Lycianthes rantonnetii

Lycianthes rantonnetii, known in English as blue potato bush, Paraguay nightshade, or blue lycianthes, and in French as arbre à gentiane, is a shrub native to Paraguay and Argentina, with small (2-3 cm) blue-violet flowers.

In Toronto, it must be grown indoors, like this standard at Allan Gardens.

Pachystachys lutea

Pachystachys lutea, known in English as golden shrimp plant or lollipop plant and in French as panache d'officier or pachystachys jaune, is a tender evergreen shrub with spikes of white flowers emerging from bright yellow bracts.

Here in Toronto, this tropical flower must be grown indoors. I photographed this specimen at Allan Gardens.

Solanum pseudocapsicum

Solanum pseudocapsicum, known in English as Jerusalem cherry or Madeira winter cherry and in French as pommier d'amour, is a tropical perennial related to tomatoes. Unlike tomatoes, its fruit are strictly ornamental; they are poisonous for humans, cats, dogs, and birds.

In Toronto, Jerusalem cherry must be grown indoors during the cold seasons. These plants were photographed at Allan Gardens.

Rhododendron simsii

Rhododendron simsii, known in English as Indian azalea and in French as azalé de l'Inde and azalé de Formose, is an evergreen shrub from Asia grown for its masses of pink, white, red, or mauve blossoms.

Not surprisingly, Indian azalea is not hardy enough to withstand Toronto winters. It can, however, be grown as a houseplant, and spend summers outside if desired. I photographed these azaleas at Allan Gardens. And of course, there are hardy azaleas available.

Agave multifilifera

Agave multifilifera, known in English and French as chahuiqui, is a succulent with a rosette of dark green spiky leaves ornamented with curly white hairs on the edges. Like all agaves, it dies after flowering and producing fruit.

This is another hot-climate plant that Torontonians must grow indoors. The plants above were photographed in the succulent and cactus greenhouse at Allan Gardens.

Fuchsia sp.: flower

Fuchsia is a genus of plants, mostly shrubs, native to South America, Central America, New Zealand, and Tahiti. They are grown for their numerous showy, dangling flowers, in shades of fuchsia (of course), purple, white. These tropical plants can go outside during the Toronto summer and make pretty houseplants the rest of the year. This blossom was photographed in Allan Gardens' greenhouse.

Echinocactus grusonii

Echinocactus grusonii, known in English as "golden barrel cactus", "golden ball", or "mother-in-law's cushion", and in French as coussin de belle-mère, is a fast-growing roughly spherical cactus native to Mexico. Golden barrel cactus can reach a diameter of up to a metre. Although it is popular in cultivation because it is easy to grow, it has become rare in its native habitat. The flowers, the remains of which can be seen in the photo above, are yellow.

In Toronto, golden barrel cactus may be grown as a houseplant or in a greenhouse. This photo was taken in the Allan Gardens conservatory.

Brunfelsia pauciflora: flowers

Brunfelsia pauciflora, known in English as "yesterday, today and tomorrow" or "lady of the night" and in French as brunfelsie pauciflore is an evergreen shrub native to Brazil. The English name "yesterday, today and tomorrow" refers to an unusual property of the flowers—they change colour daily from purple to mauve to white.

Since this is a tropical plant, it's not going to survive outside in Toronto for long (it can be grown as a houseplant, or in a greenhouse like this specimen at Allan Gardens). Even with the right conditions, BackyardGardener.com describes Brunfelsia as being "high maintenance". It's also poisonous according to many sources. So I don't think I'll be attempting to grow this flower, beautiful as it is, any time soon.

Allan Gardens: a tropical escape from Toronto's winter!

This Sunday I spent an enjoyable hour on a tropical vacation, at the Allan Gardens greenhouses, located on Carlton east of Jarvis. (Not only a convenient location for me, but free too!) The entrance features a high domed ceiling and some very large plants. The tree on the left is a common screw pine (Pandanus utilis). In the background you can see the very large leaves of a banana tree (Musa spp.). In the greenhouse south of the entrance hall, seasonal bedding provides a carpet of colour beneath the larger permanent residents. Currently the bedding plants include azaleas (Rhododendron spp.), Cyclamen, daffodils (Narcissus spp.), and snowdrops (Galanthus spp.), with tulips (Tulipa spp.) and Crocus in bud. Also in the south greenhouse, a pond features a statue of Leda and the swan. The white frond like things in the background are actually ornamental cabbage or kale (Brassica oleracea) which has bolted. In person they looked like little white Christmas trees. In a greenhouse to the north of the entrance is a collection of cacti and other succulents.

I've got close-ups of some individual plants in the Allan Gardens greenhouses. I'll be posting them with short profiles as time permits.

Learn more about Allan Gardens:

• Allan Gardens site by Toronto Parks and Recreation
• Allan Gardens site by Toronto Botanical Garden, with information on adult ESL tours offered January through March
• Allan Gardens site by toronto.com