowers revealing it to be a fine form of Begonia palmata. It's not the easiest to grow on account of its dislike of any hint of artificial heat and the need for constant, cool humidity. However, I think I've got it reasonably well sited and it has survived the winter for a second time. Glorious leaves!

I do rather like the Digitalis/Isoplexis hybrids, but refused to pay the silly money that they were last year.

AndyC wrote:One of my favourite genera of plants is Plectranthus for their attractive foliage and ease of care. Despite being frost tender they are very easy to overwinter and will put up with quite a lot of neglect.

Any idea where I can find "Mona Lavender" here in the UK? A truly lovely cultivar that is proving impossible to track down so far.................

I grew 'Mona Lavender' a few years ago but lost it when a greenhouse heater failed. It is a beauty and much more erect than most of the ones I've grown. The best nursery for Plectranthus in the UK is Old Hall plants in Suffolk http://www.oldhallplants.co.uk/. It is on their list.

AndyC wrote: The best nursery for Plectranthus in the UK is Old Hall plants in Suffolk http://www.oldhallplants.co.uk/. It is on their list.

You're a gent!
Google can be very frustrating at times.............