Welcome to week three of our column entitled Pretty Petals. Each week we will introduce you to a flower that we are working with here in the studio as well as flowers that we absolutely adore. Please join us every Thursday for some floral eye-candy where you will learn about a variety of very special blooms. This week we are chatting about the Medinilla plant.
If you are a lover of exotic looking flowers, the Medinilla Magnifica should most certainly peak your interest. It has become a new favourite for many people. It has gained such popularity in fact, that in January 2012 it won “Favourite New Flowering Plant” at the Tropical Plant Industry Exhibition Show.
Living Fresh had brought in this amazing beauty to feature at Mother’s Day and it has been flying off the shelves ever since. The Medinilla is the perfect patio plant – its big showy blooms are a guaranteed conversation piece. The biggest draw to this fabulous plant, aside from the fact that the blossoms are remarkable, is that it doesn’t require a lot of water. This has certainly been appealing to many of our clients because they needn’t worry about going away for the weekend and returning to a patio full of half dead annuals – a weekly water will suffice with the Medinilla.
Botanical name: Medinilla Magnifica
Common names: Chandelier Tree, Malaysian Orchid, Rose Grape
Country of origin: Philippines
Type: epiphyte (a plant that grows on other trees but does not withdraw its food from those trees)
Height: up to 4 feet tall
Light requirements: bright indirect light
Water: likes to dry out between watering
Humidity: high
Temperature: 17 to 25 degrees celcius
Zone: 5 (southern Ontario included)
Price: $30 – $50 (6″-8″ pot)
If you are looking for a low maintenance plant for that bright, cool spot on your patio – a spot that doesn’t get the direct afternoon sun, then look no further! But don’t hesitate because they are only available to purchase during the spring, and they sell out from the growing farms quickly.
