aftermidnight
Garden Addicted
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2014
- Messages
- 2,182
- Reaction score
- 4,024
- Points
- 297
- Location
- Vancouver Island B.C. Canada
I saw this plant in a mixed container back in the early 90's, the search was on. Not knowing it's name that made the search even harder. Finally I found out what is was 'Persian Shield' but still couldn't find it.
About 3 years ago in a little out of the way garden center there it was, a whole flat full, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I bought 3 plants and have taken cuttings every fall to keep it going. Wouldn't you know it this year every garden center I went to was carrying it as basket stuffers .
Still, I'm not going to take any chances of losing it so each year I put the mother plant in my cool greenhouse for the winter cut it back in the spring and get another gorgeous plant by late spring, I also take cuttings as a backup. I know it's classed as a throw away plant but I just love the coloring. Although only grown as an annual up here, and probably a common plant to a lot of you, to me it has become a favorite. I sent rooted cutting to another plantaholic back east, she had also been looking for it for a very long time. We plant obsessed people have to stick together.
Have you ever searched for a plant and finally found it? Exciting isn't it, only another plant addict will understand this.
I have another plant I really like it's one of these sun loving coleus, they don't flower. Yes I know they have changed the name but I still refer to them as Coleus. This one I saw in a container at a friend of DS#1. I knew it was a coleus but no one knew the variety. I begged a couple of cuttings and rooted them on the kitchen window sill. Over the winter thanks to the internet I found the variety name 'Henna'. Lime green on the upper leaf and a rusty color on the underside, which can change depending on how much sun it gets. The undersides of the mother plant I took the cuttings from had turned an almost florescent purple, it was eye popping gorgeous. Looking for the variety 'Red Head' now.
...and a little hitchhiker
I just took these pictures, it's a dull day so the coloring of these is a little off, it really is quite striking.
How about you, show me your little or big treasure that eluded you but you finally found.
Annette
About 3 years ago in a little out of the way garden center there it was, a whole flat full, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I bought 3 plants and have taken cuttings every fall to keep it going. Wouldn't you know it this year every garden center I went to was carrying it as basket stuffers .
Still, I'm not going to take any chances of losing it so each year I put the mother plant in my cool greenhouse for the winter cut it back in the spring and get another gorgeous plant by late spring, I also take cuttings as a backup. I know it's classed as a throw away plant but I just love the coloring. Although only grown as an annual up here, and probably a common plant to a lot of you, to me it has become a favorite. I sent rooted cutting to another plantaholic back east, she had also been looking for it for a very long time. We plant obsessed people have to stick together.
Have you ever searched for a plant and finally found it? Exciting isn't it, only another plant addict will understand this.
I have another plant I really like it's one of these sun loving coleus, they don't flower. Yes I know they have changed the name but I still refer to them as Coleus. This one I saw in a container at a friend of DS#1. I knew it was a coleus but no one knew the variety. I begged a couple of cuttings and rooted them on the kitchen window sill. Over the winter thanks to the internet I found the variety name 'Henna'. Lime green on the upper leaf and a rusty color on the underside, which can change depending on how much sun it gets. The undersides of the mother plant I took the cuttings from had turned an almost florescent purple, it was eye popping gorgeous. Looking for the variety 'Red Head' now.
...and a little hitchhiker
I just took these pictures, it's a dull day so the coloring of these is a little off, it really is quite striking.
How about you, show me your little or big treasure that eluded you but you finally found.
Annette