Monthly Archives: Wednesday December 30th, 2015

Cordyline fruticosa ‘Lyon’s Black’, the boldest cultivar

Canarius | Wednesday December 30th, 2015 |
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CORDYLINE-FRUTICOSA-CV

The genus Cordyline, belongs to the botanical family Asparagaceae, and it is native to Polynesia, New Zealand, Australia and S.E. Asia; also one species comes from South America.

In this case, we talk about the uncommon Cordyline fruticosa ‘Lyon’s Black’. This dark-leaved selection bears large sized, almost black leaves, with blueish wax. The whole plant is very erect and robust, 2 to 4,5 m tall. ‘Lyon’ s Black’ is one of the boldest cultivars. It was selected at Lyon Arboretum, in Honolulu, Hawaii. It typically blooms in Winter, with attractive sprays of pink-mauve flowers.

Its extremely dark foliage is a must in tropical gardens because it creates an incredible contrast with green backgrounds. The best colour is achieved in full sun.

As most large-sized Hawaiian cordylines, ‘Lyon’ s Black’ grows thick roots underground and is more resistant to wind, drought and cold than the smallest cultivars often sold in garden centres for indoor decoration. If its height is too much, it can be chopped in Spring at the desired height and it will soon sprout back from the cut stems.

About the exotic Cordylines

cordyline-fruticosa

Cordyline fruticosa is a marvelous foliage plant originating in the Pacific Islands. It adaptable to bright shade can grow indoors as a house plant. The wild type has green glossy leaves that are used throughout Polynesia to make food-wraps or the famous hula skirts. Many colourful cultivars have been selected for ornamental purposes.

Our Hawaiian selections will also be perfect in the tropical or subtropical garden. They can take cool temperatures but will be damaged or killed by frost. These “outdoor cultivars” bear leathery leaves and grow thick tuberous roots underground. They can even stand the cold winters of the coastal Mediterranean, especially if sheltered from the wind.

If you grow plants in full sun, you will obtain larger, robust specimens with thicker leaves. These plants will be much hardier to drought, wind and cold than plants grown in the shade.

Cordyline fruticosa ‘Lyon’s Black’, the boldest cultivar

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After a few years, pot-grown Cordylines can start to become tall and leggy. If so, they can be kept low by pruning or air layering the shoots that become too tall. They will sprout new shoots from the base or from the cut.

The plant that we offer at Canarius is 20-40 cm tall and it is about 1 year old from cutting. It is grown in a pot of about 12-14 cm. Would you like to try a Cordyline fruticosa “Lyon’s Black”? Get it right now from us!

 

Our chameleon-like bromeliad: Aechmea blanchetiana

Canarius | Friday December 18th, 2015 |
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aechmea-blanchetiana-bromeliad

Crop of pups of Aechmea blanchettiana, ready for shipping.

Crop of pups of Aechmea blanchettiana, ready for shipping.

Aechmea blanchetiana is a botanical species of the bromeliad family, originating in Brazil, from Bahia to Espirito Santo. It is a typical element of the vegetation that grows along the coasts, referred to as “restingas”, whose soils are generally poor and sandy.

This is one of the most popular bromeliads used for landscaping in tropical and subtropical countries. It can withstand powerful solar radiation, low availability of water and salty sea air. It is a plant that also endures shaded spaces, but the leaves turn green and rather soft and flaccid, therefore losing part of its beauty.

This large bromeliad is often used outdoors in full sun.

The genus name derives from the Greek “aichme” (spearhead) and the species is named after its discoverer, Jacques S. Blanchet. Currently,  Aechmea blanchetiana is widely used as an ornamental plant.

It is a large evergreen herbaceous plant that has a rosette with abundant leaves,  that turn bright orange when exposed to sunlight. Aechmeas are “tank-type bromeliad”, so leaves are arranged as a funnel and they form a central cavity, usually filled with water. Leaves are stiff, with soft spines at the apex and on the margins. Curiously, we could highlight that each rosette of Aechmea blanchetiana blooms only once  and then dies, but this process takes about two years and new “pups” are produced at the base of the mother plant. The blooming season starts in mid summer and the colourful branches last until the end of the year or even more, until they start bearing fruits. These  are small globose berries containing elliptical seeds about 1-2 mm long. It can be reproduced, not only by seed, but also vegetatively through the new “pups” that are born at the base and can be separated when they have reached a size of at least one third of the mother plant.

Frog inside an Aechmea blanchetiana

Frog inside an Aechmea blanchetiana

Currently, in the nursery of Canarius, we have lots of Aechmea blanchetiana, available in younger or adult sizes.

Furthermore, we also offer a large selection of bromeliads which are hard to find in European collections and gardens. Above all, thanks to the adaptation of these species to both the cold and dry heat of the Canary Islands (Spain), most of them can be grown outdoors in coastal mediterranean climates.

Plumeria ‘Japanese Lantern’

Canarius | Tuesday December 1st, 2015 |
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japanese-lantern1

Plumerias are small tropical trees native to tropical America, renowned for their flowers. Their common name, Frangipani, comes from a famous perfume of the eighteenth-century. Depending on the cultivar, they can grow up to 3 to 10 m tall. Moreover, plumerias are easy to grow, regardless of the region where you live.

plumerias-canariusWild species of Plumeria are native to warm tropical areas of the Caribbean, Central America and N. South America. These are very diverse in growth habit and their flowers are always white-and-yellow. They are all deciduous and shed leaves during the cool, dry season.

On the other hand, cultivated hybrids of Plumeria rubra are found throughout the world, in warm mediterranean to tropical areas. They are recognized by the showy and very fragrant flowers called Frangipani, developed in a wide range of colours: white, yellow, pink, red, orange…

Plumeria flowers have thick, waxy petals, with a predominance of two colours (depending on the hybrid), varying from the center to the edge of the petal, as we can see in this Plumeria ‘Japanese Lantern’:

 

japanese-lanternPlumeria “Japanese Lantern”

It is an old, classic, great cultivar of Plumeria, with drooping flower heads. Individual flowers have narrow petals, twisted at the tip. They are pink-red, with a small, brilliant yellow center.

‘Japanese Lantern’ is one of the few plumerias that blooms almost continuously throughout the warmest months – In the Canary Islands it can flower from April to December: 8 or 9 months per year instead of the typical 4-6 months of most cultivars. Some inflorescences can also survive to winter and start producing new flowers in early Spring.

The plant is very easy to grow and bloom. It is quite upright and thin at first but very robust eventually, becoming a long lived tree. It is perfect for landscaping where dense summer shade is required.

We ship a well rooted plant, 40-80 cm tall, sometimes branched, sometimes not. Usually an adult tip-cutting that can bloom in one year or less. Plumerias are leafless in winter and spring, so depending on the season, they can be shipped with pots or bare rooted in paper or sphagnum.

In our online store, Canarius, we have an ever-increasing offer of plumerias: Bali Whirl, Palermitana, Kauka Wilder, Sally Moragne… What is your favourite one?