It is at times a good and an interesting change to grow few select varieties of plants. It can add charm to any garden, be it in ground, roof garden or even if these plants with special looks are grown in pots and containers of designs.
Some of them are:-
NOLINA: The base of the stem is almost globose with thin, long recurved leaves in tuft. It looks like a small fountain with both the globolous stem and falling leaves with a barren stem giving a different feeling whenever you look at this plant. Can be grown under all conditions with basic requirement of manure etc.
ADENIUM: A very unique shape with fleshy, thick-twisted stem grown in rock and pots with ease. Profusion of pink flowers when in bloom makes it one of the well sought after plant. Now with availability of hybrid varieties, many colour and shades of flowers can be added to your collection.
CALADIUMA: They are grown for their beautiful and attractive foliage. They are grown by planting bulbs, available in nurseries and garden centre. With numbers of varieties available, the splash of colour combinations in leaves is very wide with red, pink, green, white, purple margins and a lot more.
UMBRELLS GRASS: (Cyperus Atternifolius) is other evergreen with a differently looking leaf shape makes it a good plant collection anywhere. The cut leaves are used in flower arrangements as a green filler, but are an important ingredient in Ikebana arrangement.
GERBERA: There is a very wide range of varieties right from single flowering to hybrid varieties in colours.
Flowers almost round the year, is an attractive looking plant with good foliage and lovely flowers. Good for edging and to grow in pots. Does not like water stagnation. BRASSAIA ACTINOPHYLLA: Brassaias are plants of easy culture and add considerable interest in any garden. Actinophylla can grow into a tree size if planted in the ground, but is a successful plant for pot culture and can grow as indoors as well. With subject to withstanding pruning from the top, it forms a good look in a pot indoors. Lush green round the year does not require must care except normal soil and compost mix.
So add value to your collection in terms of colourful leaves, flowers and evergreen with different characteristics.
—Satish Mathur