{"product_id":"medinilla-myriantha","title":"Medinilla myriantha","description":"\u003cp\u003eMedinilla myriantha is the medinilla to try in the ground rather than as a table plant. It is a glossy leaved shrub from the Philippines that hangs loose, drooping clusters of small pink to mauve flowers from its branches through the warmer months, followed by berries that darken as they ripen. Australian nurseries often sell it as Malaysian orchid, although it is not an orchid and does not come from Malaysia. It has none of the big pink bracts of the florist's Medinilla magnifica, and in exchange it is generally regarded as tougher and less temperamental, which makes it the easier way into a genus with a reputation for sulking.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe foliage carries the plant for most of the year. The leaves are large, leathery and deep green, with curved veins running lengthwise from stalk to tip, the pattern that marks the melastome family. In a shaded bed it reads as a tropical foliage shrub, and the flower trusses are the bonus.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eShade, humidity and a frost free garden\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eTreat it as a plant for warm, humid gardens without frost. In coastal Queensland and the warmest pockets of northern New South Wales it can be planted out in bright, filtered shade under taller trees or on the east side of the house, where it gets gentle morning sun and avoids the afternoon heat. Hot western sun bleaches and scorches the leaves, and a dry, windy corner browns the margins. Growth stalls once nights fall below about 10 degrees and a cold snap marks the foliage, so in Sydney and further south it belongs in a large pot on a sheltered verandah, or indoors beside a bright window for the winter.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSoil matters more than feeding. Many medinillas grow perched on trees or mossy rocks in the wild, and even the ground growing ones want an open, crumbly soil rich in organic matter that drains within minutes of watering. Heavy clay, or a pot without drainage holes, leads to root rot, which shows first as leaves drooping while the soil is still wet. Build the bed up with composted bark and leaf mould.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBed, pot or wall: picking a medinilla\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eMyriantha has an upright, shrubby frame and is the medinilla most often grown in garden beds. \u003ca href=\"\/products\/medinilla-pendula\"\u003eMedinilla pendula\u003c\/a\u003e is the one to choose when you want the flowers hanging from a raised pot or spilling over a wall, while \u003ca href=\"\/products\/medinilla-scortechinii\"\u003eMedinilla scortechinii\u003c\/a\u003e spreads wider and carries coral to orange flowers rather than pink. Shrubs and foliage plants for the same filtered light are gathered in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/tropical-plants\"\u003eTropical Plants\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eHumid air, a winter rest and a light trim\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eKeep the soil evenly moist from spring to autumn, and on hot, dry days water around the plant as well as at the roots; humid air is what it misses most in a southern garden or an air conditioned room. Ease back in winter, letting the surface dry between drinks, which also helps it set buds for the next season. From October to March, give a dilute liquid feed once a month; a formula made for flowering plants keeps the buds coming without forcing soft leaf. When flowering finishes, shorten leggy stems by a third so the shrub stays compact, leaving the berries if you enjoy them. Indoors, check the leaf joints and the undersides of leaves for mealybug and scale, and avoid moving a plant in bud, since a sudden drop in light makes medinillas shed their buds.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is supplied in one size, 300mm, at $109.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot it arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/when-to-plant-trees-and-shrubs-australia\"\u003ewhen to plant in Australia\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"300mm","offer_id":67671257612657,"sku":null,"price":109.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/medinilla-myriantha.jpg?v=1791519634","url":"https:\/\/plantdrop.com.au\/products\/medinilla-myriantha","provider":"Plant Drop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}