Plant Category: Tender plants

Courgette ‘Striato d’Italia’ is a traditional striped green Italian courgette.  This variety produces ribbed courgettes, but their ridges aren’t quite as pronounced as the more visibly ribbed courgettes that Courgette ‘Costata Romanesco’ plants produce.  On the plus side – I find that Courgette ‘Striato d’Italia’ forms smaller sized plants than Courgette ‘Costata Romanesco’.

Here in the UK, we can sow courgette seeds in containers of peat-free compost inside under the protection of a greenhouse, polytunnel, or conservatory from April until the end of June. 

I find that Courgette ‘Costata Romanesco’ forms rather large, sprawling plants that are bigger than most courgette varieties – so this isn’t the right choice of courgette plant for you if you garden in a very small space.  Happily, there are more compact courgette varieties available.  If you have room to grow a large courgette plant, you might want to try Courgette ‘Costata Romanesco’ and taste its dark green and pale green striped, ribbed courgettes. 

Firstly, I must make it clear that the Shark’s Fin Melon Gourd is not a melon – it’s a squash.  Shark’s Fin Melon Gourd has many other common names, including Fig Leaf Gourd (as this plant’s leaves are a similar shape to fig leaves), Malabar Gourd, Chinese Kadu, Chilacayote Squash, and of course these plants are also known by their botanical name, which is Cucurbita ficifolia.

Sweet pepper ‘Hamik’ (also known by its botanical name, Capsicum annuum ‘Hamík’) was bred by Mr.Karel Zavadil from Semo.  This hybrid sweet pepper forms medium-sized plants that produce snack or lunch box-sized sweet peppers that ripen from a handsome green to vibrant orange in colour.  ‘Hamick’ sweet peppers are smaller than the standard-sized sweet peppers found in our supermarkets, but they are actually a really nice size – one that makes them very versatile. 

Henk van der Velde at Burpee NL is the plant breeder who we can thank for breeding the tomato known as ‘Bliss’.

‘Bliss’ is a superb tomato.  I find that ‘Bliss’ tomatoes take a little longer to produce a harvest than many of the other tomatoes I grow, but the plants more than make up for this, as they are productive and reliable, with the real bonus that ‘Bliss’ plants produce the most delicious tasting tomatoes! 

Tomato ‘Burlesque’ is a beefsteak tomato that was bred by Burpee.  ‘Burlesque’ is a traditional looking, ‘tomato red’ coloured, large beefsteak tomato.

Tomato ‘Burlesque’ is a lovely meaty tomato.  These tomatoes are juicy and sweet with a delicious, full flavour.  Burlesque’s flavour is at its most intense at the first moment you bite into the tomato.  I love to add ‘Burlesque’ tomatoes to sandwiches and salads; they are also a real delight served with torn basil leaves, a little olive oil and a sprinkle of salt, yummy! 

The House Tomato is an amazing heirloom variety that was bred in Russia, then brought to Canada in the 1890s.  This indeterminate tomato is a naturally dwarf plant that’s very low maintenance, needing no side-shoot removal and requiring no pruning or training whatsoever.  The House Tomato plant has been bred especially for growing in pots on a windowsill – it makes short, yet sturdy bush tomato plants that grow up to about 30cm (1ft) tall. 

‘Yellow Mimi’ is a cordon (indeterminate) tomato that produces extra large (and often wide) trusses of beautiful, yellow coloured, round, cherry tomatoes.  As they grow and develop, ‘Yellow Mimi’ tomatoes can appear for a time to be shaped like a plum tomato, but unless you pick the tomatoes early and ripen them then – this is a phase that doesn’t last – the tomatoes become spherical before ripening. 

‘Bottondoro’ is a cordon (indeterminate) tomato that produces medium-sized trusses of orange-coloured, round, cherry tomatoes.  Some cherry tomato fruits can be larger or smaller in size than others; ‘Bottondoro’ tomatoes are the standard size for a cherry tomato – they’re the size you’d expect a cherry tomato to be – perfect to eat whole in one bite!  Cherry tomatoes often have incredibly thin skins, which means the fruit can be liable to splitting, resulting in another drawback – as split tomatoes don’t keep for long. 

Tradescantia fluminensis can be found growing in the wild in the region that stretches from South Eastern and Southern Brazil through to North Argentina, where the plants grow primarily in the wet tropical biome.  Common names for Tradescantia fluminensis ‘Viridis’ include Spiderwort and Inch Plant, but there are many other common names.  These plants have sweet mid to dark green coloured foliage, whilst the undersides of the leaves are paler in colour and display a slightly silvery tint.

Tradescantia (Continental Group) ‘White Giant’ is a hybrid Tradescantia cultivar with variegated leaves that are striped with attractive fresh-green and white colours.  Tradescantia ‘White Giant’ produces white flowers in summertime; the blooms are pretty short-lived.

When I was a child, I passionately and intensely despised variegated plants.  Over the years, I’ve learnt to love some variegated houseplants; however, I don’t love all of them! 

Cyanotis somaliensis ‘Kitten Ears’ is from Northern Somalia where it grows in the desert biome and dry shrub-land biomes.  These plants have a bushy, trailing habit and long, lance-shaped leaves that have a fine covering of long hairs that look very attractive, especially when viewed by certain angles in the sunlight.

This plant makes a superb houseplant for a light and bright room. 

Goeppertia orbifolia is a tender plant that produces very handsome, striped leaves with alternate markings in shades of silver and green.  These striking plants thrive in a warm and humid environment and make wonderful houseplants in areas that enjoy bright but soft, filtered light.  Avoid growing Goeppertia orbifolia in areas with harsh lighting and afternoon sunshine, which tends to be more intense. 

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.

Platycerium bifurcatum is also know as the Staghorn Fern; this is a stunning evergreen fern that naturally grows as an epiphyte – establishing itself on the trunks and branches of trees in its native environment in the treetops and rainforests of Java, Polynesia, Australia, and Asia.  This is a slow-growing, long-lived fern that will enhance your home when grown as a houseplant. 

Kalanchoe blossfeldiana ‘Perfect White’ is a double-flowered form of Kalanchoe blossfeldiana with fully-double, snow-white coloured flowers.  The blooms are beautifully complimented by this plant’s gorgeous dark-green coloured, scallop-edged foliage.  Kalanchoe blossfeldiana ‘Perfect White’ is a houseplant that’s available to buy online or from garden centres, nurseries, or supermarkets.  In addition to this double-flowered, white form of Kalanchoe blossfeldiana that’s part of my houseplant collection, look out for Kalanchoe blossfeldiana forms with yellow, red, and pink flowers.

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. 

Alocasia ‘Ninja’ plants thrive in a very humid environment, making these plants ideally suited to growing inside a terrarium, vivarium, or bottle garden.  However, terrariums and bottle gardens are not universally the same, different enclosures will provide contrasting growing conditions.  When choosing a terrarium and deciding on a location to cultivate Alocasia ‘Ninja’, remember that these plants won’t be happy in a shaded environment – Alocasia ‘Ninja’ require bright but indirect light to be able to thrive. 

Pilea hitchcockii is a handsome little plant with attractive pointed leaves in intriguing shades of deep grey and chocolate-maroon, with tints of silver.  There’s a real depth to Pilea hitchcockii’s leaf colour; the combination of complimentary colour tones and such delicate and pretty serration along the leaf margins is exquisite.  I adore Pilea hitchcockii leaves!

This is a small, clump forming plant that thrives in bright but indirect light. 

Asplenium bulbiferum is a very beautiful subtropical fern from New Zealand.  I adore the light and airy, carrot top like fronds that Asplenium bulbiferum produces; overall it has a very graceful appearance.

This fern grows as an epiphyte – the ferns grow upon other plants, instead of growing as a terrestrial plant that grows with its roots in the soil.  I mount my Asplenium bulbiferum ferns on their own individual pieces of cork bark and gently secure their roots in place with a strip of material cut from an old pair of stockings.