Jim’s Plant of the Month:
This month’s jewels are the shrimp plants and their
relatives, the Acanthaceae. Most of you probably have some
variety of shrimp plant in your garden, and find that it grows like a weed. The
unusual and often harder-to-find species of Acanthaceae that I present
here grow equally well in Florida
gardens, and are generally much more impressive. What they all have in common
is a cluster or spike of bracts, from which the individual flowers sprout
several at a time over a period of days or weeks.
One of the newer varieties of shrimp plant (Justicia
brandegeana) alternately called Fruit Cocktail, Rainbow, and Harlequin, is
no longer hard to find, but still a great addition to brighten up the garden.
Like the older varieties, it is extremely easy to root from cuttings, and is
pretty much care-free as long as it gets enough water.
The yellow shrimp plant (Pachystachys lutea) is so
common that it is planted in large swaths in parks and at shopping centers. The
giant yellow shrimp plant, however, (Barleria oenotheroides) is
not a standard choice of landscapers. This is a pity, because the individual
flowers are much larger and more interesting in form than those of the common
variety. I may be able to root cuttings this summer. Ask at the August meeting!
The common red firespike (Odontonema strictum) is
very well known, and its cousin purple firespike 
(Odontonema callistachyum)
is finding its way into our gardens fairly quickly now, but it has a sister
with fuchsia-pink flowers that I have not seen at any Florida
nurseries. I’ll have some to share in a
couple of months. It does need a lot of water at first to get established, but
then once a week will do. Be sure to give it enough space, as it gets bigger
than you think it will!
Brazilian plume flower (Justicia carnea – formerly Jacobinia
carnea) is a great choice for bright color in shade or part shade, with
flowers that can be red, pink, or fuchsia on a 3’ to 4’ tall plant. A new
hybrid, Justicia ‘Orange Plume’, has bright orange flowers on a plant that
reaches only 2’ tall. It may be a while before I propagate this one, but we’ll
see! All varieties need to be kept moist to perform well.
My favorite Justicia relative is Brazilian red cloak (Megaskepasma
erythrochlamys), an enormous mounding plant for full sun. Unfortunately it
is very slow growing, and 2 years after planting from a 3 gallon pot, mine has
yet to bloom. Selby Botanical
Garden has 3 of them, and they are spectacular.
The last of this month’s jewels is a Justicia relative I
just discovered at Home Depot, where you won’t have to rely on me to propagate
it for you! It’s called Maracas Brazilian Fireworks (Porphyrocoma pohliana ‘Maracas’).
It has purplish-red bracts with lavender-purple flowers, and dark green leaves
with silver veins, quite a striking contrast. Supposedly it takes full sun, but
I’m keeping it in 70% shade at the moment, and it still needs water every day
or 2. I’m sure it will be less thirsty in the ground. Give it a try, and let me
know how it does for you.
President: Jim Nevers, president@rakesandbladesfl.com
Vice President: Ann Allen, vicepres@rakesandbladesfl.com
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Photographer: Brad Hissing, photos@rakesandbladesfl.com
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Program Coordinator:
Brian Cahill, programs@rakesandbladesfl.com
Host Coordinators:
Ann Allen, Marty Volpe, hosting@rakesandbladesfl.com
Potluck Committee:
Marty Volpe, Stan Trimmer, Scott Hoffman
potluck@rakesandbladesfl.com
