Just like any area and hobby, gardening It also has its “fads”. Plant lovers and growers are also always on the lookout for novelties that the world of gardening has to offer. And this interest ranges from knowing the types of products and specific practices to take care of each plant, to what are the new species that emerge and fall in favor of the general public.
Keeping up with current trends in the gardening market, the agronomist from forth gardenMarcos Estevão Feliciano, separated some species that promise to be successful in 2023.
1. Orchid with Bib – for orchid lovers
Scientific name: Zygopetalum sp
Basic care: “Like all orchids, they need a lot of light, but not direct sunlight, they are epiphytic or rupicolous, so the substrate needs to be based on pine bark, coconut chips and charcoal to have good aeration. Fertilization should be done every 15 days with fertilizers for orchids.”
Curiosities: It is a kind of Brazilian orchid and gets its name from the fact that the union of its petals with the column and the lip (modified petal) create a “protrusion” that makes it look like it is hanging a bib.
2. Butterfly – for lovers of exotic flowers
Scientific name: Rotheca myricoides
Basic care: “It is a rustic plant, just add the basic care of watering, sun/light if you have specific needs for periodic pruning or something like that”
Curiosities: It is a perennial shrub, native to tropical Africa. It spends almost the whole year full of flowerswhich are small blue and with rounded petals, with little stems that resemble butterfly antennae, it is as if they had several blue butterflies perched on their branches.
3. Parachute Flower – for those in love with succulents
Scientific name: Ceropegia sandersonii
Basic care: “add the basic care of watering, sun/light if you have specific needs for periodic pruning or something like that”
Curiosities: belongs to the family of succulents and it is a vine, unusual in this group of plants. It is often confused with a carnivorous plant, because its flowers act as traps to attract pollinating insects. And it gets its name from the shape of its flowers, which are similar to a parachute.
4. Mini Sunflower – for lovers of mini plants
Scientific name: Helianthus annuus ‘sunny smile’
Basic care: “Like the others sunflowers It is an annual plant, which dries up after flowering and we have to replant its seeds, but its flowering has an excellent durability. If you bought one, keep it in a bright place, if possible with direct sunlight, water it when the soil starts to dry out and fertilize it with fertilizer for flowers every 15 days.”
Curiosity: The “Sunny Smile” can range from 6 to 18 inches tall and blooms best in the summer. Despite being small, its stalks are resistant, which is why it is perfect, for example, for those with children and pets at home.
5. Turtle Shell – for urban jungle lovers
Scientific name: Alocasia nebula ‘imperialis’
Basic care: “The care is similar to the other plants of Urban Junglekeep it in partial shade, water only when the substrate starts to dry and fertilize with a balanced fertilizer such as 13 05 13 complete with macro and micronutrients every 15 days.”
Curiosity: Its striking feature is the fact that it has “leathery” leaves (hard as leather), and may have color variations in shades of gray and green. In addition to perfect undulations, it has very marked veins and it is an exotic plant, with production here in Brazil still in its infancy.
Other species that came to stay
Begonia
A Begonia is another species that has already conquered space among gardening lovers, one of its most recent variations being the “Viking Begonia”, which takes this name precisely because of its rustic characteristic and highly resistant to extreme heat.
A curiosity is the fact that its leaves have a layer of natural protective wax/fat, which reflects sunlight and makes it resistant to dehydration, preventing it from losing too much water. In addition, it is a PANC, its flowers are edible so it brings flavor and beauty to the dishes.
kangaroo paw
Already the Anigozanthos It is a species of herbaceous plant that is also part of the exotic plant team. Known as “Kangaroo Paw”, it has two main characteristics that give it the association with the animal: first, the fact that it is native to southwest Australia (the same place of origin of kangaroos) and second, because it is rustic with attractive flowers. , tubular and covered with velvety hair, reminiscent of a kangaroo’s paws.
The flowers have vibrant or pastel tones of yellow, orange, red, green, brown, pink and purple and there are many different cultivars according to the purpose, which can be: cut flower, potted plant or landscaping, each with a different size. and in different colors.
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