We always try to be fashion forward my household, so I expect that we will be the first in town to lay hands on the large and showy Medinilla magnifica.<\/p>\n
I saw one at a local nursery during the December holidays.\u00a0 It was big for a house plant–about three feet tall– and its broad, ribbed green leaves arched up and out from stout stems.\u00a0 The orchid pink flowers, also on arching stems, drooped down over the sides of the large pot.\u00a0 Each flower truss was about six inches long and vaguely conical, topped by four large, pale pink bracts and made up of scores of tiny bell-like flowers.\u00a0 The specimen I saw had six or eight large flower trusses, which made it look a bit like a floral chandelier.\u00a0 The effect was eye-catching.\u00a0 I had to know more.<\/p>\n
The 150 members of the Medinilla genus are sometimes called \u201cMalaysian orchids.\u201d\u00a0 Unfortunately for those who prefer common to Latin plant names, the magnifica species, native to the Philippines, has only its Latin moniker.\u00a0\u00a0 Though the plants are quite striking, no one has thought to give them an easy to remember handle like \u2018Imelda-wort,\u2019 or \u2018typhoon lily\u2019.\u00a0 If the plants catch on, I expect some PR person will come up with one.<\/p>\n
Medinilla may not have an easy name, but it is the subject of a big marketing campaign.\u00a0 Like many desirable things\u2014maple syrup, hydro-electric power and the idea of \u201cpeace order and good government\u201d\u2014the plants come from Canada.\u00a0 The Canadian wholesaler that produces them has created an entire Medinilla magnifica website, complete with alluring pictures and cultural information.\u00a0 The plants gained great attention at the annual 2012 \u201cCanada Blooms\u201d home and garden show. \u00a0One of the website pages even features a photo of a medinilla plant being held by an Elvis impersonator wearing a pink jacket that matches the flowers.\u00a0 You don\u2019t see that kind of thing every day.<\/p>\n
The magnifica species is epiphytic, like many orchids, and in its native rain forests, it grows in trees or sometimes in forest clearings.\u00a0 Like other epiphytes, the plants take their nutrients from the air, water and surrounding debris.\u00a0 I am not sure whether the one I saw in the nursery was growing in orchid mix, which is made of large bark chips, or potting soil.\u00a0 Watering the medinilla is the same as watering an orchid\u2014plunge the pot into a bowl or sink full of water, let it sit for about ten minutes and then return it to its growing position.<\/p>\n
One magnifica source noted that the plants probably thrive best in greenhouses.\u00a0 However the marketers are doing their best to convince the public otherwise.\u00a0 Suffice it to say that while the plants should only be watered when dry, they like humidity.\u00a0 If your house is like mine and the winter humidity level hovers at a measly twelve percent, your magnifica should be placed atop a tray of pebbles and water or misted regularly to generate the requisite moisture-laden air.<\/p>\n
Medinilla was apparently a favorite flower of King Baudoin of Belgium, who ruled from 1951 until 1993, and was featured on the Belgian 10,000 franc note in Baudoin\u2019s time.\u00a0 It is possible that the plants are better known and loved in Europe than North America.<\/p>\n
Inside, magnificas like a well lighted space.\u00a0 Like most of us, they benefit from summering outside on a porch or patio.\u00a0 Direct outdoor sunlight is too much for them and causes leaf burn, so the plants should be placed in a lightly shaded spot.\u00a0 Watering can proceed as normal.\u00a0 Make sure to bring them in before there is any danger of frost in the fall.<\/p>\n
So, how do fashionable gardeners everywhere get their hands on Medinilla magnifica?\u00a0 The website, http.www.medinilla.ca\/, lists retailers, but most are in Canada.\u00a0 The retailer that stocked the one I saw was not on the website\u2019s list of vendors, which indicates that the list has probably broadened out.\u00a0 Your best bet is to go to your local nursery and ask about the plant.\u00a0 Perhaps it can be ordered specially from a wholesaler.<\/p>\n
Or you can do what gardeners do best\u2014exercise patience.\u00a0 Medinilla magnifica has a lot of marketing might behind it right now.\u00a0 That might be enough to move it into the mainstream before very long.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
We always try to be fashion forward my household, so I expect that we will be the first in town to lay hands on the large and showy Medinilla magnifica. I saw one at a local nursery during the December holidays.\u00a0 It was big for a house plant–about three feet tall– and its broad, ribbed … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,5],"tags":[502,500,498,499,480,501],"class_list":["post-723","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general-interest","category-winter","tag-indoor-gardening","tag-malaysian-orchids","tag-medinilla","tag-tropical-plants","tag-winter-flowers","tag-winter-gardening"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/723","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=723"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/723\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":724,"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/723\/revisions\/724"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardenersapprentice.com\/gardeningtips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}