5 plants you must grow now
Picks from Japan 🗾
Hey everyone. I’m in Japan, so this week’s edition has a whole load of very special plants I’ve been spotting this week!
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Luculia
Let’s kick off with a future pot plant for indoors… it’s Luculia, a plant that really deserves a catchy brand-name. It’s a Gardenia relative and certainly has a fragrance just as good, and is much more floriferous. This could be really interesting in the pot plant market, and it made me squeal when I spotted it. Fingers crossed it comes to Europe.
Scaredy Cat Plants (Coleus canina)
A plant that was very popular at Thompson & Morgan when I worked there many years ago, is a very pungent form of Coleus, which is said to deter cats from your garden. It’s about time it had a revival, and this was a nice reminder of the different colours and leaf styles that are available too! I’ve done an internet search and you can try some in the UK right now…
Buy it here (I’ve included an eBay link as it seems to be the only site in stock right now).
Berberis!
Such a simple plant, and one that is seen in amenity planting up and down the country, which means it’s tough and durable. I love the red leaf types, and even better when they go through this kaleidoscopic colour change. This is a shorter type, which is ideal for patio containers. I translated the label for us all, and it’s a variety called ‘Fireball’.
Buy some here.
Dyckia
I know that you’ll giggle at the name, but in all seriousness this is a brilliant genus, which is super drought tolerant and fits in nicely alongside the Mangave Series. It almost looks prehistoric, I love the silver sheen, although I wouldn’t get too close with those spines!
Buy it here.
Saxifraga Little Pixies
I really think this is the next big thing in shade perennials, these new selections from Germany are actually giant forms of Saxifraga fortunei. A whole load of colours, I like the pink the most. It’s like a Heuchera with more fancy flowers - oof! Look out for them in Europe over the next few years!
I hope you’re enjoying the plants on my amazing trip, remember you can find 3 more here, including THAT BLUE CYCLAMEN!