Tropicals & Tender Perennials: Inca Princess Trying to be a Brug Again!, 1 by Happenstance

Happenstance wrote:
I think I just got lucky with these two......I sure don't baby them or take good care of them. The saga of "Ms Scarlet" has been well documented here on DG over the last couple of years. Lost her head a couple of times in the wind, then lost it again.......have you ever wondered why I've never posted a picture of the whole plant?

The Scarlet flowers are probably my favorite.......but this is one ugly plant. She started off as a 4" potted little thing, grew to a couple of feet tall, then lost her top to the wind and again and again. Leafless and deformed with a Y at about the 24" level. So then she tried to grow up again and lost one arm of her Y last winter. So this Spring the remaining arm grew to about 6 feet tall and has now Y'd again and has some nice growth on top with a few buds. Are you getting the picture???? This is not an attractive plant, but I keep her around because I like the few blooms I get and because she's survived more adversity than about anything else in my garden.

She had something last year that looked like rust, but other than being battered and bruised she seems OK.....I don't know if she'll ever let me take a picture of her full-length, but is pleased to have me take pictures of her flowers. :-)

This is a non-artist's rendition of poor Ms Scarlet's physique.