The flowers of Madeira.

Speaking to Heather yesterday, she said that very few people were able propagate it, but she was lucky as she had no problem. I am sure you will recognise some of these pictures.


I found a picture of the Jacaranda just starting to colour up.


This shows how close the cruise ships berth to the centre of the town. Our party is in a public park on the left. Bougainvillea everwhere.


There were lots of signs of the flower festival coming up.


After the market, on our first day we were told we were entering the Street of Doors in the old part.


I wasn't sure what to expect - I thought we were going into the red light district.


But in fact it was a narrow street filled with cafes and a lot of doors.












When we came out we walked straight past this Solandra maxima as if it were nothing. This was on my hit list for some time but I was told that it could become seriously big. However I spoke to Bob Brown, of Cotswald garden Flowers, when he gave a talk in Harrogate a month ago. He used to sell it and said that it was possible to grow it in a big container, it it was pruned hard, and it would flower.


Hibiscus was growing everywhere - as hedges!

 

I once looked round the old walled garden near Tonbridge Kent.
Bought a few strange plants there, also I remember lots of callistemon species.

Then suddenly it moved up North somewhere, not sure where.

 

Apparently Heather who ran it married the bloke who ran Fibrex Nurseries and moved her stuff up there. http://www.fibrex.co.uk/

She still does a lot of unusual plants under the Conservatory Plants heading on the site. She does a lot more than are shown. I visited the site a couple of years ago and was impressed.

 

I didn't know her name but spent ages talking to her, she just wanted to talk plants.
I like those kind of places.

 

@PeterS did you see any Plumeria or Caesalpinia Pulcherimma? they were in full flower in August but may be it is too early.

 

Shiney - thanks - that's an interesting link, also linked to many other sites.

@strongylodon - no I wasn't aware of seeing either Plumeria or Caesalpinia Pulcherimma, though I may well have walked by them.

A few more flowers:-
The shrimp plant - Beloperone guttata or now called Justicia brandegeana.


Bauhinia variegata.


The female flower of Cycas revoluta.


Brunfelsia pauciflora. I don't know who named this pauciflora (= few flowers). We saw several of these and they were amazing.


Tibouchina urvilleana.


Erythrina falcata


Aloa plicata.


A coffee bush with beans.


Callistemen viminalis.


Clivia just grew like weeds and was used as ground cover.


Protea - not sure which - any ideas?

And The Marmalade Bush - Streptosolen jamesonii.

 

This has jumped to the top end of my want list. It was magnificent at OBG today and apparently makes a good hanging basket plant as well.

 

I saw a couple of plants out there. But neither were very big. However there are pictures on Google of large bushes completely covered in flower. Its said to be one of the most remarkable sights.

I have a small one, which I would describe as "hanging on" rather than "thriving".

 

Shiney - yes. I understand that that is the male flower - I had a picture of one of those, but relied on our tour leader for the information.

Anf finally - the flower parade preparations

All along the high street there were little show gardens, and beside them a wooden hut where people were selling the plants. Just like any big flower show - but more exotic.






Then there were a couple of marques with floral displays.








And finally the preparations for the parade itself. With hundreds of young people, mostly girls, beautifully dressed in lots of different costumes, walking and dancing between the floats.


A typical float just before the start. ............ then the battery on my camera ran out.

.

 

I've got a feeling the red "protea" might just be "waratah", been bugging me since yesterday then for some reason the blooms in the cut flowers just clicked.

 

Spot on LongK. I do remember a sign saying Australia.

 

I think that you mean spot on Pete!