On Sep 27, 12:06*pm, Sacha wrote:
On 2009-09-26 23:13:42 +0100, DaveP said:

Sacha wrote:

Yes but we're not growing it in the garden! *

Ray did say he thought it was a bit tender. I have it in a pot so I
can keep it in the sun close to the house wall - too much shade for
too long in most parts of the garden.

*Is that the Justicia carnea that we sell as the dark
leaf form - must be, I should think. *It's not something I can see
surviving here but who knows, maybe it's another that's worth a try in
a house border. *

That's the one. It's a tropical shrub from Brazil and most commonly
grown as a pot plant. There are two types of carnea, one with the
smooth purplish leaves and deep pink flowers and the form with the
rather velvety, greyish leaves and paler flowers. The former is more
tender and I doubt it would survive on the edge of Dartmoor, so it is
best left under glass.

Back to that red Nerine, it's yet another gloriously sunny day and
I've just had a really close look at the flowers. The sepals and
petals have reflective, crystalline patches of glistening coppery red
that I've not noticed before. Absolutely stunning! On the red front:
the big Callistemon (citrinus 'Splendens') thinks it is spring and is
about to burst into a mass of vivid scarlet 'bottlebrushes' again.