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Exotic Plants


Nothing brings drama to the garden more than the statuesque Echiums.  Their towering summer blooms will attract enquiries from all who lay eyes upon them as to their identity and where they can get seeds. Perhaps not the best choice for my Scottish readers, but hardier than you may think, Echium Candicans will stand temperatures[…]

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This strange curiosity is still a thing of great beauty to me.  Ferraria Crispa’s exotic appearance is not deceiving as it is not hardy in our U.K winters and is therefore best grown in a pot to be moved to more favourable conditions.  From the small corms arise fleshy, sword-like leaves in early summer, closely[…]

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Succulents have become more and more in vogue in recent years.  Even the winner of the RHS Chelsea Plant of the year was a succulent in 2022.  The newly developed Mangaves I wish to highlight here are at the height of fashion in the garden. Particularly with the rise in popularity of Xeric landscaping. For[…]

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You may have seen Cannas used as central dot plants in council bedding planting.  However they are invaluable in the garden for their lush architectural foliage and bright, gladioli-like blooms.  Their height and their dramatic, large, banana shaped leaves make them perfect for an exotic, jungle style garden.  The Tropicanna series is particularly stunning, with[…]

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This delightful climbing plant requires a warm conservatory in the winter months, but in summer it provides its exquisite display as a patio specimen. Best grown in pots to move inside in the winter, Mandevilla sanderi ‘Bloom Bells® have dark, glossy, evergreen leaves to provide year-round interest. But it is the gorgeous, trumpet shaped blooms[…]

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Zygopetalum Trozy Blue is a stunning, tender orchid which is more suited to the enthusiast rather than the amateur as it is not quite as easy to care for as the more readily available Phalaenopsis orchids, but definitely worth a try if you are a little more experienced. Originally Zygopetalums are native to Brazil, the[…]

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This beautiful, exotic plant is sometimes also known as Justicia rizzinii or Justicia floribunda. Despite it’s common name it is not a Fuchsia at all but does originally hail from Brazil.  It bears it’s scarlet and yellow tropical, pendulous blooms non stop throughout the winter and spring months when most other plants are at their[…]

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