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If you’re looking for some warming colour to brighten up your winter garden, a medinilla might fill the spot. These evergreen flowering shrubs produce long-lasting flowers followed by panicles of colourful, ornamental berries.

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00:00 Medinillas
02:53 Hanging Basket Care

In their natural habitat, medinillas often grow as an epiphyte or semi epiphyte, so are suited to growing in a hanging basket.

🍃Featured plants: 🌿
Medinilla (Medinilla cv.)
Medinilla ‘Gregori Hambali’ (Medinilla maidenii cv. syn. M. coccinea cv.)
Medinilla ‘Giant Chandelier’ (Medinilla dolichophylla cv.)
Rose Grape (Medinilla magnifica)
Chandelier Medinilla (Medinilla pendula cv.)

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When the weather cools,
it can be hard to get motivated to leave the cosy indoors. But if you’re
a little plant-obsessed, like me, it’s a great opportunity
to go on the hunt for something. I’ll know it when I see it. I’m visiting a great little nursery in the heart of Sydney’s thriving
growing area, the Hills District. This place is filled
with all sorts of cascading greenery and plenty to catch the eye. Wow. Check out these medinillas. They’re just the thing
I’m looking for to add a bit of warmth and cheer
to the garden. Medinillas
are evergreen flowering shrubs, and the main attraction
is long-lasting blooms. And they also get
these pretty ornamental berries. The blooms and berries grow
from the main stem or woody trunk, rather than
from new growth or shoots. In botanical terms,
this is known as cauliflorous and is a feature of many plants
that grow in the tropics, and medinillas are very much from
the tropical regions of the world. And I love the lush leaves
of medinillas. In their tropical homes,
the leaves help capture water and nutrients for the plant. This one,
Medinilla coccinea Gregori Hambali, has these beautiful deep veins
and a red/purple underbelly. It’s tiny now, but it will grow into
a shrub about one to two metres tall. And look at the corky stems
on this one. It’s a taller variety
called Giant Chandelier. I don’t see this very often,
and I like it as a feature. I reckon as the stems age, they harden
to help keep the plant upright. This is Medinilla magnifica, renowned
for its pink pendulous flowers. They’re slow-growing
and can get up to two metres tall. This classic is widely grown
in Europe as an ornamental plant. This one’s also popular
with gardeners all over the world. It’s Medinilla pendula. It’s got these pink pendulous flowers
followed by these red/purple berries. The berries and the flowers can
appear on the plant at the same time, so the plant is constantly giving. It will grow to about a metre
in a few years. I’ve got my eye
on this Medinilla pendula hybrid. Look at how vibrant the berries are. If you want to grow them
in cooler climates, you’ll need to give them
protection from frost. Luckily, they’re happy in pots, so it’s easy to move
into an undercover spot. Now, let’s dig into how to
take care of my new favourite plant. I’ve chosen
this rustic hanging basket, and I’m lining it with coco fibre, which will retain
a free-draining mix. In their natural habitat, medinillas grow like an epiphyte or a semi-epiphyte. They may have adapted to grow
on rocks or on the forest floor, or the dispersed seed
may have sprouted from accumulated leaf debris and moss in the crook of a large tree
in the rainforest. So whether you’re growing medinillas
in a garden or in a pot, the key is
they need excellent drainage. I’m using two parts chunky
orchid bark to one part perlite and one part horticultural charcoal. And because the horticultural
charcoal and perlite can be dusty, I’ve pre-wet them. Just loosening some of the roots here so they’ll grow well
in their new home. Now, it’s a bit of a tight squeeze,
but if I do it carefully enough, I won’t damage any of the berries or the flowers. Success! I’m backfilling around the plant. Medinillas thrive with a liquid feed about once a week
during the growing season. And because their nutrition needs are similar to orchids, I’m using an orchid-specific fertiliser. This has a lower nitrogen to a slightly higher potassium level, and this will enhance
flowering and fruiting. As always, follow the instructions
on the label to get the right dose. When it comes to watering,
what I would say is don’t overwater. Never let a medinilla sit
in a pool of water, like a saucer. And conversely, don’t under-water. These plants
are not drought-tolerant. Aim for a watering regime
somewhere in the middle. Water regularly
during the warmer months and keep it on the drier side
during the cool months. They like
a well-lit semi-shaded position, protected
from strong direct sunlight, and definitely keep it away
from the hot afternoon sun. And what I find works well for
plants that have high humidity needs is to group them with other plants,
rather than on their own. Together, they shelter each other
and create a little microclimate. Alternatively, you can invest
in a greenhouse or humidifier. With a bit of commitment to care
for eye-catching medinillas, I guarantee these tropical treasures
will give back in spades with beautiful blooms, berries
and foliage fields all year round.

4 Comments

  1. I tried to recreate a scene from a romantic movie where they make out in the rain. Turns out, kissing in the rain is less romantic and more like being licked by a thousand wet puppies😘

  2. I love my ABC and support all you do. However, this is a large continent and gardening shows need to be a bit more specific about regional choices for plants. Please, title your videos so we can tell whether it's appropriate for us or not! I'm 2 hours south of Sydney near Canberra and that's a bit different from Sydney.

  3. As beautiful as they are, I see these plants as having the potential to become invasive with all those easily grown seeds. I love exotics but this one is not for me.

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