Rare indoor plans Dublin Ireland Alocsia frydek

Some unusual plants for indoors and outdoors

October 3, 2023

We've always loved unusual or 'rare' plants. These are plants you don't see all that often, and their rareness makes them stand out The plants look different, even to the untrained eye, because you have never seen them before. Just like a special ingredient in a dish or a beautiful piece of clothing, they catch your attention because they are unfamiliar

At this time of year it's all about foliage: unusual markings or variegated leaves, dense canopies, huge scale or exotic shapes. Here are some highlights that we have in stock if you like that 'jungle look', or if you want something you're not going to see everywhere.

INDOORS there is a definite trend for variegated foliage. In fact, some of our plants are so well-priced and unusual that we have sent them abroad. So far we have a 100% success rate with shipping and the condition they arrive in, thanks to our expert packing team in Clare Street. Here are a few examples of the more unusual items that we have in stock at the moment.

Alocasia frydek 'Variegata'
Monstera adansonii 'Variegata'
Monstera deliciosa 'Variegata'
Monstera 'Thai Constellation'
Philodendron 'Florida Ghost', 'Pink Princess' and 'White Princess'

OUTDOORS the flowering perennials are dying back and our customers are starting to think about evergreen foliage to carry their gardens through the winter. We often suggest evergreen climbers, shrubs and bamboos as a good backdrop against walls and boundaries and to create structure. One of our best-selling climbers is Hydrangea seemannii, the unusual evergreen climbing hydrangea that is self-clinging and perfectly happy in the shade. Other good structural foliage plants include various Pittosporum, including Pittosporum eugeniodes 'Variegatum' or the ethereal Pittosporum 'Irene Patterson'. Compact newer varieties of Pittosporum include 'Golf Ball' and 'Silver Ball' which we frequently stock as they make good alternatives to box. For people who like a big explosion of foliage in the summer we can suggest Catalpa either as a tree, or pollarded as a backdrop in a larger border. We have Catalpa 'Aurea' and 'Purpurea' in stock. Two plants that we can rarely get our hands on are Tetrapanax 'Rex' and Schefflera taiwanica, both of which are hardy around the coastal parts of Dublin. We have a number of them coming into stock this week, and for anyone who loves big leaves and something out of the ordinary, we recommend that you drop into our Monkstown shop soon - they won't last long. Mix them in with some Fargesia 'Asian Wonder' or Phyllostachys nigra (both bamboo species that we generally stock) and some Dicksonia antarctica (tree ferns) that we have in smaller sizes, and you'll have a lush, mysterious jungle garden!