A trip to Brian's

Friday of last week some friends and I took a road trip to Louiseville to check out Brian's collection of tropicals. We had a great time oooh-ing and aaww-ing and picking Brian's brain. My friend, Deb, said she'd learned so much she was going to blow her cerebral cortex, lol.

Of course, I could'nt come home empty handed, so a Musa zebrina 'Rojo', a big Petasites with purply stems, a Tetrapanix, Colocosia 'Coffee Cups', and a tall ornamental grass I've now forgotten the name of, had to make their way back to my garden :) And I'm really cheap, so that tells you all were really good deals, lol.

I'll rely on Brian to chime in and id most of these, as there was no way my feeble brain could hold onto much with so many great things to see.
Enjoy!
Neal

This one is a monster! Well...the plant I mean, lol, with Deb in the pic to show the size.

A planting of hardy desert plants.

I LOVE these variegated Colocosias. I think this may be 'Yellow Splash', but in sun I have a problem with color washing out.

A closer shot:

These Curcuma ginger have proven winter hardy (well mulched) for a few years! How exciting! Another must have.

Another Curcuma:

This Alocasia made me drool! The back side of the leaves looks like purple vinyl.

This is one of Brian's canna hybrids. The most floriferous canna I've seen; he says once it starts blooming, it's covered till frost.

A coveted white canna!

This colocosia has beautiful black veining. I'll start numbering from here for ease of id-ing.
#1

#2
Colocosia, 'Black Marble' I think. The lighting keeps it from showing well in this pic, but the marbling in the leaves is beautiful on this one.

I like the leaf shape of these cannas. He's working with several with this trait.

This message was edited Sep 14, 2006 9:54 AM

This is another of Brian's hybrids. The color is WAYYYY off in this pic. It actually opens a true mauve color, then ages to a purply fuschia with petal edges aging to a nearly true purple. A great color break through!

This is one my list for next year. A hardy sugar cane that reaches 16'! I love the blue/grey color and yucca-like appearance.

#3

A crinkly ear!

#4

I don't have room for a lot of house plants, but Brian's philodendron collection sure makes it tempting!

#5

I've never thought of philo's having beautiful blooms!

#6

#7

#8

#9

#10

And that's all folks. This is part of my tropical garden I just started this spring that will be home to the goodies I brought home. It was a rush job planted only with things I already had, but next year, watch out!

Neal, I'm jealous. The 2nd pic w/ your friend in it is incredible. I believe I have the purple undersided one and the coffee cups from Brian. Of course, they are not as big as Brian's. I guess they like it better in they KY jungle, lol. I had also bought a white canna from him, but it didn't survive

I would have loved, loved to see the purplish canna. I would buy that one in a second.

glad you guys met and glad you had a good time. Not glad I didn't get to go, lol

Neal, I'm envious, too! I want to see! 8 hr road trip for me, but I WILL get to Louisville eventually. It is definately at the top of my trip list. I have a couple the mailman delivered this morning, I bought off Brian's ebay site. Can't wait to get home and unpack! Thanks for posting the pics!

OOOOOHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A wonderful wonderland visit!

Thanks!

great tropicals.

Gemini,

I went to Brian's place over Labor Day weekend (8 hr trip for me, too, but since I've been accross the Pacific Ocean on a ship, an 8-hr drive is noting for me), and got some of the same stuff you did... I got some of his White Butterfly gingers that he's successfully overwintered outside (with mulch) for the past several years, however, since it's late in the season, I'll over winter mine inside this winter.... I also got some of his hardy Trachys and Colocasia Gigantea, Big Dipper, and Pink China and a few other things from him as well....

Nery, I could'nt even capture that entire giant in one shot! It's as wide as tall-even more jurassic looking in person.

Robert, you'd have a field day! Lots of other stuff you'd love there too, crinums (that he's overwintered successfully in the ground), amorphalus varieties, and other fascinating aroids. If you travel in this direction, definitely worth working into your schedule.

H_T, great minds do think alike! Pink china and Big dipper are on my list for spring too.

Thanks for the tour. Like going to Aroid Mecca. Where life begins for all the babies we have delivered.

gemini_sage said:
"Robert, you'd have a field day!"

Oh, I know I'd have a good time there!


celt quipped:
"Thanks for the tour. Like going to Aroid Mecca. Where life begins for all the babies we have delivered. "

I don't consciously know what that means but it made me larf and that's a good thing.
Thanks.

Robert.

Aroid Mecca- I love it!

EE babies from Brian that would be.

Lucky you, I would love to see that.

Got it!

Robert.

Thanks for the beautiful voyage! And how fun for you to see what Brian REALLY is doing behind all those 'big ears'!!!! I envy your visit....

Carol