Foliage

  
Alpinia zerumbet Variegata     Variegated Shell Ginger can be used as a striking specimen plant or a dramatic screen plant in the landscape.  Growing to 3m in part shade and with a strong clumping tendency it provides dense, colourful foliage.    Alpinia requires a rich moist organic soil and regular fertiliser for best results.   Variegated Shell Ginger can also be used successfully indoors, but needs light, food and frequent water.

Tacca integrifolia Bat Plant     The White Bat Plant  has the most stunning flower.  The flower is rich purple in colour with two large white bracts (ears) and long trailing whiskers.  Bat plants can flower between November and May.          Grow in a warm shady area, do not over  water and in winter allow the plant to be dry before watering sparingly.  Good drainage is also important for good growth.

Codiaeum variegatum      Crotons are noted for their bright foliage and have been popular in gardens for many years.  Recently their popularity indoors has increased using selected cultivars.

Codiaeum is a tropical plant and is not happy below 10°c.  Crotons generally like high light levels but new cultivars will maintain quality indoors.                            Native to Indonesia.

 

Ravenala madagascariensis   The Traveller Palm is known by some as the North South palm because it only grows North South, others know it as the East West palm because.......... (the direction of the plant will remain as it is planted)!!  But then this palm is not a palm at all and is related to bananas and Strelitzias.  The flower is similar in structure so Strelitzia.                                                         As the plant matures it may send out suckers which are easily trimmed when young.  Native to Madagascar.

Magnolia grandiflora Little Gem   Little Gem may start flowering at 2 yrs old and only 1m tall.  It grows with a dense dark green oval or pyramid shape, ideal for screen or hedge planting.  The red-brown fuzz on the underside of the leaves provides an interesting contrast to the brilliant white flowers and deep green foliage. 

 

Pleomele reflexa  aka Dracaena reflexa native to Malaysia and has plain dark green leaves.  There ate two common cultivars, Song of Jamaica with dark green leaves and pale stripes down the mid-vein also Song of India with cream or yellow leaves and dark green stripes down the mid-vein.  Pleomele can be grown as a large specimen tree, pruned to a border or can also be a fine house plant.

Strelitzia reginae  Bird of Paradise makes a dramatic landscape accent plant with the attractive blue green foliage highlighted in season by the brilliant flowers.  Strelitzia needs full sun or high light levels with well mulched and fertilised soil.