Also known as crepe or Malay ginger, (Syn. Cheilocostus speciosus) this is possibly the best known cultivated species of the genus Costus. These plants differ from the common ginger by having only one row of spirally arranged leaves. The flowers appear in late summer or early autumn, and are quite unusual looking, forming large red cone-shaped bracts, with several, pure white, crinkled flowers protruding from each cone. The flowers look like crepe paper - thus the common name of crepe ginger. After the flowers fade away, the attractive red cone-shaped bracts remain. This is the most cold- ... Learn More

A great ornamental plant, with bright yellow ginger-like, sweetly scented flowers, and oblong, pleated leaves. It brings an oriental influence to the garden, from its native Southeast Asia, where it is more commonly used as food wrapping, and the hair like fibres are used to make fishing nets, ropes and even false hair! This plant provides nectar and pollen for bees and a wide range of other pollinating insects which are always a welcome addition to any garden. It can also be cultivated as a houseplant. ... Learn More

Popularly sought by collectors but not common in cultivation, this recently described, elegant, slender species cycad is suited to tropical gardens which have a seasonally dry climate, although it also makes an impressive pot plant. With an attractive, smooth, yellowish trunk with a nicely rounded base, and green leaves, it is easy to grow, tolerating dry periods, and thrives best in full sun in a well drained soil. In the wild it grows on limestone cliffs from southeast Thailand to southern Vietnam. ... Learn More

One of the most attractive and easy-to-grow of all tropical plants, this gorgeous evergreen cycad produces branched stems, each one being topped by a crown of 30 - 40 leaves that can each be up to a meter long after several years. It is often a feature of hotel gardens in warmer countries where it produces a brown, furry, football-sized heart, from which, when it is mature, appears a cluster of attractive, egg-like, bright red seeds. Although it can grow larger in hot countries outside, in cooler countries it makes an imposing, very long-lived specimen in a large pot, and is perfect in a sun l ... Learn More

This attractive plant is short-stemmed, with a swollen trunk , forming a uniquely 'pot-bellied' base, and an attractive crown in cultivation. In cooler climates it is one of the few deciduous cycads, losing its leaves every winter, although fresh ones sprout reliably at the end of every winter. It is similar in character to Cycas circinalis in some respects, but darker in colour, with leaves more upright in growth, and it also appears to be a more rapid grower! ... Learn More

The "Umbrella Plant" makes an attractive feature in a bright window or sun lounge where it produces strong stems topped with striking umbrella-like spokes. On mature plants, sprays of white flowers appear. It may also be used as an impressive marginal plant in a pond or bog garden. If planted deeply it will survive the average winter although is best given winter protection. It is a native of the swamps of Madagascar and a relative of the famous Papyrus of the Nile river and is also sometimes called Umbrella Papyrus, Umbrella Sedge or Umbrella Palm. ... Learn More

Like its closely-related cousins the ordinary common tomatoes, the egg-size fruit makes good eating, and is typically made into jams or conserve, although it is recommended that the skin and seeds are removed before cooking. It is easily grown from seed and makes an attractive contrast to the more typical foliage of cannas, gingers and bananas. The roots of this plant are quite tough surviving moderate frosts, and in relatively mild areas usually re-grow from the base. It therefore makes either a fruiting shrub, or even a perennial tree, with a trunk, producing a crop of fruit yearly in warme ... Learn More

Delonix regia, "Flamboyant" or royal poinciana is a very distinctive, deciduous tropical tree with fern-like leaves,and large clusters of bright red and scarlet-orange blossoms, that is considered one of the most beautiful trees in the world! It produces enormous pendulous, 60 centimetre long seed pods! Although widely cultivated in the tropics since the 19th century, the native habitat of flamboyant was unknown to science until the 1930s, when it was rediscovered growing in the wild in Madagascar. The tree is commonly cultivated in the tropics and subtropics, but is under increasing threa ... Learn More

A small, lily-like plant growing to about 1m tall, it produces clusters of flax-like, green leaves and panicles with bright blue flowers, followed by attractive, dark blue to purplish fruits. Grows well on poor, sandy soils, and is particularly colourful, with golden hues and reddish margins to the leaves. It makes a great, colourful ground cover for tropical and frost free warm temperate climates and is great in containers. ... Learn More

This lovely tree is valued for its very large fragrant flowers, which are up to 5 inches or 12cm across and have five white, waxy petals and numerous yellow stamens, and arise solitary at the ends of the twigs facing downward. Later ripen its lemon-flavoured fruits which are used in jellies and curries, often mixed with coconut and spices to make chutneys. The thick attractive leaves are 15-36 cm long, with a conspicuously corrugated surface with impressed veins, rather like wavy potato chips. It is native to Southeast Asia and western Malaysia. ... Learn More

New, rare, delicious, and barely ever available in the Western World, the beige skin of this fruit contains luscious flesh which is sweet, tasty and delicious, and which is translucent white, with the shiny brown seed visible inside, looking like the pupil of an eye. As a result, they resemble the bulging eyes of the dragons often depicted in Chinese art. Closely related to lychees, they are native to China, Taiwan and South East Asia. The skin is hard and smooth, rather than softly-prickly like the common lychee, but peels off more easily than that of the lychee, rather like an egg shell! Con ... Learn More

This lovely, long-leafed shrub produces shiny leaves, whilst the flowers of this tree mature into attractive winged fruits which become red or purple as they mature, making it a popular garden plant in warmer areas. It has a wide distribution of areas where it will thrive, from subtropical to warm temperate region. The wood is unusually tough and durable and the Maori of New Zealand have used it to fashion clubs and other weapons, the Maori name for the shrub, akeake, meaning "forever and ever" ... Learn More

Velvety, fleshy, pulpy fruit, rather like a tomato or small apple, fills this rarely-seen member of, believe it or not, the willow family! An attractive tree at all times, it is widely grown in warm temperate to tropical gardens around the world. And as it is many-branching, and has a dense crown, It is also used as an inpenetrable hedging plant, on account of the masses of spines that adorn the inner branches. And finally, it has valuable uses in local and popular medicine, specifically for relieving pain and rheumatism. ... Learn More

Reputedly one of the world's oldest living plants, these amazing, evergreen, subtropical tree-like plants bear just a few branches of lance-shaped leaves, often crowded towards the tips. Mature plants produce fronds of fragrant greenish-white flowers, which are followed by attractive clusters of bright orange berries, each of which holds a sizeable, very hard, pearl-like seed. When the bark is damaged it exudes thick, red, blood-like sap, hence one of its common names! Making statuesque specimens in warmer countries, these are also superb, highly-valued, expensive pot plants elsewhere. It is ... Learn More

One of the most beautiful of the clumping/clustering palms, this is a beautiful specimen for smaller gardens and can be used as a smaller dramatic palm in a larger garden design also, and even in a large container. Native to montane forest throughout Madagascar, it is mostly admired for its prominently ringed multiple trunks which rtesemble tyhick sugar canes. It performs best in a sheltered, shaded site, however it will certainly take full sun as well. While it closely resembles the popular Golden Cane Palm (Dypsis lutescens), this one is more tolerant of cool conditions and light frosts, and ... Learn More