Outdoor Canna Tropicanna. My favorite house plant is Purple Passion. I love the color and fast growth.

Abutilon pictum 'Thompsonii', despite a strong showing by Strobilanthes dyerianus 'Persian Shield', pelargonium hortorum 'Skies of Italy', and heuchera 'Crimson Curls'.

Flowers are beautiful accents, but it's foliage that carries the garden!

My favorite is any plant that I started growing from seeds/cuttings and trained to different forms such as Bonsai or Topiary etc..... Plants are like children I just love them all. Thou, I do have a fair collection of Ficus, Polyscias, Dracaena, Euphorbia, Portulacaria, Jasmine and Sansevieria.

Ankrara's Hobby Corner

Mine is the Leopard plant. It remains me when I was a kid, my Mom had a beautiful one at home, in S America. I looked for it for years, not knowing the name in english, till the other day,: jkom51 responded to my question in this forum, and now, I'll have my favorite plant again! Thank you, again, jkom!

My favorite is the coleus. Especially the large ones! They grow to 3ft high and wide and look like shrubs! I could stare at them all day.

I have a few-I'm growing Black Mondo Grass in an antique blue pot-The contrast is very stimulating!Also,Phormium "Rainbow Warrior"(also in a blue pot) is the prettiest plant you could grow in a container-it's colors just glow in the sunlight.I'm also VERY fond of my rare Scented Geranium that has Gold and Chartreuse uniquely shaped leaves,with a neat lime/pine scent.I also have this unusual clump of Aeonium sedifolium,with it's smallish rosettes of clear green with red markings.It's Important To Use Plants With Colored Leaves For Permanent Interest-Flowers Are Such Fleeting Things!!

Ok, I like black mondo grass too, but my favorite foliage plant is HOSTAS! All the different shapes, colors, forms enchant me.

I love the Alocasia New guinea Gold, simply to die for grown outside. I also like the Calathea Rotundifolia, I use them in a large pot with snake orchids and Alocasia Amazonica. I only have 3 inside pots and they are my attempt at displays.

I also get really attached to some of my succulents, like my aloë and my agave that I can basically leave alone and they just do fine. They're cool because they don't need to be mollycoddled; let 'em be and they're better off.
Also, 2 lemon seedlings, started from store bought friut, which will probably never flower in the house. I like them because they're such a nice deep green, and they're really tough. (althougha little thorny).
~derek

Persian shield :) I just love it! Planted with Coleus for some nice contrast.

Stromanthe sanguinea 'Tricolor' is amazing. Also for gazing at are Fatsia japonica variegata, any of the variegated Rubber Plants (Ficus elastica), Dracaena reflexa 'Song of India', and a particular favourite of mine, Dracaena deremensis 'Warneckii'. A lot of the variegated Sansevierias also, S. 'Silver Frost', S.'Jade Dwarf marginata' etc. All cheer up the darkness of the Irish winter.

Hawaiian Ti (Cordyline fruticosa) are my all time favorites...there are so many variables with color, shape and size of leaf, growth rates that arranging plantings with contrasting colors and leaf shapes are striking....and they aren't seasonal!!!!!

Keaau, how hard are those to grow? I've heard they're fussy as houseplants, so I've been a bit wary of trying them; I do grow lots of their cousin dracaenas, but you are right, those coloured-leaf Cordylines are out of this world good-looking! The particular difficulty as I understand it is humidity, or should I say, lack of it, in homes. Do these plants require as much humidity as, say, Calatheas?

Marguerite - I would think that if you are growing Calatheas and Dracena...you could grow Ti. They aren't terribly fussy...but the indirect light should be bright and air with some moisture. They may not achieve the big size in your environment or as an indoor plant....but their colors should last. I would recommend one of the bolder colored Ti, not one with subtle coloring or very fine margins...

Connie

Thanks, Connie, then I think I will give one a go in a month or so, as things brighten up, to give it the best chance! They're on sale in a lot of places at the moment, but seem dull in colour, even some with rot!

I am so taken with cane, rhizomatous and rex begonias for foliage. Begonias have so many different growth habits, colors and kinds of markings that I'm pretty sure you could never, ever grow all of them but I'm going to try, lol.

Marguerite...too bad you are in Ireland...I could send you cane of Ti with the most gorgeous colors... Check out Aloha Ti at www.bigislandgrowers.com for a treat! Too bad your selection is so limited (and crummy)!

Never mind, Keaau, but thanks for the kind thought! With this global warming I expect they'll be growing outside here soon! :-)

I have lots of favorites because I work with plants everyday at a florist, but if I had to choose I would say the Snake plant. It is the closest thing to a fake plant that there is. You could stick that thing in the closet and it would still grow. As I've heard from other growers that say this plant literally "thrives on neglect"...a very hard plant to kill...I highly recommend it!

i totally agree with Ankrara, i love all my plants, but the ones you watch grom from seed or cutting to a baeutiful plant are always close to the heart. my favorite is the 'plant in anything and watch it thrive' spider plant. i have at least 5 different types and about 20 different plants at all ages (even two seedlings 8) i have one in a tea cup that cant hold tea anymore and it looks great. Pothos are my second favorite, the look so nice in a window with the sun comming through
peace and green thumbs forever
laura

A favorite?
No can do...lol!

I agree with keaau that the many Ti plant cultivars are outstanding, but I have terrible luck growing them! The orange colored one has especially caught my eye, recently.

I also agree with Nigella that rex and rhizomatus Begonias in general, with the never-ending array of colors, leaf shapes and textures can't be beat!

There's also some incredible Philodendrons, Epipremnum and Scindapsus that are 'to die for' as for leaf coloring and shape.

My *true* favorites, though, are those with interesting leaf *shapes*.
Some of those are Cussonias, Trevesia and the 'yet to be officially identified' (I think?) Schefflera 'nova', among others.

Hi,

I agree. No fair asking just one.

I really like my Crassula ovata variegata (tricolor jade). As well as my ceropegia woodii (string of hearts). And the one plant that is really fun is mimosa pudica (sensitive plant).

Larry

Hey Derek,

What agaves are you overwintering outside in RI?
My protoamericana kicked the bucket from humidity, although it had good drainage. I even brought it in for half the winter (2nd half).

Jeff

i am addicted to black plants in the gardan and my favorite is my black leaved Pittosporum. below is a webpage with my of my black plants including a photo of the Pittosporum.

Here is a link that might be useful: my black plants page

Oh dirtface (catchy name, btw) such a wonderful collection!!!
I love that black mondo grass. What's it's latin appelation? I gotta get me some!

Jeff_w, although I'm not overwintering any plants in the agave genus outside here, I do see 2 or 3 different species of green and variegated yuccas, both stemless and trunk-forming varieties. They send up beautiful white, bell shaped flowers in late spring, and are in the agave family. Indoors, I have a 15" diameter (plant not base) Agave americana variegata, and a medium sized Sansevieria trifasciata that just finished flowering about 2 weeks ago.
~derek