Ghana: A Cool & Unusual Contrast of Flora Text and photos by Faye Brown Horticulturist, Memphis Botanic Garden
I
f you’ve had a chance to visit Memphis Botanic Garden since the beginning of May, your eye has likely been caught by a striking showcase of unusual plants as you enter the Visitors Center. In this horseshoe-shaped bed, we’re excited to share some of the rarest specimens from our collection - many of which have never been featured in a public display. This boldly colorful installation, which also includes a series of container plantings, was designed for the 2022 Memphis in May International Festival Salute to Ghana, and will remain on display through the summer. The selected plants originate from Africa and Madagascar, with most from the region of West Africa where Ghana is located. Though Ghana is a fairly small country in terms of square mileage - about the same size as the state of Oregon - its coastal location on the African continent includes multiple biomes, such as savannah grassland, tropical rainforest, and desert plateau. You’ll see this wide range represented in this fantastic display of flora. Additionally, we’ve included plants of significant agricultural and medicinal importance to the region. You may be drawn first toward a carpet of crimson and gold Kniphofia, which is also known as Red Hot Poker. This fun flower features whimsical wands waving high above tufts of slender, spiky foliage. Punctuating this section is the graceful Royal Poinciana tree. While the delicate, fern-like foliage of this tree is lovely on its own - the large, late summer blooms of scarlet will be the real show stoppers. Next up, you’ll see a sculptural element of palm trunks serving as a weighty backdrop for the wow factor of a towering trio of velvet leaf kalanchoe. The lamb-soft leaves of this otherworldly specimen contrast sharply with the jagged trunks which hold them aloft. Chances are, you’ve never seen a kalanchoe quite this colossal. The cast of actors surrounding the kalanchoe are
comparatively diminutive in size; however, they provide just as much interest. Fronting a sea of ebony and emerald elephant ears you’ll find our first featured euphorbia: Speckled Milk Bush. The color combo of this succulent, featuring chartreuse foliage flocked with magenta - is nothing short of fetching. Still, I’m sure you’ll agree that Speckled Milk Bush’s neighbor, though it sports a more monochromatic palette - takes the award hands down for best common name: Leaf of Life. Continue around the arch of the horseshoe, and you’ll encounter a shadier area dominated by multiple cultivars of a plant we’ve all come to know as Sansevieria, aka, snake plant, or mother in laws tongue (though technically the classification has changed, and these beauties now fall into the Dracaena category, along with favorites like corn plant and dragon plant.) Our vast collection of Sansevieria was graciously donated to the Garden over twenty years ago, and they’ve been lovingly cared for since by our horticultural staff. We think you’ll be amazed at how the same plant can take on so many different forms: short, cylindrical tangles; upright stacked fans; tree forms in miniature; lengthy sabers with razor sharp tips; and, the aptly named Whale Tail - an impressive specimen for sure. Before entering the Visitors Center, be sure to take a moment to admire the various Euphorbia in our large container arrangements. You’ll easily recognize the spindly Pencil Cactus, but in the opposite planter you’ll see its rare relative, the Flat Pencil Cactus. Adjacent pots provide an extreme textural contrast, like the undulating spikes of Euphorbia nivulia and a menacingly massive Crown of Thorns. NOTE: This special display bed is located in front of the Garden's Visitors Center and can be seen without purchasing Garden admission.
JULY / AUGUST 2022
|
4memphis.com
|
55
