Painted leaves in my garden

Native ferns

Strobilanthes Dyerianus or Persian Shield. Very beautiful with iridescent pink on the leaves.

Iresine herbstii. I received this red plant from my neighbour. There is also a varigatet green. It is one of the old fashioned plants. She called it also the Beefsteak plant. Odd name! It propagates very easely. When it has good conditions it can spread quickly and tower over smaller plants.


Cordyline or Dracena? I am not sure. I had the parent plant for 34 years. It was not a popular plant until the garden fashionistas discovered it and used it extenxively in landscaping.

Coleus (Solenostemon) This is one of my favorits. It is very showy in all the greenery. Does extremely well in my garden from spring into winter. From time to time I make new cuttings. Especially from a new seedling that has established itself. It seeds well but is not a nuiscence.In my garden it does well in semi shade.

Coleus (Solenostemon)

Marantas also called prayer plants because in the evening they fold up their leaves. This one is not invasive.

Maranta, This one is fairly invasive with its ryzomes. To contain it plant in a big pot. It is very attractive with its blue leaves

Philodendron, the name has the meaning that this plant likes to climb up trees, what it is exactly doing here. It is very easy to propagate. Cut a piece off and plant it and a new Philodendron will climb up a tree.

I always knew this plant as Rhoeo or(Moses in a Basket). Now it seems the botanists have done it again. They have it renamed Tradescantia ( and there are already many of those around!) Its proper name is Tradescantia bermudensis variegata. It has everything what I want from a plant. It is very beautiful, tough, looks practically after itself, grows fast and is very easy to propagate.

Dracaena reflexa or Pleomele reflexa family Agavacea, easy to grow and can be propagatet from cuttings.

Books to read: Virgin Earth..... Earthly Joys both books by Phillippa Gregory.