Re: Strobilanthes gossypinus and Hakgala Botanic Garden, Sri Lanka

I was wondering if any one in the group had ever tried
growing this plant in a mediterannean climate?  I came
across this growing in the high altitude town of
Newara Eliya, here in Sri Lanka, at 6100 foot
elevation, and again at the Hakgala Botanic Garden.  I
was most captivated by the plant, even without
flowers, it is full and well branched with very
decorative new foliage with a golden tomentose cast,
otherwise similar to a large leaved Tibouchina.   The
flowers are the typical lavender flowers as seen on
Strobilanthes dyerana, but larger and more robust.

I just had to buy some when I found it for sale at the
botanic garden, and will let everyone know if I
succede with it at home in Berkeley, California.  I am
hopeful, as the climate is so similar to ours, except
that the lows here never reach freezing, but only down
to 3.8 Celsius, with a mean of 15 Celcius, so it seems
a very good fit.  I was also surprised to see very
large and old Cupressus macrocarpus growing
everywhere, and looking just as good as they do along
the coast in northern California.  Other surprises
were seeing things like Eucalyptus citriodora and
Grevillea robusta being used as shade trees within the
tea plantations.  As they also have a 4 to 6 month dry
season here, (just about to be over, and starting
again in May), many local plants may actually do quite
well in a mild irrigated mediterannean climate.  The
local Rhododendron arboreum ssp zeylanicum was also
still blooming, and looking quite rugged and
spectacular, if slow to achieve tree size...

It makes me wish I could have gotten higher up to
Adam's Peak and Horton Plains/End of the World here in
the mountains, and seen even more cloud forest
species.  It will have to be another trip, I guess. 
At the lower altitude and quite sultry tropical, as I
mentioned before, the Amherstia nobilis, also noted as
one of the rarest and most beautiful flowering trees
in the world, (originally from Burma), are everywhere
in full bloom here.  Unfortunately, I am not sure if
this one can even be successfully grown in South
Florida or Hawaii...  Anyone know if it is grown in
the USA?

I hope that everyone enjoys the medit-plants
conference, and avails themselves of the local garden
tours as well, as they have put together a very good
list of designers/gardens.  Lotusland is not to be
missed either, and this may be the only way one can
get to see it without a year's advance reservation, so
go see it!

Written while in Kandy, Sri Lanka
David Feix(usually in Berkeley, California)

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