Sub-tropicals in Kerikeri

Brunsfelsia undulatum has masses and masses of white flowers which arrive in flushes.

The Rain Tree   Brunsfelsias are well known as the "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" shrub, the plants get covered with the three shades of blue flowers. A new one available now has no distinct colour change as it is white. It is called Brunsfelsia undulatum or Rain Tree.

Grow it in full or dappled sun in reasonably free draining soils and prune to shape after flowering has finished and you have an interesting plant with very few problems.

Generally it grows as a bush to about 2.5m but according to my references over many years it can grow into a small tree.  It is easily cut back to keep it within garden limits. The outstanding feature of this plant is it's long, flared, tubular, white ageing to cream, flowers which are about 10cm long and 5cm wide. They smother the plant so that hardly any leaves are seen. Being sweetly scented is another bonus. Following this flush of flowers is a rest period then another flush of flowers this being repeated three or four times over the summer, autumn period. My display plant is about four years old and is very consistent with it's flowering each year.

	Strobilanthus gossypinus The Strobilanthus genus has about 250 different species which occur through tropical Asia and Madagascar. Some are evergreens and some deciduous and all are soft stemmed perennials. I have been told that some of the Indian ones completely cover  hills and once every ten years or so they flower making a vast expanse of blue. Of the three species I have growing here Strobilanthus kunthianus and S. gossypinus  haven’t as yet flowered but they should be getting close to flowering as they are about 7 years old now.
Strobilanthus gossypinus	The Strobilanthus gossypinus (it has no common name in New Zealand as far as I know) growing here always catches the eye of the visitors to the garden. It is from the hills of Sri Lanka and south India. Handling the dry summer months, it grows as a compact, medium sized shrub which looks attractive all the year round. The green 10cm leaves have dense, golden hairs over them when they are young making them appear a little like flower clusters. As the leaves mature the hairs go silvery-cream which gives a wonderful silver and gold look to the bush. Free draining soil is best and  as they are frost tender they must be protected in winter.   This is a plant not yet freely available in the garden centre market but it is one that should become popular as it seldom needs pruning and always looks neat and tidy and is easy to grow in the right situation.
Strobilanthus dyerianus	Strobilanthus kunthianus is another lovely leafed plant but in my experience it tends to be too vigorous as it spreads over the ground. It is growing here to about two metres in height and also scrambles up into other plants.     Another species S. dyerianus has the most spectacularly coloured leaves which are iridescent purple but it does get knocked back in the winter time and is usually grown as a house plant.
	Philodendrons To give a really tropical look there is nothing to beat the Philodendrons, a group of plants that are usually grown for their magnificent leaves, either as house plants or, in warmer areas, outside in the garden. Many of the different species, which come mostly from the tropical Americas,   are climbers which find a host tree to climb giving the group the name Philodendron meaning “tree lover”. As they climb their leaves will often get bigger the higher they go. Others species are small plants growing as clumps on the ground such as Philodendron cv “Xanadu” and P. wendlandii or as epiphytes amongst the branches. Some grow in full sun and can make huge clumps such as Philodendron selloum (P. bipinnatifidum) which will stand a surprising amount of cold and frost. Few of the species are grown outside in New Zealand as most are too cold sensitive but we have enough forms to give a very tropical look to the garden.
Philodendron selloum leaf	They cross pollinate to give interestingly variable leafed hybrid plants which many of the named house plants are. Try some of the house plant forms outside as they maybe hardier than you expect. Grow them under trees where the conditions are more even over the winter period. They must have good drainage also.
Philodendron hybrid flower.	Many people don’t realise that they also have very attractive flowers which are generally cream to white in colour but not always. I had a lovely clumping plant, Philodendron speciosum, which flowered for me before, unfortunately, dying during one of our cold, wet winters. This plant had huge, elongated, heart shaped leaves and is one of the biggest leafed species but is rather tender. It had two flowers. On the outside it was reddish-green but inside it was the most beautiful shade of carmine-red which to me was quite unexpected as all my others are cream or white. Unfortunately I was too late to be able to pollinate the flower for seed (they generally don’t set seed in NZ) An interesting fact is that the Philodendron flower heats up when it is ready to be pollinated.
Philodendron speciosum	If you want to propagate a few try them from cuttings which strike readily.

 

The Fried Egg Tree or Snuff Box Tree

One shrubby plant growing on the hillside garden that I often get questioned about is Oncoba spinosa, a slightly rambling, bushy plant that always has fruit on it.  These fruit create comment as they look as if they should be edible but people pick them up and find they are very hard. About the size and weight and feel of a cricket ball, the skin is yellow when the fruit is ripe. When the fruit is broken open orange, sweetish flesh similar to pumpkin is exposed under a hard gourd-like skin. I have found that the numerous small seeds are slightly bitter when chewed on. In the plants native habitat of Africa the fruits are eaten by the local populations during drought times and the roots and leaves are used medicinally.

The flowers which are most abundant in the spring are about 5cm across and are white with yellow stamens looking much like a camellia. They are scented at night.

 Oncoba have sharp, straight 5cm spines over many of the branches and are planted around corrals to protect the animals inside.

  Very drought tolerant, Oncoba can stand light frost and do appreciate free draining soils and full sun.

  The Snuff Box name comes from the gourd-like shell of the dried fruit which is cleaned out and used as a snuff box. Another use for the shell is to take out the flesh, put a few stones inside then seal the hole with a peg to make a rattle for music and tied to the ankle for dancing. An African shop that was in Newmarket had them for sale with the sign saying “We don’t know what these are for but they are $3” The rattles had been ornamented with poker work and were quite attractive. Maybe a new industry for Northland as the plant grows well here!!!!!

  On www.fengshuiserver.com  it lists Oncoba flowers as “Fragrant white cup-shaped flower with multiple stamens, yellow colour at the centre represents mental chastity”

 

Wild or Forest Gardenia

I had a visitor arrived  with a long tubular, scented, white flower and she was wondering what it was. It had the scent of a Gardenia but had a long tube behind the petals. It was Gardenia thunbergia, a not often seen species from South Africa.

            This species grows up to 5 metres high though I have never seen one that big. Mine, after ten years, is about 2 metres high and bushy but upright. So it is not a fast grower. Its leaves are glossy and appear slighty rumpled with wavy edges and are about 100mm long though in some shade the leaves are smoother.

            Flowering, which can take up to six or more years, occurs in the late summer to early autumn with solitary, richly scented, white flowers on the end of the branches. The flowers are about 100mm long and have eight petals set like a propeller on the end of a long tube. An interesting thing I found on the internet is that Hawk Moths are the pollinators for these flowers in Africa as the flower is fertile at night. Whether our New Zealand Hawk Moth is suitable I don’t know as I have never had any fruit set yet, though years ago someone brought in a fruit for me to identify. If anyone has one fruiting I would love to know. The fruit is about 100mm long, rough skinned and woody and would be ripe in the spring I think.

            This plant likes full sun, well drained soils and can stand very dry conditions with lots of heat. It will also stand coastal conditions. In some places this species is used as a root stock for the more tender species and cultivars.   Seldom seen in garden centres it is a plant worth growing for those wanting something different.

                                                                                                  

 

 If anyone is interested I take guided tours around my collection of rare, unusual and interesting plants. The cost is $25 per person (maximum of eight persons, minimum of two ). Time taken is 2 hours plus. If you are interested give me a ring on 09 407 8933 as bookings are essential.