|Correa baeuerlenii bud detail|

What in the world?!  As if from the future, comes this fascinating flower formation that’s sure to get your mind reeling.  What look like spotted upside-down hats were once flat flying-saucer like flower buds.  The Plant Provocateur is a sucker for the freaky flora and this super cool evergreen Australian shrub delivers the goods.  Don’t know if you’ve met before but let me introduce you to the suavely supercool Correa baeuerlenii commonly referred to as the Chef’s Cap Correa.  Correas are commonly referred to as Australian Fuchsia.  Correa baeuerlenii grabs The Plant Provocateur’s attention a bit more than most correas because its flowers are so surreally sumptuous. Check it out.

|Correa baeuerlenii bud + flower formation|

One minute Correa baeuerlenii’s flower buds look like a u.f.o. and the next they resemble a chef’s cap or stovepipe hat!  So cool.  So unexpected.  Flowers are full of nectar and can bring the hummingbirds to the yard.  As an added bonus, Correas generally flower from late autumn to early spring, so when things are pretty dull and drab outside, they kick out a ‘florific’ fashion show of the latest in floral couture. Reminds me of the amazing hats my friend and milliner at House of Nines Design creates by hand.

|Correa baeuerlenii form + stem + flower detail|

And if the flowers of Correa baeuerlenii weren’t fashionable enough, this handsome shrub structures itself with rich red stems and glossy green, tidy foliage giving it additional sophisticated style and verdant versatility in both, are you ready for it…. sun and shade situations.  Yeah, I said it.  Correas can grow well in both sun and shade situations, which can be a hard quality to find in most garden plants.  Now I must admit, I’ve seen this plant looking its most stellar in part-shade to shade situations.

Correa baeuerlenii tends to grow as a rounded shrub up to 4 feet tall and wide.  It can look smashing with an occasional prune for shape and encouragement of bushier growth.  It likes part shade situations, well-draining, composted soil, regular water, and is hardy down to around 15 degrees fahrenheit/-9 degrees celsius.  When temps get cold Cb’s foliage tends to blush and turn red.  Giving us some festive realness.

Suave, debonair, fascinating.  Words to definitely describe one of the many awesome plants out there waiting to be discovered.  Why not invite Correa baeuerlenii into your plant lovin’ world and watch it capture your curiosity.  From flying saucer to chef’s cap…who would have thought?!

|Mimetes cucullatus floral detail|

What in the world?!  Is it some sort of Tarantula?  No.  It’s a new form of beauty.  Old world avant-garde for those seeking something a little different in their floral flair. Welcome to the world of Mimetes cucullatus also commonly known as the Common Pagoda or Rooistompie (meaning ‘Red Stump’).  This south african term is derived from the stump or stumps of this plant left after a fire and the new red growth that sprouts from it.  Mimetes cucullatus comes to us from the southwestern climes of South Africa’s Cape Province.  It’s in the Protea family and has not spent much time in the floral limelight.  Well, now is its time to shine.

|Mimetes cucullatus flower + form|

Mimetes cucullatus, the name Mimetes is derived from the greek term for ‘mimic’,  is an upright, evergreen shrub that can grow up to 5 feet tall and wide.  It produces multiple stems of bushy growth.  New growth is blushed in tones that range from bright red to rich rosé.  Now, for those that are familiar with other protea this characteristic may seem familiar.  This shrub’s characteristics are quite similar to those of some Leucadendrons and Leucospermums, however, there is one strikingly unique difference.  The distinctive flower heads of this shrub are more like a hybrid version of the previous genera.  Like Leucadendrons, they produce vividly colored bracts.  Like Leucospermums, they produce pin-like styles.  The difference is that the flowers of Mimetes cucullatus are produces directly below a leaf and emerge from a cylindrical hood.  Singly, the flowers are not much to write home about but, clustered in a colorful comb, terminally at the tops of stems, they resemble the fiery fantastical flames of a torch.  The look is seductively sophisticated and up until now been rarely seen by most plant lovers.

|Mimetes cucullatus details|

Mimetes cucullatus likes full sun locations, light, free-draining but moisture-rentative soil, regular water, and is hardy down to around 25 degrees fahrenheit/-3 degrees celsius.  It loves coastal conditions and benefits from pruning, which will keep you in red new growth year-round as well as give you some pretty cool floral cuttings.  Also, as it is in the Protea family, it does not like to be fertilized with phosphorus.  Results can be deadly.  It is indeed a plant with a unique mystique and a dandy physique. For those of you wanting your own try Annies Annuals or Australian Native Plants Nursery.  Tell ‘em The Plant Provocateur sent you!

|Phragmipedium schlimii floral detail|

That’s right.  Let yourself go.  Fall into a kaleidoscope of color.  But where are you headed?  Where will you end up?  You are going to a place of chic grandeur, far far away from the ordinary.  A place that soothes the soul and opens the mind with its stylish beauty.  Welcome to the fashionable fantasia of Phragmipedium schlimii. Phragma-what you say?  Phragmipedium schlimii is part of a group of elegant plants commonly referred to as South American Slipper Orchids.  This orchid comes from a history of obsession and greed.  One such species of it was discovered in Peru in 1981.  Once word got out, orchid hunters and paparazzi went wild, pillaging and destroying the site where it was found.  These orchids have the power to move or destroy mountains, so-to-speak.  Their beauty is that special!  Luckily, they are still with us by the power of  loving cultivation.  Why not grow some?!

|Phragmipedium schlimii floral profile|

Phragmipedium schlimii is yet another reason why the world should fall in love with flowers.  Something about the slipper shape is enchanting…like a fairy tale.  This particular slipper orchid comes to us from the Andes mountains running through Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.  It grows as a terrestrial orchid on narrow hillsides in lower elevation tropical forests that receive bright light and ample soil moisture. Phragmipedium schlimii produce fan-shaped, strap-like foot long foliage.  Its pleated leaf radiates a fresh, grass-green finish.  It produces tall flower stems that can hold anywhere from 5 to 8 buds.  Velvety flowers open up 2 inches across with a white base color stained and freckled in arousing rose hues blazoned with a lemon colored keel.  Again, mother nature gives us another chic example of exotic elegance.

|Phragmipedium schlimii bud + flower + foliage|

Phragmipedium schlimii likes bright light conditions and to be planted in either pure sphagnum moss, orchid bark mixed with pea-sized aggregate, or hydroponic expanded clay pellets.  Preferring bog-like conditions, it likes constant moisture, humidity, and warm temps (upper 50′s fahrenheit/14 degrees celsius to upper 70′s fahrenheit/25 degrees celsius).  Phragmipedium, in general, are sensitive to water. Distilled water works well.  It definitely is a greenhouse candidate.  But not all of us have a greenhouse handy.  So for those seeking the glory and grandeur of horticultural adventure, try growing it indoors in a deep plastic container and place that container in a shallow saucer with 2 inches of water.  Keep that water level as constant as you can but be sure to flush old standing water.  I hear that it can thrive in this scenario.  So I’m going to give it a go (going to an orchid sale tomorrow).  I’ll let you know how it goes.  Stay tuned…