costus peruvulentus x barbatus

Although the costus has been propagated for the commercial nursery trade for quite some time, there is so little that we know about this incredibly diverse group of plants. Those that we come across in the nursery trade probably constitutes less than 20% of the species that has been discovered. This explains why there is a dearth of literature about the costus, either in books or on the web. If not for Dave's website, we wouldn't know that there are more than a hundred over different species of costus spread over several continents.

Unlike most other gingers, the costus is probably the most underrated plant in the zingiberaceae family. Only a couple of handful of species and hybrids ever make it as landscape plants, probably due to the fact that it is not as free-flowering as its cousins, the heliconias or the curcumas. Still, I find that the foliage and its spiraling effect lends texture to a heavily-planted tropical garden.

I found these growing in Ryan's garden. At the time, he didn't know what this was. Well, Dave didn't know either. Several months later, Ryan asserted that this was a natural hybrid consisting of the Costus peruvulentus x barbatus. Well, he can call it whatever he wants because no one out there would have a clue.

passiflora pfordtii tiger (purple tiger)

I ordered this little gem from Aloha Tropicals. It didn't take its journey from California too well, having been squashed in virtual darkness in a box for 7 days. Heck, even I would turn blue! But with a little tlc from moi, the pretty little thing started to bounce back to health. Within a week, it looked like it was ready to take on the fence! Anyway, it is now doing better than I am and has more or less acclimatised to our searing heat and choking humidity! Hopefully, it would start to produce the beautiful blooms so that I have something new to show off.

loot!

I have been ordering plants online, but mostly through the help of Lyndi who compiles our orders and takes charge of the coordination and logistics. However, in view of the dire lack of supply of costuses in Singapore, I decided to exercise some initiative by putting in an order of my own.

Initially, I wanted to put an order with Dave of Gingerus. But he refused to obtain a phytosanitary certificate (citing inconvenience), so I decided not to risk it and passed him over for other suppliers. I eventually settled for Aloha Tropicals.

To be very honest, I was a little apprehensive and wary about Aloha because i've heard mixed reviews. Although some people had positive things to say, most were generally unhappy with the service they received. Some even accused the owner Andy for either mixing up their orders or giving them plants which they never ordered. I held on to blind faith.

Andy was quite quick to collate my orders. The only paperwork he needed to do on his end was to procure a phytosanitary certificate, which costs USD90. The rest of the process was relatively easy and painless. Included in my order of costuses was a Passiflora pfordtii tiger and a Aristolochia brasiliensis.It was rather risky order these and they were relatively more fragile and had to be shipped in a soiless medium.

The import permit which costs SGD11 was payable by me at AVA during collection. Andy shipped my order via EMS and the transit between California and Singapore took about 4 working days. I ran into some difficulties when I was tracking my order because of the disruption over the Easter holidays. However, when the shipment did arrive, it was relatively easy tracking its status with Singpost (Speedpost). Within the same day, Speedpost sent my parcel for customs clearance before finally ending up at AVA.

Apart from the Costus red basal, which Andy substituted with the Zingiber Pagoda Jewel, Andy got the rest of my order (consisting of 18 plants) right. The quality of the plants cannot be questioned because all but one of the costuses have sprouted. Even the passiflora and Aristolochia which looked limp and dehydrated at first, has bounced back to health!

So what exactly, did I order?

Costus 'Peru Yellow'
Costus lavinger
Costus 'Peruvian pink'
Costus igneus fiery costus
Costus longibractiatus 'Kiss of Death'
Costus curvibractiatus 'Red Yellow Waxy'
Costus 'Red Ball'
Costus 'Eskimo Kiss'
Costus 'Peruvian Pineapple'
Costus 'Raspberry Yoghurt'
Costus 'Red Feathers'
Costus 'Belieze Chocolate'
Costus 'Vietnam Lavender'
Etlingera elatior 'Siam Rose'
Calathea casapito 'Bronze Pagoda'
Calathea maratina 'Black Cigar'
Passiflora pfordtii tiger
Aristolochia brasiliensis

With this order, I now have close to 50 different species of costuses! Does that make me the biggest collector of costuses in Singapore, after the ginger gardens? But there's still so much more out there to procure.

The Aristolochia brasiliensis (pictured below) or Pelican Flower is unlike any other Aristolochia. It is an extremely rare and exotic vine which i'm sure, would be the talking point of any tropical garden!

costus spectabilis

The Costus spectabilis has got to be one of the most unusual of costuses. Hailing from from Africa, this costus can produce huge succulent leaves that lie absolutely flat on the ground while the flowers are showy bright yellow. The plant has a natural dormancy and produces long snake-like rhizomes. It is reputedly one of the more difficult costuses to handle.

flowering angsana

Apart from the ubiquitous raintree (Samanea sama), the Angsana (Pterocarpus indicus) is (as a result of it being extensively and systematically planted in Singapore in the late 19th and 20th century) probably the only other wayside tree which is commonly found in our landscape. While the tree in itself may be familiar to most, not many are aware of its flowering habits. Unlike other wayside trees such as the raintree, the Flame of the Forest or the Tembusu, the Angsana does not flower as frequently as it is heavily dependant on persistent dry weather. Another unique characteristic of its flowering habits is the fact that the blossoms only last for a day before falling in the millions and carpeting the ground beneath the tree. Very reminiscent of fall.

Illawarra Flame Tree

We often hear about Singapore having only two seasons, either wet or dry season. However, this may not be entirely correct. From my own observations, we do appear to have spring. I say this because between the months of February and March this year, many trees around Singapore were in full bloom. This was particularly evident at the Singapore Botanic Gardens. In fact, I had a chance encounter with a fairly rare sight, which was the Illawarra Flame Tree in full bloom!

The Illawarra Flame Tree (Brachychiton acerifolius), is a large tree native to subtropical regions on the east coast of Australia. It is famous for the bright crimson bell-shaped flowers that often cover the whole tree when it is leafless. Along with other members of the Brachychiton genus, it is commonly referred to as a Kurrajong.

This tree is tolerant of temperate climates and is now cultivated world-over for its beauty. However, the maximum height of 40 m is reached only in the original, warmer, habitat. It usually grows to be about 20 m. Similarly to its Kurrajong relatives the leaves are variable, with up to 7 deep lobes. It is deciduous - shedding its leaves after the dry season. The spectacular flowering occurs in late spring and new foliage is ready for the summer rains. In areas where the winter is not particularly dry, this natural rhythm may become somewhat erratic and the tree may flower only partially.

Flowers are scarlet bells with 5 partially fused petals. The pod-like fruits (technically known as follicles) are dark brown, wide, boat-shaped and about 10 cm long. They contain masses of thin bristles that stick in the skin, as well as yellow seeds. These are nutritious and were eaten by Aborigines after toasting.

costus asplundii?

The thing about costuses is, until they flower, you may never know what species you're looking at. This often leaves people wondering and guessing.

frangipani

costus varzearum variegated

I got this variegated hybrid of the Costus varzearum from the nursery at Ang Mo Kio. I do not know where they got it from or who was responsible for hybridizing this, but they managed to cultivate quite a few pots from just one pot. As this is considered very rare and not found or listed on the market, I paid quite a handsome sum for it. Still, I think it's probably worth every penny because it is highly attractive and very easily to cultivate. I stuck some stem cuttings into pots of soil 2 weeks ago and new shoots have already started to emerge.

costus spiralis strawberry?

There are various costus in my collection which I have listed as "unknown" because their identity was not disclosed to me when they were either given to me or when I had acquired them. This particular specimen was given to me by Ryan a long time ago but it has never bloomed.

Lately, I noticed that one of the stalks have shown signs of an impending bloom and from the look of things, this is probably the Costus spiralis 'strawberry bud'. I say this because it closely resembles the specimen I saw at the Ginger Gardens. This costus is fairly unique because it has tough leathery leaves. It is also easily cultivated from stem cuttings.

tropical plant guide

There are quite a few guidebooks on tropical plants out there in the bookstores, but none I feel, can quite compare to this publication: 'Tropical Flowering Plants - A Guide to Identification and Cultivation' by Kirsten Albrecht Llamas. It is probably one of the most comprehensive guides around, containing more than 1500 colour photographs of tropical and sub-tropical flowering plants with descriptions of the families, genera, species and cultivars, including country of origin, general maintenance, propagation and horticultural use. This is truly a bible and a definite must have for any die-hard gardener!

plants that changed the world

I came across this at Borders yesterday and was immediately taken by its extremely beautiful cover. However, its contents are even more captivating. The author, John Newton fills this book with anecdotes on plants which have changed or influenced mankind. It is also accompanied by beautiful illustrations of botanical art. In John's own words, this book offers a guided tour of the intersection of both flora and fauna in all their complexity and variety, with all the wonders and woes that we have experienced along the way. This definitely deserves a space in my collection of books on plants.

strophanthus

I have got two species of Strophanthus in my garden; one is the Strophanthus gratus (Climbing Oleander) and the other the Strophanthus preussii (Medusa flower). The former produces very pretty pink flowers with a light fragrance. The latter produces small clusters of beautiful blooms with petals which have dangling, twisted sticky maroon threads. Both are reasonably low maintenance and requires some pruning to encourage bushier growth and flowering.

justicia carnea - brazilian plume

This tropical plant is native to northern areas of South America. They come in a range of colours but it is the pink one that holds most gardeners' attention. The bright pink, twin-lipped flowers are produced on large, fat spikes and hang downward in all directions.

The one amazing thing about these spectacular plants are the fact that it does best in shady conditions. One wouldn't have guessed it from looking at the beautiful flowers. I grow mine as a potted plant in my backyard in considerable shade but it does seem to be thriving very well.

It is a very easy plant to grow and regenerates fairly quickly producing new leaves and flowers. However, I would recommend trimming the plant after the flower spikes die off so as to encourage new growth. The plant also requires moist conditions to thrive.

I hear that there is a white flowering form and I cannot wait to get my hands on one.

the beautiful and the weird

If there is one tree I would like to plant in my garden, it has to be the cannonball tree or Couroupita guianensis, and it is not difficult to see why.

While the fruits may be spectacular in their own right, it is the flowers which are truly magnificent! In fact, the cannon ball tree is planted in gardens primarily because of its large, beautiful and pleasantly aromatic flowers. It is quite frankly, unlike any other flower a newcomer to the tropics has ever seen. Even the fruits are a botanical curiosity because they are in the shape and size of cannon balls that, like the flowers, arise from the trunk of the tree. And in contrast to the flowers, they release a foetid aroma when they hit the ground and break open.

Unfortunately, one would require a fairly large garden to grow this tree as the thick woody extensions that grow and cascade from the main brown scaly trunk of the tree does take up quite a bit of space. Still, it is a great specimen for any avid gardener and definitely a talking point of the garden.

Mature specimens can be found at the Singapore Botanic Gardens (Ginger Gardens), the Esplanade and Sembawang parks.

siam tulip

Curcumas are sometimes referred to as the `hidden ginger lily` primarily because of the lush, dense foliage that surrounds the blooms. The blooms come in a wide array of color and sizes and make for excellent cut flowers as they can last as long as two weeks. The most common variety is Curcuma Alismatifolia ‘Siam Tulip’ which is a wonderful pinky mauve that blooms all summer long.

Curcumas bloom spring, summer or fall depending on variety. This beautiful attractive dwarf species is a native of Thailand. It has long narrow pale green/blue stiff leaves and produces a pale purple/pink inflorescence on terminal spike, which can be used as cut flower. Curcumas are herbaceous perennials from Indochina, South East Asia, the Pacific Islands and northern Australia. They have broad, veined leaves, and small, brightly coloured flowers which emerge from large bracts. The flowers range in colour from white to pink, orange and shades of violet. The flower spikes last for several weeks. Curcumas die down in winter and re-emerge in spring, much like bulbs do.

the front and the back

brugmansia

The Brugmansia cutting which Lyndi gave me several months back bloomed today. I have not had much luck with getting it to bloom, partly because it is prone to being ravaged by caterpillars. It is also a heavy feeder and requires very moist fertile soil to thrive. Needless to say, copious amounts of water is required especially during the dry season to prevent the plant from looking limp and drying out.

Brugmansia belongs to a genus of six species of flowering plants in the family Solanaceae. It is native to subtropical regions of South America, along the Andes from Colombia to northern Chile, and also in southeastern Brazil. They are known as Angel's Trumpets, sharing that name with the closely related genus Datura. Brugmansia differs from Datura in being perennial and woody (Datura species are herbaceous), and in having large dramatic pendulous (not erect) flowers. They come in a range of colours such as white, yellow, pink and orange, and have a delicate, attractive scent with light, lemony overtones, most noticeable in early evening.

However, as attractive as the blooms may be, it should be noted that all parts of Brugmansia plants contain dangerous levels of poison and may be fatal if ingested by humans or animals. It is therefore quite strange that caterpillars seem almost immune to these toxic plants.

Brugs can be cultivated fairly easily from stem cuttings. However, do provide them with lots of water and morning sun during the growing stage.

spiny bromeliads and tillandsias

Over the last couple of months, I have been slowing amassing a collection of Tillandsias (also known as "air plants") and spiny bromeliads consisting mostly of Dyckias and Cryptanthus. Most of the latter were acquired from World Farm, which I understand, had taken over the entire collection from some guy who used to be very into these plants. The Tillandsias on the other hand were acquired mostly from elsewhere, with the latest lot from Chatuchak in Bangkok. The ease of care is probably the main reason why I like these plants. Also, their spiny form is highly dramatic and would look fantastic if incorporated appropriately into the garden-scape.