survivors

I'm thinking we might all have a few unexpected plants coming through this last winter unscathed, its been one of the mildest I can remember, even milder than the 90s when people were saying all kinds of plants were hardy", until the cold winters started in 2009.

I've taken the rain cover off the Butia capitata today, its looking good and raring to go.


Melianthus major has never got though a winter so totally unaffected as this year for me.


Agave americana is surprisingly without black spots bearing in mind how wet it has been.


And the Strelitzia is now putting up flowering stems.


Only one flower bud on the Protea cynaroides this year, if things dont improve it might get the heave ho.

 

My survivors are not as interesting as yours, but there are a few;

Salvia discolor has bloomed for most of the winter in an unheated greenhouse.
Salvia conferiflora has retained it's unfulfilled flower buds in a sheltered spot.
The Iochroma australis that I planted out are in leaf. First year out in the garden so I'm happy.
Nicotiana glauca was kept in a sheltered spot and is in leaf.
Best of all though (bearing in mind the extreme wet that we had) is that all the "giant" Frits (F.imperialis and F.persica) have survived. All the effort of ensuring that the spots were made extra free draining has been thoroughly tested and proven successful!

 

Yes, unbelievable. All my geraniums unmildew'd and still flowering, more or less. Found a fuschia Thalia out of doors, bare but alive, my brugmansia has flowered unscathed in the leaky greenhouse all winter, the melianthus looks exactly as it did last autumn, the puny tetrapanax is already enthusiastically sprouting, the Salvia Bethellii still with green stalks, a dahlia has sat in a puddle (leaky greenhouse again) most of the winter and is still in leaf.

Lots more surprises to come as well, I hope.

 

Looking great pete,all nice n flush
My Trex took a smashing form the swing chair in the winds so im hoping that could recover. ..finger crossed
Not sure about my black & blue salvia yet either,echium a bit frost bitten,all my bottlebrush are looking good and budding up

 

I have F. Korralle (another Triphylla Fuchsia) in a sheltered spot that is still in the green. Also have Blackie in the main bed - I was led to believe that it is tender/borderline, but it survived 2012/13.

Forgot about my E.candicans! The worst damage has come from the caterpillars!

 

A couple of others, Aloe striatula


And the bougainvillea seems to be shooting

 

Mine too. I can't get it to produce any offsets even though it flowered last year.

 

They take a while to clump up, one way of doing it is to get it frosted to the ground, you then get three or four new shoots the following spring, but its not to be recommended.

I did have one a few years ago that was starting to form a climbing habit, but it was killed off by the cold winters.

 

It took some real hard weather 2012/13 before flowering, but no joy. I assume that it must bloom more than once from the same stem?

I've seen pictures of that happening and it looks rather good!

 

Flowering stems should start to form in the upper leaf axials within the next couple of months.
I find early summer flowering is normal.

 

Several of my Salvias, that I normally grow from seed, look like they are sprouting Several things left out, by mistake, look OK Biggest winner is Solanum laciniatum, of which I have 3 or 4, will be huge this year starting from last year's plants - which look to be in fine shape - and desperate to self seed everywhere!

Might cut them back a bit though

 

Was that from seed last year Kristen?

 

Yup

 

Yes, I have found a couple of solanum lacciniatum seedlings, which is good as I really like this plant, have used up my last remaining seedpod (unless I find one stuffed behind the potting bench) and am far too mean to actually buy some!

 

I have plenty, and can put some in post for anyone that needs some.