Hey everyone!!! I need some help....we have just torn apart our planting on the front of the house...and it is ALMOST redone. However....: I need suggestions for a plant to grow in a pot by the front steps...preferably a variegated...really bushy or hanging down type. The pot is in front of two Tacca...No direct sun but bright indirect light. Will take photo of the setting and post tomorrow. Get your thinking caps on....I would love some help!!!
Planting Questions...ah, what to do?
How big is the pot?
p.s. glad to see your post; I was worried about you hope you were not impacted by the quake.
OOOOPs, got to get the picture taken!!
That variegated Pandanus is a slow grower...but don't be fooled...it can get huge!!!!
Carol
shaken not stirred in Hawaii. The next day after the earthquake we had a storm of Biblical proportions...thunder and lightening for 5 hours AND 15" of rain.
Ah, the tropics!
How about a
Caricature Plant , Graptophyllum pictum do pretty well in pots and indirect light, although you may want to turn the pot everycouple of weeks as they tend to folllow the light. I use it a lot in the garden and as they are inexpensive for the size I dont mind replacing them if they get out of control. it may get too big for your needs.
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/2568/index.html
How about Alpinia Zerumbet.....or do they already grow like weeds 'round there?? LOL!!
I think these are lovely in a pot, and IMHO they're easy to care for.
(Lots of great photos of this one in the PF)
http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/34414/
Celt...I am really looking for something a bit smaller....as you can see from the picture it is for the pot out in front.... Nan...Alpinia zerumbet dies down in the winter and I was trying to avoid that. Since the Tacca have such large full green leaves...thinking I want something variegated to contrast and light up that spot....
OH...the white things in the pot are styrofoam peanuts...I use them in the bottoms of my pots to make them lighter to move around. The soil ooooches down around them and roots have no problem...they are a good filler for tropicals (and the medium of choice for many little Japanese ladies who sell for the church bazaars).
Croton? Lots of new colors and shapes out there. The Tacca leaves are so bold, you almost need something equally as bold or it will get lost.
Carol - I know the Pandanus would eventually get huge (if I let it) but it won't be very soon. I will keep it in check! There are several yards around here with mature specimens so I know what I'm in for.
Obviously you are looking for something much smaller-scale. What about a ponytail palm? (Beaucarnea Recurvata); they are very slow growers too and I love their dramatic looks. Didn't someone recently post a picture of a variegated one?
....true. Or variegated and leafy to create a contrast in texture, no? Crotons don't do super well in the shade here. AH...perhaps some Ti...like Miss Andrea with her yellows and she does like shade!!!!
I think the "Pony Tail Palm' would be SUPER...and variegated even better!!! Anyone know where I can find one?
This message was edited Oct 18, 2006 3:37 PM
How about some variegated Chlorophytum cosmosum (Spider Plant)... They stay realatively small, and get 'spiders' (Babies on the ends of the flower stalks) that hang out over the edges of the plant. They do well in light to medium shade and are easy to take care of, too.
There's a nice pony tail palm on ebay right now ,i saw it last night, can't post a link but its listed with this description.
VARIEGATED Pony Tail Palm, Caudex, Succulent, Bonsai
What about a Calathea , Stromanthea or an Aglaonema all favorites of mine with great variegation and slow growing.
I'm not sure how well this plant will do or how common it is, but it is used as an indoor container plant here: http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/2004/index.html , Breynia disticha, which I just noticed has a "Hawaiian" common name. The light foliage, variegation, reddish foliage makes a nice light container plant for an entrance. The only concern I'd have with Pandanus is the spines on the leaves. Every time I move my containerized Pandanus I get sliced by the spines. The other thought I had was one of the Aspidistras - variegated. They are very tough and I have the "Milky Way" - it survived a greenhouse fire that melted the glass roof. I have some other thoughts but my question is how close to the stairs are the planters and how much clearance do you have?
The Snow on the mountain is pretty but a fast grower.
The variegated Pandanus has no spines!
I had also thought of Ti plants - they are a new favorite of mine but since you're in Hawaii I thought it was quite redundant to suggest it LOL. I have found some lovely varieties lately and have also traded with a member here. There are some dwarf varieties that would be a good choice. Miss Andrea sounds very pretty.
I love Miss Andrea; the colors are different all the time and she has a beautiful rounded shape, but for me she is a slow grower.
The white flowered Tacca I just got has leaves that are close to 4' long and 8" wide. Will yours get that big? It looks shorter in that picture. My Miss Andrea would be too small for my Tacca although she probably would grow faster and taller in HI.
Snow on the Mountain can become quite a HUGE weed here. I have bought a variegated 'Pony Tail', I think it would be wonderful there!!! I have the same 'questions' for the other side of the walk...and think I will do the Miss Andrea over there. You are right...she is the perfect slow grower for that area. I also have some differently colored sports from one of mine....one has bronze/gold/pink colors and the other is simply yellow and green. She sports a lot!!!
The Tacca on the left is the 'grey' one...the small one is black. They have not been treated fairly and are slightly stunted....they should take off soon!!!
Thanks for all your help...you guys really started me thinking!!!
Carol
Me too! you really got me thinking about what to put with my Tacca. It will be on my front porch for the winter and I think I will use a colorful begonia in front. I hope to be in FL next week and perhaps I will find a varigated pony tail but if I don't there are plenty of begonias around here.
My Miss Andrea is the bronze/pink/cream color and she is in the ground.