Inexpensive plants

Variegated ginger - this species is valued for its variegated foliage, and beautiful flowers.

Josephs coat, copperleaf, calico plant, bloodleaf, joyweed and parrot leaf - all these common names in reference to the often brilliantly colored leaves which provide foliage contrast to gardens and container plantings. Best foliage colors are developed in full sun. May also be grown indoors as a houseplant as long as it is sited in a bright, sunny location and soils are kept moist. Grown exclusively for its colorful foliage - rich purple to burgundy leaves. Forms spreading foliage mounds to 12-30" tall.

White-leaved variety of Zebra Plant - gets its name from white stripes on the leaves. It is one of the best house plants. This plant is not only pretty because of its white-veined foliage, but also for the apical inflorescence with its beautiful yellow bracts.

A unique FULL SHADE plant! Rugged houseplant for shady areas of the home. Once very popular, this plant was a common feature of many a Victorian hallway.
Best sited in bright indirect light, but tolerates full shade. This variety is not the commoner A. elatior 'Milkyway', but the much nicer and difficult to find Aspidistra vietnamensis 'Ginga'.
Species of Aspidistra are perennial herbaceous plants growing from rhizomes. The leaves are either solitary or are grouped in small "tufts" of two to four. The most common variety is the one with all green leaves, A. elatior (sometimes labeled as A. lurida). Aspidistra vietnamensis Ginga is quite rare and has green leaves variegated with white striping or spots.

This outstanding banana features green leaves with red splashes on top, and burgundy undersides, giving rise to the name Blood Leaf Banana. It shows up well against solid green companion plants, and performs well in containers. It will overwinter nicely in colder climates and produces small red fruit.
See Article about this plant.

Double Mahoi Banana - a traditional Cavendish banana but generally produces a double stalk of bananas its second year of fruiting, increasing the harvest.

Banana Lakatan (also spelled Lacatan, Lactan) is one of the most common banana cultivars in the Philippines, desirable for desert bananas because of their sweet taste, aroma, and firm texture when ripe.

This Musa sumatrana hybrid is a tropical, ornamental banana plant with large, variegated leaves and red stems. The leaves are paddle-shaped and have green and red mottling on top, with a solid maroon color on the bottom. The pseudostem is solid red. When grown in a container, the plant can be kept to a height of 3-"5 ft, but can grow to be 5-"8 ft tall when planted in the ground. The plant can be used as a focal point or in mass plantings in a garden, or grown in a container. It can also provide a backdrop for other smaller tropical plants.

See Article about Red leaf Banana.