Sunday, September 6, 2009

Big, Leafy Greens

This is Xanthosoma--a great, statement-making foliage plant. The xanthosoma shown here is "Lime Ginger", a most spectacular shade of charteuse which serves as great contrast to purples, oranges, really just about anything. This is a tropical plant, so forget about trying to keep it alive through the winter unless you live in Hawaii or some other similar paradise. Also, it is not an inexpensive plant. I bought it at the beginning of the season as a 4" plant for $20. Yikes. But if you ask me, it's worth it. It grows fast, needs no attention as long as it's placed in part sun/part shade, and only requires water. Oh sure, it would probably be even more amazing if I fertilized a few times during the season but it's September already and I haven't done that once. So if you have similar tendencies, I'd recommend using a slow-release fertilizer when you first plant it. That should get you pretty good results.