A couple of oddities here ....

Hi, folk. I know I'm in a completely different climate but there are two real 'oddities' here to which perhaps someone has an answer. I will preface this by saying we have not had a hot summer (never hit 40c) and currently our temps have been running mid 20s days and high teens nights so nothing untoward.

Oddity 1 .... my Ballerina apple tree which we brought from the IoW in 2005 and has produced fruit every year bloomed beautifully this Spring and for the first year did not produce fruit and then seemed to die a death ... I thought spider mite as there were webs so I sprayed with my soapy water. It has just bloomed again in profusion (sorry, no pics) and there are new buds everywhere ??????? :cnfs:

Oddity 2 ..... my friend came and cut back my Lantana hedge two weekends ago as I have suddenly become allergic to it (like I did my Leylandii in the UK). It is ... or shall I say was .... a pink/yellow one and, as they grow like wildfire here has done it's regrowth already and all the flowers barring about a half a dozen are pure white ?????? :cnfs:

Any thoughts on either problem?

Thanks in advance.

 

Vicky - most strange. I have no idea, other than to speculate that the cause, probably in both cases, could be linked to the weather.

I have a Salvia microphylla 'Hot Lips' ( a variety of tangerine sage), whose flowers are part red part white. It has been recorded elsewhere that the colour changes with temperature. And indeed mine was pure white during the summer, but with the cooler weather it is now back to part white part red.

 

As Peter says temperature might play a part, also light intensity may have some bearing on flower colour.

As to apple trees in Portugal,

I bet you grow different varieties there to what we do here.

I'm guess in your one from the I O W, is not really happy with the dry hot summmers, plus I think you are probably growing it on that bedrock you talk about.

Perhaps its just not getting its roots down that well.:cnfs:

 

hi victoria. i think it is what pete s says. the weather this year has been weird to say the least.
i cleared all my petunias to make room for the winter pansies .when i got to the bottom of the garden i noticed some petunias growing away merrily, in full bloom!!! music.

 

Hello Peter, Pete and Music.

Peter, I've had a white 'sport' before two years running on Verbena which is perennial here ... and it and Lantana are the same family ... but a 2 meter hedge doing this is a surprise.

Pete, 'we' grow Starking, Gala and other varieties here ... mostly up North where it is obviously cold. Our Granny Smith's come from Chile but I particularly like Pink Lady from Chile. My neighbour has apple trees lining the lane along with the plums, loquats, lemons, tangerines, etc.

Mine is a small, crisp apple with pink flesh ... sorry, I don't know the name, and has fruited every year barring this. It is in a beautiful pot 50cm wide (inside dimensions) and 40cm tall where it has been since it arrived here in 2005 and is on the kitchen patio so gets some shade.

Our temps have been normal, not excessively high this summer and currently normal for this time of year with an occasional rain every ten days or so.

Music ... I live in southern Portugal.

 

Maybe it needs a repot

 

Nah .. me don't thinks so ... it's roots haven't filled the pot yet .... :p

 

I planted some Blue agapanthus 3 years ago - first year flowered blue since then they are white!!!! I have a pal who has had the same problem. Our soil is clay and they are not watered - any ideas and will they ever go blue.
Thanks Judith Vale Da Telha

 

Hi Mattiespeople ... do I know you? :hehe:

We have a few folk on here who are good on plants going 'sport' as they call it ... strange as Agapanthas are either blue or white here ...

I'll check on that for you ...

 

It doesn't sound like a "sport" to me, that tends to be one or two flowers on an otherwise normal plant.

Is it possible that the clump was mixed and the blue ones have died out?