Amazing foliage....

How often do we think to thank or adore the humble leaf? They are a source of food, medicines, charms, paper and clothing even, yet have a way less glamorous reputation than flowers or fruits. In the wildly subtropical part of my garden however, I have come to a place of noticing how many aesthetically pleasing and unusual leaves can be grown. There's something lush and exotic about such plants, who's beauty lasts all year round. Im not sure what practical purpose it serves for the plants, perhaps like brightly coloured frogs it says to predators 'toxic don't eat me'. Indeed the insects that attack my ferns and staghorns seem to be leaving these guys alone. Many of them are specific to low light areas, so perhaps the colours play a role in this too. Anyways, just thought Id share some of them as they are so surprising....