please help! - difficult/beautiful/rare flowering plant wanted

Hello there,

I have a mentor who is an avid gardener and I would like to get her a beautiful, rare, difficult (she gets a perverse pleasure out of such things) and flowering plant/tree as a gift as I move on to the next stage of my career. She lives in Victoria, but has a conservatory and a greenhouse so exotic varieties would be welcome. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

 

Try getting her a variegated fruiting banana - one of the cultivars like 'A'e a'e'.

 

Magnolia x alba (syn. Michelia x alba), White Champaca, might fit the bill. It's relatively less common in our area. (I assume you are in Victoria, BC.) The wonderful fragrance of its flowers will permeate the conservatory or greenhouse.

http://toptropicals.com/catalog/uid/michelia_alba.htm