Looking more at home on a coral reef than in a rock garden the spectacular colours of Fascicularia bicolor brighten up late summer flower beds. Needs plenty of sun and well drained soil, and, may be a trifle tender. Worth the effort, I think you'll agree.
Looks just like a sea anemone! Are you growing this one outside?
Hi Baa,
Yes, the photo was taken outside last autumn. The plant didn't take too kindly to the spring cold. It's still alive, and, growing well again, but, some fleecing was necessary. Might do well in a pot, and put in the greenhouse over winter. There are some enormous specimens on the seafront in Falmouth. I bought mine at Trebah Gardens in Cornwall.
I bought one of these from Urbanjungle 2 years ago. It's in a pot and I keep it in a cold greenhouse over winter. No damage under cover, and it's quite big with plenty of shoots but I keep wondering when it will flower. Perhaps this hot summer will produce them.
That's a good shot prophet, it looks different to the one's I've seen, perhaps at a different stage?
Maybe you could grow another one in a pot as insurance, they make plenty of offsets. I keep wondering how that flower is going to fit in the middle of them, there is so many shoots squashed close together. The pics make them look big, or are they small?
Hi wallaby,
Yes, the photo is a bit deceiving. The flowers are quite small compared to the rest of the plant, but, rather unusual I think you'll agree. Mine didn't produce the red leaf colouring nor flowers in it's first two seasons. They need to be really sunbaked, so a hot dry spot is essential. Seems to be very drought tolerant too. In the seafront gardens at Falmouth they are planted in huge drifts on south facing slopes where the red leaf display is shown to maximum effect.
