Plant Category: Mexico

Tradescantia spathacea ‘Concolor’ is an upright-growing Tradescantia that forms compact plants made up of handsome rosettes of attractive green foliage.  The pointed leaves are large in size; the foliage is nice and smooth with a lovely sheen.  This plant’s white flowers are borne within green bracts and are held tightly to the plant’s stem.  I am really fond of Tradecantia spathacea ‘Concolor’; it’s a tidy and compact Tradescantia with thicker and much longer leaves than the other varieties I’ve grown. 

Tradescantia pallida ‘Purpurea’ is an intriguing Tradescantia cultivar with olive-green coloured foliage that turns a deep purple colour in light and bright rooms.  I admire this plant’s foliage as it retains an underlying tone of olive-green beneath the purple, which looks beautiful.  This is a fast-growing form of Tradescantia with upright growth that eventually develops a trailing habit as the stems lengthen and the plant ages. 

Tradescantia pallida ‘Purple Pixie’ is a very pretty form of Tradescantia with attractive, small, oval-shaped leaves in shades of greyish-green that take on a strong purple tint when the plants are grown in bright, south-facing rooms.  This Tradescantia has an upright growing habit but will develop trailing growth as the plants’ age and their stems lengthen.  The foliage has a light covering of soft, downy hairs. 

Tradescantia zebrina ‘Superba’ are attractive trailing plants with handsome purple and silver variegated foliage.  Each leaf displays wide bands of silver either side of a central purple stripe and every leaf is enhanced with a fine purple outline.  NB: The purple colouration is more subtle when plants are grown in softer lighting, as you see in the leaves of the plant at the top of this page. 

I am such a fan of Tradescantia sillamontana, I adore this Tradescantia’s woolly foliage!  If I was designing a house for a houseplant flower fairy, the blankets on the fairies’ beds would be made from cosy Tradescantia sillamontana leaves and where these thick leaves have a lovely curve and depth to them – they would make the perfect cot for a flower fairy baby. 

Tradescantia zebrina ‘Burgundy’ is a charming, naturally trailing, sprawling plant with silver and burgundy striped leaves.  Leaf colour will vary on individual plants according to the light levels and different growing conditions the plants experience.  Plants grown in areas that enjoy brighter sunlight, which are only watered when their growing media has begun to dry out will display more vibrantly coloured foliage with a more vivid purple colouring than plants grown in poorer quality sunlight.

I must confess that I am a little doubtful that my Selaginella plants that you can see in my photograph above are actually true Selaginella apoda.  However, for more than three years I’ve seen exactly the same type of Selaginella on sale at various nurseries and chains of garden centres and all of the plants were labelled as Selaginella apoda – and so I may well be wrong and this maybe the correct name for this plant. 

I bought this endearing little plant about ten years ago.  For me this is a truly charming terrarium plant.  I adore Goeppertia micans leaves; their foliage may appear to be lovely, but fairly ordinary plain green, narrow leaves, but when you touch this foliage it’s a delightful surprise to discover that these leaves are sumptuously soft!  The undersides of every leaf are smooth and silky, they feel like the softest velvet. 

Juniper is also known by its botanical name, Juniperus communis.  Juniperus communis is an evergreen conifer with spiky needles.  Plants are very hardy and they flourish in exposed and sheltered locations.  These plants need a bright and sunny position; Juniperus communis is happy growing in almost any moist but well-drained soil, including stony ground and chalk.  When choosing where to plant Juniperus communis, avoid shaded areas and soils that are prone to water-logging. 

Maxillaria acutifolia is a small and compact orchid species from: Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Leeward Islands, Mexico, Venezula, Trinidad and Tobago.  From winter to springtime, mature Maxillaria acutifolia plants produce these very cute yellow-orange coloured flowers, which are fragrant and have a nice scent.  The blooms are held low down at the base of the plant, underneath the leaves; however the blooms aren’t completely obscured and the flowers can be easily admired.

Huauzontle (also known as Aztec Broccoli or by its botanical name Chenopodium berlandieri) is an easy to grow annual from Mexico.  Due to their similar appearances, this vegetable is easily identifiable as being a relation of the common weed, Fat Hen (which itself is another edible plant).  Huauzontle plants produce edible leaves and teeny tiny flowers, which are eaten as newly formed buds, in a similar way to Broccoli. 

French beans (known by their botanical name, Phaseolus vulgaris) are such lovely vegetables to grow.  These plants are both productive and decorative, with attractive flowers.  French beans are super plants that will truly enhance your garden; the beans they produce taste delicious, too!

Firstly, take care to select the type of French bean you want to grow.  There are two types of French beans: tall climbing French beans (often called ‘Pole Beans’) that grow up to 8ft (2.5m) tall (and taller!)

I love growing blueberries!  Blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum and Vaccinium angustifolium) are deciduous shrubs that produce sublime tasting berries.  These handsome plants produce tasty fruit but they bring added interest to the garden with their intriguing white, bell-shaped flowers, which are adored by bees in springtime and their vibrant autumn leaves.  In autumn, blueberries deliver stunning leaf colours, turning vivid shades of orange and red before falling.

Pilea microphylla is a low-growing tender perennial; it’s a native plant of Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and nearby countries.  This is a very small-leaved plant with teeny, tiny leaves that measure just 1-2mm (0.04-0.08″) in size.  At first glance, Pilea microphylla looks rather similar to mosses or ferns.  I am afraid that I am hopelessly in love with Pilea microphylla.  This diminutive plant would be an ideal choice for an indoor fairy garden!

Callisia repens is a low growing, tender herbaceous perennial plant from Mexico, North, Central, and South America.  Plants thrive in partially shaded conditions, in shallow, free draining, acid soils.  This easy-to-grow plant readily adapts to a range of circumstances; tolerating both brighter and more shaded environments, as well as moist, humid, and drier conditions and neutral compost and soils; making Callisia repens a superb houseplant, thats hard to kill!

Chilli peppers (also known as chillies, chile peppers, and by their botanical names of Capsicum annuum, Capsicum frutescens, Capsicum baccatum, Capsicum pubescens, and Capsicum chinense) are a group of tender vegetables that flourish in warm and sunny conditions.  Gardeners can grow green, white, red, yellow, orange, purple, black, and indigo, coloured chillies.  Chilli peppers are decorative and handsome plants that can enhance your garden as well as producing peppers to compliment your meals.

Sweet pepper plants (also known as peppers, bell peppers, Capsicums, or by their botanical name of Capsicum annuum) are tender vegetables that thrive in warm, bright and sunny areas.  When all risk of frost has passed, sweet pepper plants can be grown outside in the garden, but until then the seedlings need to be grown in a warm, protected environment – a greenhouse or conservatory is ideal. 

Courgettes, also known as Zucchini (and by the botanical name of Cucurbita pepo), are tender vegetables that are very productive and rewarding to grow.  Courgettes vary from one variety to another; you’ll find seeds of yellow courgettes (like my plant in the photograph above), pale forms of courgette that are such a soft green they’re almost white, as well as light green, very dark green courgettes, and striped courgettes. 

Epiphyllum anguliger is quite an extraordinary looking cactus!  This plant is also known as the Fishbone Cactus, the Rick Rack Cactus, and the Zig Zag Cactus, due to their absolutely marvellous leaves that display a mesmerisingly wavy, zig zag form.  I adore them!

It’s not only this plant’s leaves that are unusual.  Epiphyllum anguliger plants are epiphytic.  Rather than growing in the soil, or in the sand – which is where we think of most cacti growing, these epiphytic cacti grow at the top of trees, in the deciduous tropical forests of Mexico. 

Cosmos atrosanguineus is a summer flowering perennial.  Plants produce slender flowering stems, which are each topped with small dusky chocolatey maroon coloured, open flowers.  Like other Cosmos, Cosmos atrosanguineus flowers are popular with bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects.  Deadhead the flowers as they fade, to prolong your plant’s flowering and help your plant to produce more flowers.

I enjoy growing Cosmos atrosanguineus; this is a lovely plant to have in your garden.