Customer comments...
Dear Exotic and Unusual. I received a huge box this morning -- packed with super plants all of
which are now happily tucked in to the garden. Many thanks for your patience and help!
Best wishes, Helen Schrager
Quick guide...
Annuals- Tend to be killed off by frost or are best replaced each year to keep fresh vigorous plants.
Perennials- Live for several years if not many years generally increasing in width year on year giving more plants to be divided up for the garden. Usually very easily grown and don't require and winter protection.
Tender- Plants from warmer climates, they are perfect for growing outdoors through the warmer months or as indoor/ greenhouse/ conservatory plants. Ujnlike annuals tender perennials as worth protecting and reusing year up year. They need protection from frost as this can kill them, this can mean either wrapping up/ fleece etc or lifting the plant potting it up and keeping it frost free for the winter. Best to keep them "ticking over" in winter if you bring in by not overwatering and no feed. For more info search the net where you should find info specific for your plant.
Tuberous plants...
Plants like cannas, or rhizhome/ tuber type plants are best lifted potted up and kept barely moist to prevent rotting, start into growth by gently increasing water in the spring. Although many plants like canna ehemanii are perfectly hardy it is beneficial for bigger earlier plants to start them off indoors so they get a head start into growth.
Cautleya is perfectly happy being left out and flower vigorously each year.
Poisonous/irritant plants....
Many plants may have irritant effects on different people a good example is the common conifer that bring out skin rashes. We have mentioned plants that you should be cautious with but we haven't listed every potential property, by all means if in doubt please ask us. Eg Ricinus are particularly poisonous so ensure you handle with care and wash hands well. Keep out of reach of kiddies or plant eating pets. If in doubt treat all plants as being potentially irritant/dangerous.
The web is full of information on plant care we would strongly reccommend searching for useful tips and care advice.
Chilli Care
To get the most fruit once they flower at the top of the plant pinch out the growing tip of the leading shoot (usually the tallest shoot) this then forces the plant to flower lower down and of course the flowers lead to fruit. Once the flowers die you will see mini fruits beginning to form at this point for a maximum crop feed weekly with a high potash plant food this will encourage greater crops. Apparently occassionally giving a dressing of dried blood or calcium nitrate (garden centres) makes a tremendous difference. Don't pot up into bigger pots straight away, chillies and peppers grow better if moved up by a slightly bigger pot each time. If you were to use a 5" final pot size you wold have a smaller plant with less fruit but it would ripen earlier a bigger (8") pot gives a bigger plant, more fruit but will take slightly longer to ripen.
Agave Plant Care
Agave & Succulent Cultivation
These will be sent bareroot (removed from pot and compost carefully knocked from rootball) and wrapped up carefully to avoid damage, Agaves should be sent in this way it is quite normal. They have thick water storing leaves which enables them to travel well.
Upon arrival carefully remove from packaging, be warned the spines are painful and leaves because of their rigidity can be snapped if you dont handle with care. It is normal for the roots to appear dried and for the foliage to have shrivelled slightly, this will resolve itself.
Pot up your plants in a well drained mix as their natural habitat would have excellent drainage. A good mix would be normal multipurpose compost with added drainage you can use Perlite, Vermiculite, Sharp Sand or Grit or a mix of any. In fact Succulents will grown in normal compost alone but if you improve it with this added drainage you prevent waterlogging and give a good free draining mixture so its recommended for better growth. A cheap way of buying grit is to buy bird grit from a pet shop, at around 50p for a small bag its ideal if you dont need alot, alternatively you can buy Horticultural grit from the Garden Centre of large DIY stores; a large bag is around £3.50. Or more simply you can buy specific compost ready mixed for Cacti and Succulents; this will be clearly marked on the bag.
A 50/50 compost to drainage material mix is ideal.
The ideal plant pot is a shallow Terracotta one as Agaves and Succulents are relatively shallow rooted. Terracotta serves to ensure good drainage and shows off your plants to best effect.
Place a few crocks (brocken bits of pot or some stones) in the bottom of the pot, this makes sure that the drainage hole cant block, then pot up your Succulents ensuring that you dont bury the crown of the plant (where the wide base of the plant meets the root) as this would cause rotting. You can then add a top dressing of grit if you wish to again prevent rot if any leaves touch the surface of the soil and because it looks nicer.
Finally give a little water and place in a sunny spot. Being from desert/rocky areas they need full sun, very little water and will benefit from the occasional foliar feed perhaps once every few weeks in summer.
A little about Agaves...
The common name Century plant refers to the fact that Agaves will usually only flower once in their lifetime (Monocarpic), however it takes many years hence the century part of the name. Agaves reproduce through seed or offsets; these are small plantlets that form from the base of the parent plant. The flower spike of the Agave can be huge, thrusting into the air many meters on some species.
Offsets are more freely produced on some species and hybrids than others and it is your choice whether to leave these to grow alongside the parent as a clump of Agaves of whether to remove and keep the parent as one stunning architectural specimen, best showing off the perfect form.
And finally, provided they have sun, and very little water Agaves make spectacular easy to grow plants that can be used in the home or some species can be left outdoors once established.