GC Meet - Norfolk East Ruston / Will Giles !! 11-Aug-2013

I'm going to have to call a 50-50 chance on that weekend. On the one hand, Mr "M"'s shifts appear to suggest I can make it (yay me!) but, if the past couple of months are anything to go by, things change from breakfast, lunch and dinner time at the drop of the proverbial! Having said that ... I might be better off checking the boys schedules ... they owe me a favour or two before "results" day and dog/chook/quacker sitting isn't too, too onerous

 

I could have spent all day there but as I was with my half who don`t really enjoy plants and gardens , about 2 hrs ....

what I did wrong is that I didn`t bough the map at £3.50 , so I was wondering lost while by following the map I would enjoy the garden bit more .....

I have to admit that the plant shop was really good and the price not an extorsion , plus they have almost all the plants featuring the garden in the shop .

I was really looking forward to see the dry garden an then realise that was a bit run down and most of the plants where dead ......but the puya in flower was pretty impressive .
The best of all was the tropical garden and the entrance bit.

what it would be really interesting is to see how they overwintering the brugmansia (they only had the c.grimaldi) and also the aeonium .

ps Kristen they are have copyed your garden

 

I went in the tea room and asked for an expresso and they looked like I was coming from the moon ......... the tea and coffee was bit overpriced so we didn`t spend any time in there .

 

Is that right?

The cake is excellent ... yeah, its not really an Expresso sort of place, more English Tea Room.

First time we went was with our girls (then around 9 and 15) and they quite happily went exploring for 2 hours and loved it ... but 2 hours was their limit too.

Second time I went Mrs K and I set off in a direction "off map" that we knew we hadn't seen first time and must have spent more than an hour wandering without seeing anything from the first visit.

The dry garden doesn't do anything for me (although I can marvel at what they manage to overwinter without protection ...). But I have been there when its all in flower and that was much more impressive than the heat of Summer when its all looking a bit dead ...

 

I can only come one of the days, and my preference would be to see East Ruston ... so I'll come whichever day everyone is doing that. (My only thought is that Will Giles is a smaller garden, so could be done in a shorter time, and thus doing that on Sunday would enable folk with long journeys to make an earlier start for home ... but I'm only an hour and a bit away so either day is fine for me).

I will plan to toddle along to Urban Jungle, and maybe Amulree, in the morning to see what catches my eye (There is a show garden at Urban Jungle)

 

it was the matter of buy a cake or saving the money for another plant to squize in my mini garden .....I love food in Suffolk 10 +

I do know that they have an excellent climate , but sure there is something more ...
seen plant that survive my climate and they where dead over there ....

I rekon that the brugmansia have becomed woody and then left outdoor ......but really interested to see theaeonium in winter , they must have keept dry in some how ....

 

Just checked up on the train to Norwich on the 11th and none are running at the right time due to Nottingham train station being revamped!

 

no espresso, no party...

 

Pretty sure they bring them in ... last time I was there I mentioned to Alan Gray that I was going to leave mine out and he said he didn't think they would survive as he brings his in - his micro climate is a lot more mild than mine. (At least I think that was the gist of the conversation!)

 

I was thinking that even in ideal condition they are not taking more then -4 c .....

I case you see Alan could you ask about the brugmansia ? I really can`t see them inside ....

Now that I`m thinking about even at will Giles he had a massive aeonium gigantum and it look like he overwintered them outside , but it was just an illusion .

Another thing I love about amulree is that you can really see what, will survive and not ....
be honest my climate is actually better then his .....
if you ever go there look at all the plants have been damaged by last winter and spring ....

I really love this sort of trip , I always learn something new , but the last thing is a person that keep telling that is time to go ......

 

Because they are big?

He commented that he no longer thought it worth growing fancy Brugs - people offer / give them to him all the time, he said, but his opinions was that they didn't flower for long, didn;t flower much, and succumbed to every disease and bug going! and thus he now sticks to a Good Do'er (forgot to ask him the variety but from your comment I assume it is B. Charles Grimaldi

Never thought of it like that, I just thought it was a bit scruffy ... but there are choice plants there nonetheless.

 

when I went to amulree , the first thing he show me was the ruby banana , safetly placed inside the incubators in one of his greenhouse , all dead ....along with few other plants I`ve ordered ....that tell me that if they didn`t manage inside a warm place , I had no chance myself.
he does have loads of plants outside and to be honest they look like will be looking in your garden and not like the waxed and polished plant you buy from your local garden that will die or look really bad after a while.

I always wanted to buy a farfugium japonicum if you see the one he got are completely eated by the snails , that conmplitely put me off that plant.

another thing I`ve picked from him is the papyrus as he suggest to keep it in a plate of water during winter , none of his survived that tell me that it`s not the right way of overwintering .

also to notice the collection of outdoor cactus, you can really notice the real hardy variety ...

a place that you can learn

 

I've read that before ... and also many people saying they haven't managed to overwinter it the 2nd Winter ... I now think easier to grow from seed each year

If you are observant like you ... rather than a mutt-head like me!

Great observations Sal, thanks for sharing.

 

So, as things stand, we seem to have a few takers for the Sunday, don't think anybody's put their hand up for the Saturday.
I'm thinking of tearing back from West West Wales on Friday in order to tear off to East East Norfolk on the Sunday morning. This should cover the maximum width of the UK, I reckon, not sure if it's wise.

 

An American would not think twice about driving that distance ...