I just bought this terrarium the other day. I want to plant it with very PINK leafed AVs or even a related plant if it is very PINK leafed. Do you know any names I should look for of very PINK ones and a good store source for them? And of course ones you think which would do well in here. Thanks.
Hi Kell: I would suggest the Episcia 'Strawberry Patch'. It does awesome in a terrarium setting!
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/133005/
edited to add: E. 'Cleopatra' also has a lot of pink in the leaves: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/135574/
or: E. 'Kee Wee' with pink veining in the leaves: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/113657/
or: This one that's on my "wish" list: E. 'Unpredictable Helen' http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/130988/
can you tell I love Episcia's??
This message was edited Nov 29, 2007 5:19 PM
Fittonia is an Angel Exotica which comes in green and white, pink and white and all shades of red and white. It loves the humidity.
I have found that you have to be careful with standard avs to be sure they are not a large one. Sometimes even the minis or semi miniature are better for terrariums.
Episcias are wonderful........but you have to be careful with the greens in them depending on what you have in your terrarium already.
Here are a couple of pics of ideas......let me also find some more. This just happens to be Summer Dreams but Lin mentioned Cleopatra and there are Hidden Valley and many other lighter shades.
Silver Dust is this one but Silver Skies is a good small grower for terrariums.
Pink Patches is a wonderful variegated av.
I didn't take a pic of Wrangler's Dixie Celebration. Her pink is a lighter pink than Pink Patches
I found a picture of one of my favorite fittonias.
Kell: I forgot to say how much I LOVE that Terrarium! I would love to find one like it.
Gail: I love the Epicia you called 'Summer Dreams' ... the label in the photo says 'Pink Dreams' .... gotta google that one! I got a little one in trade awhile back from cjolene (I think) that wasn't labeled and it sorta looks like that one. I love that colorful foliage!
I think I have a little one of Silver Dust too!
I had a Beautiful Pink Fittonia that was in my 10 gal Aquarium/Terrarium for a few months ... it got so huge I had to take it out and it is not a happy camper now. Looks pretty sad. I might have to find a large jar terrarium just for it by itself.
The smaller avs tend to bloom longer. This is Little Miss Shimmer. I also love trailers in a terrarium. Let me find some pictures for you of trailers.
********Lin, you are right..oh I am getting old. It is called Pink Dreams and not Summer!
I want to help her find some trailers to mix with all this.............they bloom so long and are so easy to grow. Let me look.
There are so many mini trailers with pink
You can always add color with sinningias
Rob always has these wonderful variegated minis. I wish I didn't hate to ship so much as I have so many plants. You can twist my arm if you need to.
I just noticed a semi mini Snuggles Little Dreamer on my shelf in variegated pink and white foliage with pink double blooms.
oooooh - That last picture with the label of "Squeeze Toy" is really nice! I've never seen that one before! Love that light foliage!
Kell, I just remembered I also have several of Rambling Spots and other trailers......let me take a quick pic
I don't know how to tell someone what they need. I just look around and find whatever is growing. Thanksgiving weekend my 4 year old grandson wanted to take home a big terrarium that he had made. I have to admit that i cringed just a 'little bit' as he took my last plants of some kinds.
I didn't say a word. His mom reports that his terrarium is the hit of the neighborhood now. My grandson is quite proud of himself.
OOO gail I'm ooo'ing and aw'ing over that pink dreams too. And the sqeeze toy is so cute!
Kell, is that a cloche? I love it! Why do I never run across anything that good, darnit?
Isn't that a fabulous container. It definitely looks like the 'real thing' !
I Love cloches! I found this website awhile back with some really nice ones:
http://www.englishcreekgardens.com/Cloche1.htm
Some can be quite expensive!
Oh my, I am going to go nuts on these. I used to look at all the pinks Snowrose would enter in PlantFiles and be in love.
I love the ones that are seriously pink leaves. Thanks you so much Plantladylin for all your suggestions and links. I am definitely sold on adding one of those very PINK episcia or 2. And some very variegated AVs too.
Oh Gail, that semi mini Snuggles Little Dreamer is too cute. So who is Rob and I sure hope he has a store. If I mound up some dirt I should be able to add a mini trailer too. And a mini fern to add some floozy lime green.
I am getting so excited. And I must admit I have a huge round glass bowl to make another one too. I have a friend who plants these and she gave me the terrarium lust.
Diane, I saw the terrarium at a big Christmas sale at a place called Filoli, a historic garden here. It was at their huge fundraiser. I was taken for it but then I so enjoy their gardens I didn't mind. The lady put 2 pieces together to make it so it didn't come like that. The base is such a cool looking thingie. It is made out of weird stuff. Very natural looking. The glass part will sit higher when it is filled with dirt. I guess it could be called a cloche. She said it was their only one so but of course that made me just have to get it.
Thank you Gail for such great pictures. I just love looking at pictures!
They also had these for $85 which were much smaller and the base has no depth to it. The plant inside is fake.
You must not show me these wonderful things, Lin!
I do understand now why people choose to only grow a few kinds of gesneriads and no more, though. (Terrariums don't count..lol)
My poor chiritas get too much water wicking them and the Kohlerias don't get enough water. I think it may be easier to just pick several kinds to grow and call it a day.
kell, I just remembered a wonderful lime green in episcias.......that would be Topaz which blooms yellow when it does bloom.
(By the way, I am heartbroken that Snow is not around. She was and is my mentor. Everything I know I learned from her ........still sad but hoping she starts posting again.
Oh dear, what a cool site. I wonder if that is where Filoli got theirs. They charged me $95 just for the top part and $30 for the base. I will have to measure mine and see how much I got overcharged. Mine is huge though!
kell, it would be much easier for you to ask people on DG on the Av forum what they have. The babies that you would get from Rob will be so little you will cry.
I know that Lyndon Lyons sends much bigger plants than Rob'sVioletBarn.
But, i don't know what he carries.........
Just remember that the light episcias have almost a sage green in them.....like Cleopatra, etc. while this Topaz is truly a lime green.
Here is another episica called Suomi
I didn't show you a pic of Snuggles Little Dreamer.......that was Squeeze Toy
I will take a quick pic of her
**you can't even see her blooms
Check Garden Watchdog for reviews on various vendors. I've been pleased with my plants from Rob's, although I only ordered AVs.
Some of the Episcias, like 'Hidden Valley', only seem to do really well for people when they're in a terrarium. You've had a lot of great suggestions for your terrarium!
This is a dwarf ruellia......as usual, everything wonderful came from Snow at some point. She sent me cuttings and this is about the 20th time I have taken cuttings. She has a pink vein running down the leaf.
My Hidden Valley came from Snow, too.
I will go to bed with a few minis which do great in a terrarium.
it is taking too much time to upload..
Let me find one collage of minis.....
good night everyone...Lin, Kell, Critter and Diane
I was looking for a collage of minis and came across Unpredictable Valley???? that is what it says
i can't find my mini collages but i am going to bed with this one! (LOL)
Night Gail!
Because I just had my first brug bloom i decided to end the evening with a trip to the brug forum and look what is going on with Kell. I didn't know you knew so much about this wonderful plant. Enjoy AV ladies
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/554205/
I have never seen a 'real-life trailer AV' (LOL) before.Have always wanted one, so will have to find them somewhere spring!
I just got my first Brug cuttings from someone on here(for postage) and potted them up. Keeping my fingers crossed they'll root! Rosamond and New Orleans Lady
I was big into brugs for a long time. They are fun but got a bit boring for me. Funny today I moved about 50 1 gallon "special" brugs from one side of the yard to the other. They were put in 1 gallon cans last year and I never moved them up. I am so bad. I promised them I would move them up in March. They really are such a forgiving plant. But they are so buggy! I will say I became so curious to see what the blooms would look like. I wish I had moved them up.
The secret with brugs is keep moving them up in pot size as soon as they can be moved, and fertilizer heavily. They love foliar feeds too. Or put them in the ground and toss handfuls of fertilizer at them every time you walk past. LOL And beware, they multiple like rabbits.
I am definitely going to be on the hunt for some of your pretties. Just so beautiful! Thanks everyone for helping me.
