Garden Centre

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Rarities versus native plants

Okay, time for a confession. Although I try to wildlife garden, and to have my heart and soul always committed to the many wonderful native plants that I grow, there are a few things that slip past me. So every year I allow myself to grow at least one exotic plant (if possible, from seed) and somehow find space for it in my garden. It does give me some qualms, I have to admit, but what can you do? You fall in love with a plant or a flower (or even a vegetable) and although you know you’re going to have to nurture it and cope with a dozen demanding foibles, you can’t rest until you’ve got it.

And for me, last year, this was the Crinondendrum Hookeranium. Well, for several years it has been the Crinondendrum, ever since I first saw it growing in a botanical gardens in Mexico. It has the most amazing fleshy red flowers, somewhat heart shaped, pendant (hanging down) and velvety to the touch. It took probably seven years for me to locate one after years of attempting to grow it from seed failed abysmally (it’s a terrible germinator by all accounts) and so it came home with me last August. The thing is, that is after the flowering season, and so I was taking the plant pretty well on trust, not sure if it would flower at all for me. And here it is, showing off beautifully, obviously at home in a semi-shaded corner near the pond, and I love the contrast with the almost lime-green umbels of the perennial angelica behind it.

Labels: angelia, crinodendrum hookeranium, exotic plants, rare plants

The All Seasons Gardener at 6:36 AM 2 Comments

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