Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Habranthus tubispathus (syn. Habranthus texanus)

Family: (Amaryllidaceae)

Tender bulb to 8″.  Rio Grande Copper Lily.  Argentina and Uruguay.  Flowers have a copper-coloured exterior and are golden yellow within.  The solitary, upward facing blooms are 1½ inches in length and about the same diameter when open.  Blooms in the spring, but often, there is another flush in the fall.  Leaves appear after flowering.  Sun.  3 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Puya mirabilis

Family: (Bromeliaceae)

(TP) to 5′. Argentina and Bolivia. Silvery-brown, finely toothed leaves. Delicate, three petalled, chartreuse-green flowers with golden anthers appear intermittently on stalks up to five feet tall. A very distinct looking Puya. Choice. Sun. 4 & T2, keep moist

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Ornithogalum longibracteatum

Family: (Asparagaceae)

Tender bulb to 3′.  Pregnant Onion.  South Africa.  Beautiful spikes of white striped green, star-shaped flowers.  The smooth, green bulb becomes very large and produces many bulbils attached to the sides of the mother bulb.  These bulbils become flowering size very quickly.  The foliage is two inches wide and a smooth, glossy green.  An easy and fascinating houseplant.  Sun.  3 & T3, then may need 40º for 2-3 months.

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Puya chilensis

Family: (Bromeliaceae)

(TP) to 13′. An easy, “must-have” native to the arid hillsides of Central Chile. Dense, basal rosettes of pale green leaves reach up to three feet in length, and are amply equipped with hooked, leathery, marginal spines. In the wild, the flowers appear on stalks up to 10 feet tall atop which sits a three-foot long flowerhead. These prominent flowers have strident, green-yellow sepals, chartreuse petals, and bright yellow anthers. Our greenhouse specimen reaches a respectable five feet. Sun. 4 & T2, keep moist

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Tibouchina urvilleana

Family: (Melastomataceae)

(TP) to 12′. Princess Flower, Glory Bush. Brazil. The silky, saturated purple blooms are the best. These showy, five-petalled flowers appear on terminal, three-forked panicles and display long, purple stamens. Fresh green, ovate, and acute leaves have prominent, parallel veins and are felted with soft, white hairs. Cool temperatures cause the leaves to change colour to blushed peach to red. We have a handsome specimen in a warm greenhouse and we love adding smaller plants to the flower beds, and grow many in pots. Moist soil. Sun. 3 & T2

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Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Anomatheca laxa

Family: (Iridaceae)

Tender corm to 12″. A South African treasure for a sunny window. Single, six-tepalled, orange-red flowers with a dark red blotch at the base of the lower three petals. Flat, fan-shaped leaves. Blooms in April/May and is followed by a capsule filled with shiny, red seeds. Easy and charming. Sun. 3 & 6

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Arthropodium candidum Bronze Leaf

Family: (Asparagaceae)

Tender bulb to 12″. New Zealand. Starry white, six-petalled flowers bloom in early summer. Mottled bronze leaves are grass-like. Excellent for the cool greenhouse. Adorable. Sun. 3 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Arthropodium cirratum

Family: (Asparagaceae)

Tender bulb to 3′. Rienga Lily. New Zealand. Starry white flowers bloom in early summer with fascinating, tri-coloured purple and white stamens with yellow at the curled end. Fleshy, mid-green leaves are grass-like. Excellent for the cool greenhouse. Sun. 3 &T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Chasmanthe bicolor

Family: (Iridaceae)

Tender bulb to 3′. Two Colour Cobra Lily. A choice South African bulb to cheer your winter blues. Emerging from dormancy in late fall, the silky, sword-shaped leaves arranged in a fan, precede the hot-coloured blooms in mid-winter. The blooms are alternately arranged on a long raceme, which is laden with the eye-catching, six-petalled, tubular flowers that are up to 3 inches long and feature orange-scarlet upper and lateral tepals. The three, greenish yellow, lower tepals are fused forming a cylindrical perianth tube containing valuable nectar. Sun. 3 & T2

Scientific Name (Genus/Species): Dregea sinensis

Family: (Apocynaceae)

(TP). We grow this fabulous vine in a pot in our Pit House. Here, it twines around upright supports and runs along the eaves. In June, sweetly scented, waxy, white-blushed, pale pink clusters of flowers hang down from above. Native of China and used to be known as Wattakaka sinensis. Shame about the name change. What a treasure. Sun. 3 & T2