Tropical Gardening

beautiful dark foliage.

Lovely specimen @pete

When all danger of frosts has gone, that's when most of the tender stuff starts to appear - could be late May or June around us.

Hi @Jason85 , only just noticed your unanswered post. Its common practice for them to put three or four plants together in order to create a bushier "plant". Once grown like that, they are difficult to separate, so best left alone.

Pete I took your advise and should have a trachycarpus fortunei delivered in next day or so

I've just found buds on mine!!

Here is one of my plants a year on...............One thing that I have learnt is that the roots are very sensitive as I lost a lot due to clumsy pricking out.

I thought that I would add this site to this thread. Very good source of info that can be used to find out more about your choices if they're listed.

Guzmanias are less likely to survive a cold spell compared to Billbergia and Tilllandsia due to their softer leaves but it is worth a try, particularly if it doesn't get colder than at present. It will be interesting to see how it copes.

Sort of makes me wonder if pot grown plants should be root pruned, if potbound, prior to planting. My Trachys make lots of new roots from the base of the stems mostly in autumn/early winter.I've also cut off large amounts of root on pot grown CIDPs when repotting only to find masses of new...

Hi longk! Those Sesbania are beautiful! The seller you mention is the same one that does Cassia javanica, I believe? Tried to order some seeds from him but I can't suss out how to order multiple items without paying multiple postage I contacted him to ask, but no reply to date..... Will have...

I know it's a bit late about starting seed but I start mine with boiling water I put them in a cup and pour over fresh boiled water till you hear a popping then pour out the water and put in cold water and get great germination rates

That's half the fun

Thanks Pete - I appreciate the photo. I have at least another flower stem looking like yours, which is probably close to flowering as its already taller than the open flower.I had been looking at intervals, but didn't know what I was looking for. I will have a closer look tomorrow.

Ha ha ha!! You're beginning to see it as I do!

I don't think they would collapse John. The worst they could do is get a bit leggy. It may be worth a try as an experiment.

After the recent cold snap the Echium looks as if it is toast. The Iochroma have defoliated but I'm not worried as far as their prospects go. The Nicotiana are still looking okay too. @PeterS - amazingly the Caiophora is still looking ok. I haven't forgotten, just a bit housebound with my other...

The white coating on some Broms, Vriesia, Aechmea, Neoregelia and Billbergias for example is called indumentum and helps them absorb moisture from the air. As we don't have a pic from Kitty we can't ID it for her .

I'm reliably informed by someone on another forum that one pod should feed the UK demand. Even so it's a bit of steep price for what will basically be an experiment so we are putting a "consortium" together.

To me the top and bottom parts look like babies. The stump in the middle looks like this years spent tuber. So I would be hoping for two vines next year with three or four tubers for 2016 by the end of the season.