JungleSeeds

The well known florists Gardenia with pure white double flowers and a scent that will fill a room from a single bloom. Prefers soft water conditions and dislikes alkaline potting compost. It can be successfully grown in doors but they seem to do better in semi shade in a warm humid conservatory or greenhouse and brought indoors while in flower. One of our favourite greenhouse shrubs.

A beautiful climbing Lily with stunning crimson and yellow flowers. Best grown each year from the fat underground tubers, which are delicate and need storing dry in a warm place indoors before starting into growth again the following spring. Easily grown from seed it will attain 5ft to 6ft in a large pot in a sunny position given rich soil. Note: we  also sell Gloriosa tubers

A shrub often used in hedging in the tropics because of the small spines at the leaf axles, but these are not really a problem and far less thorny than bougainvillea! It grows quite quickly and produces terminal flower clusters in yellow and brown which is what caught our eye in Barbados. Peculiar seeds that do not look viable but fairly easy from seed and the plant can be kept in trim with pruning.

Hamelia patens, a fast growing scrambling shrub like plant, flowers late spring to early autumn and the flowers are bright orangish-red borne in clusters. The stems and flower stalks also have a red hue. The Firebush from Mexico is heat and drought tolerant and requires good drainage and a hot sunny position. Very popular with butterfly collectors that love the nectar. (The butterflies not the collectors!)

Fabulous large flowers on small shrubs that abound all over the tropics. One of these flowers in a native girl’s hair is perhaps one of the most thought of images to conjure up an Island paradise. We have found an excellent South Seas source of crossed hybrid seed for you to try out with a good colour range, but you will need a warm heated greenhouse or conservatory to grow these successfully. Hibiscus sinensis does not come true from seed but the following pictures represent the colour ranges you may achieve from the parent hybrids.

Easy growing colourful foliage plant for pot work or spot summer bedding. We offer a mixed colour spot range.

We have managed to find a source of fresh seed for Ixora, a bushy, rounded shrub that has long been a popular hedging plant in subtropical and tropical areas. Ixoras freely produce loose, corymb-like cymes, 2-5" across of red, orange, pink, or yellow flowers. This plant is a member of the Rubiaceae family which includes the Coffee plant and Gardenia. An excellent tropical pot plant subject, but feed with trace elements as it can suffer from iron deficiency.

We have managed to find a source of fresh seed for Ixora, a bushy, rounded shrub that has long been a popular hedging plant in subtropical and tropical areas. Ixoras freely produce loose, corymb-like cymes, 2-5" across of red, orange, pink, or yellow flowers. This plant is a member of the Rubiaceae family which includes the Coffee plant and Gardenia. An excellent tropical pot plant subject, but feed with trace elements as it can suffer from iron deficiency.

A common tree for tropical locations with soft ferny foliage and spectacular lilac blue flowers a bit like upright laburnum or the Paulownia in shape. A tree in full flower is a sight not to be missed! Easy to grow from seed but difficult to reach flowering size in the uk unless you have a very tall heated conservatory. Can be pot grown and stood outside in summer until it gets too large. Worth growing for the foliage alone.

An ideal conservatory plant, this highly ornamental, deciduous shrub or small tree from Asia bears large panicles of lovely white, pink or purple flowers with crinkled petals. It should flower the second year from seed, but can be kept pruned to keep it to a sensible size, as it flowers on the old wood in early summer. Maybe hardy in mild areas to -5˚C

If you do not have room inside or the location for a Lagerstroemia outside (in a warm micro climate), then this cultivar originating out of America, is an excellent alternative. Little Chief is a dwarf form of lagerstroemia indica growing only to a height of 1m with shades of pink to mauve flowers. An outstanding pot plant, flowering within 4 months from seed.

A popular house plant with it's large leathery split leaves, but I bet many of you are not aware how delicious the ripe fruit is? Given a large pot and a well lit position they flower when about 5ft tall or more but the fruit can take 12 months to ripen. The unripe fruit is extremely acid (worse than unripe rhubarb) but when soft cut into thin slices and served with ice cream it makes an unusual desert. Tastes like a cross between banana and pineapple. 

This well known shrub seen all over the South of France is a tough one, very tolerant of dry conditions and flowers profusely in full sun. The seed offered is mixed hybrids, but you may have to wait until the second year to see what colours you have grown. Easily over wintered in a cool or cold greenhouse as it will take a light frost without any serious damage.

A tender 18” tall perennial with tiny star shaped flowers in attractive umbels above dark green foliage. This variety has a natural branching habit and we offer a mixed packet of Pink, Red, Rose, White and Violet.

Large glossy cut leaves make this plant (I have grown it for perhaps 30 odd years) an excellent subject for indoor use. It is not always available from your local garden  centre and easily grown from seed. For the first 5 years or so it is clump forming but after that does establish a trunk. In the wild it is a slow tree climber. Tough and very tolerant of indoor conditions it is a must if you have not grown it before. 2ft tall until trunk develops with up to 2ft leaves.

Plumbago 'Escapade' blue has flowers that are slightly darker than those of the species, and which are indistinguishable from those of the hybrid 'Royal Cape'. A good mid- or dark blue Plumbago has been elusive till now and we are pleased to be able to offer this very floriferous F1 seed. Plumbago 'Escapade' white has good flowerscombined withan excellent branching habit that you might expect from an F1 hybrid.

A fleshy stemmed shrub for the warm greenhouse or conservatory requiring full sun and free draining soil. These seeds are from fast growing Cerise/Orange hybrid with excellent scent, however seed grown plants are variable and not true to type but the majority should produce cerise coloured flowers. Easy from seed but patience required to raise to flowering size in about 3 years. If you think you have a good position for this lovely plant in a warm conservatory then give it a try.

A fleshy stemmed shrub for the warm greenhouse or conservatory requiring full sun and free draining soil. These seeds are from fast growing Lemon and White hybrids with excellent scent, however seed grown plants are variable and not true to type but the majority should produce multi coloured flowers with some scarlet colouring. Easy from seed but patience required to raise to flowering size in about 3 years. If you think you have a good position for this lovely plant in a warm conservatory then give it a try.

A fleshy stemmed shrub for the warm greenhouse or conservatory requiring full sun and free draining soil. These seeds are from fast growing Lemon and White hybrids with excellent scent, however seed grown plants are variable and not true to type but the majority should produce yellow to white coloured flowers. Easy from seed but patience required to raise to flowering size in about 3 years. If you think you have a good position for this lovely plant in a warm conservatory then give it a try.

A fleshy stemmed shrub for the warm greenhouse or conservatory requiring full sun and free draining soil. They bear large flowers with a wonderful scent that permeates the air all over tropical gardens. Easy from seed but patience required to raise to flowering size in about 3 years. If you think you have a good position for this lovely plant in a warm conservatory then give it a try.  Our seed is from a specialist frangipani hybridiser, containing the latest mixed colour strains including, yellow, pink, red, white and many bicolours.

A fleshy stemmed shrub for the warm greenhouse or conservatory requiring full sun and free draining soil. These seeds are from a fast growing Pink Hybrid  that bears large pink and white flowers, however seed grown plants are variable and not true to type but the majority should produce pink coloured flowers. Easy from seed but patience required to raise to flowering size in about 3 years. If you think you have a good position for this lovely plant in a warm conservatory then give it a try.

>Protea are the world’s most unusual flowers native to South Africa, but not easy to grow. They need an acid compost so probably not practical even in a pot if you are in hard water area. If you want to have a go with these spectacular plants we have chosen the following varieties both for easiness and variety of form. The King Protea has outstanding flowers up to 12” across with dark pink bracts. Only 5' tall - the leaves are 5" and leathery.

Flower heads are 5” across rose to red colour with spoon shape bracts. Compact shrub to 7’ with dense oval leaves. Useful for growing in alkaline soil.

Beautiful 5” flower bracts very satiny with hues deep pink to salmon tipped in black fur. Cold tolerant to -7C, prefers acid but may be grown in lime-clay soil.

Beautiful 5” flower bracts very satiny with hues deep pink to salmon tipped in black fur. Cold tolerant to -7˚C, prefers acid but may be grown in lime-clay soil.

A common site in the tropics with its banana shaped leaves which are produced in a "fan" type pattern. The tree is called by it's common name for two reasons, first by offering the thirsty traveller water from within the leaf bases and secondly the tree tends to grow in an East/West plane as a helping compass guide. Easy enough to grow from seed but needs a warm conservatory to survive our winters.

A fast growing tropical tree from Brazil (18ft in a year from seed in its Brazilian habitat) that can be pruned to size for a warm greenhouse. 3ft long fern like leaves that are both light and touch sensitive makes this a very unusual plant. Very odd large flat seeds that after “edge nicking” and soaking for 4 hours excrete a mass of root like fibres from the damaged part of the seed as the water pressure swells the inside. After 2 days in a propagator a large tap root appears. Young trees exhibit a very sticky sap that traps small animals and insects to their death, leading many to believe that this tree is carnivorous! In our 2005 trials they did well as outdoor summer bedding in a warm position, while under glass they reached over 7ft in 4 months from seed.

A South American subtropical short lived shrub from the pea family, grown for it’s 4” long racemes of bright red flowers. Good for a conservatory, or used as a pot plant outside in summer in a sunny position. This is a new plant for us, thanks to one of our customers telling us about it. Water sparingly in winter when it should tolerate down to 5c or 10c in a heated conservatory.

A tropical open woodland plant from Africa and Madagascar grown for its large clusters of white flowers and large ovate leaves. This is the first time that I have been able to source seed for this pretty plant often seen in Kew or Wisley greenhouses. Needs a warm humid environment and space to grow it successfully with a minimum of 10c in winter.

A spectacular foliage plant for the conservatory even if you do not have room to get it to flowering size. If you really want to be experimental this giant Strelitzia from South Africa grows to 18ft with white and blue flowers. Not so cold hardy as Reginea.

A Bird of Paradise species that begins its early growth by looking like S. reginae but instead grows into many long spear shaped stalks in a reed-like manner and in clumping form surrounding the flowering "birds". This uncommon variety is in great demand and flowers more profusely. The flowers are almost identical to reginae but smaller- sorry about the price.

This plant is a definite must if you want to grow an exotic plant for the patio with stunning flowers. Hardier than it looks and capable of bearing a few degrees of frost, either in a micro climate or in an unheated conservatory. The bonus for waiting maybe three years for it to flower is that it is just beautiful and doesn't it just remind you of holidays in warmer climates? Germinates slowly but with reasonable success rates at a temperature of 25c to 30c.

We are really excited to be able to offer you again seed this year of a rare form of the Bird of Paradise from South Africa. The flowers are of a lovely yellow gold and purple, rather than the normal orange and blue, with large flower heads. Sorry about the price but really hard to source and expensive.

This fast growing tree from the Bignoniaceae family, also known as Pink poui, is a wide upright evergreen or deciduous tree with funnel-shaped, pink or lilac flowers. Tabebuia makes an excellent shade, lawn, or street tree, or border plant in the tropics, but it might be worth a try growing in pots for a large conservatory if kept pruned to size.

A tropical plant from India very reminiscent of Gardenia with scented white flowers and leaves like the coffea plant. An interesting alternative to grow and it has taken us two years to find a source of seed. An evergreen shrub growing to a height of 1.5m with a spread of 1m. A native of India, China and Thailand, it prefers well-composted, well-drained, sandy soils in a protected sunny or partly shady position, and is drought and frost tender although roots are prone to rot in poorly draining soil.  Seed should be planted within a few months of delivery as this rainforest species has a fairly short viability. Germination is not good even under ideal conditions. They should be sown into sand or sandy soil, kept warm and moist, but not wet.

A tropical south American plant with showy fragrant yellow or orange, funnel shaped flowers and leaves similar to Oleander. Needs a minimum of 10c and easy from the large 3 cornered ornamental but toxic seeds.

A fairly hardy shrub able to take a few degrees of frost. It has soft hairy leaves with spectacular flowers and the centre stamens look like a jungle spider - hence the name. I use mine as bedding for the late summer flowers and pot culture. The mixed South American species seed we offer is tiny, similar to gloxinia seed, so please don't expect a large packet!

Kirstenbosch Smoke Papers (Pkt of 5)

Many seeds can benefit from soaking in smoke impregnated water solution to simulate seed growth after natural bush fires in countries like Australia and South Africa. In particula Anigozanthus, Strelitzia and Protea benefit from this treatment enhancing the likely germination % but research suggests many other recalcitrent species can also benefit like Palms and Musa seed.

Cape Super Smoke Plus is an absorbent paper that is impregnated with fynbos-smoke-saturated water. The paper is then dried and sealed in a polythene packet. When dormant seeds require "smoking", a predetermined volume of water is added to the paper in a suitable container and the seeds are "smoke-primed" by soaking in the smoke-water solution for 24 hours. In order to have the maximum effect in breaking seed dormancy, a range of natural germination stimulators has been added to the smoke solution to overcome other forms of seed dormancy found in many species.

Each standard packet contains five papers, and 50ml water should be added to each paper. Each packet is thus sufficient to make up 250ml solution ( approx. 8½ oz. ) and enough to treat approximately 500 large seeds.

Germination -- Easy ■ Moderate ■ and Challenging ■

Backlog for Fresh Seed ♦

Hardiness - To -5°C җ To -10°C җҗ Fully Hardy җҗҗ

Needs Shady Position ☻ Sunny Position ☻ Water Loving ♥