Hello New Gardening Obsessive Registered

HoneyBee, I would say KobaKoba are worth waiting for, I wouldn't buy bananas from anyone else. Another good reference point for tropicals is http://www.mulu.co.uk/ but I don't trust their optimism for hardiness of some of their plants. Their stuff is ok if you really want something but I have been disappointed in the past. I've not used anyone else except http://homepage.ntlworld.com/keith.hayward2/ who are top banana for cannas. I was in contact with Ian cooke (canna god!) http://www.cookecannas.co.uk/ about a particular variety who did hold the national collection and he worked closely with hart canna who I think have the back up collection?

The best places to seek out are trade nurseries that open tho the public. They usually have bigger specimins and a wider selection that haven't had their prices inflated. I use such a nursery close to Hyde Hall. They have huge commercial sized palms which when seen all together are an amazing sight. needles to say I love going there. Infact I almost cancelled an order with the garage for some perfomance subaru parts to buy some more palms.

[ 20. May 2006, 04:29 PM: Message edited by: Banana Man ]

 

Almost cancelled an order for car bits??? Blimey, you must love your palms!!!! (but not quite that much..)
Thanks for the sites - I'll have a browse this evening when the coast is a little clearer....

I tipped my Ensete out its pot yesterday - there was just a soggy lump and very few roots, so I think that one's had it. The Basjoo's roots were much better - I had a dig, but didn't take it out completely. I took the top off the stump and it was lovely and moist (not soggy) in there, but it is drying over already... don't know if it will come to anything. Oh well, back to the stress of the afternoon - and what a grotty one I have ahead.....
:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

 

Honey Bee, did you enjoy your tropical reading?

 

Hi Mr Banana Man!!!
Thanks for the links - I had a quick scan - fell in love with the giant yellow Cannas - soon got cut short though!!!( think it was to the tunes of "Mum, we're hungry, can we make ourselves some supper!!!!") I'm trying to make time, but time is what I definitey DON'T have at the mo!!!! Should have called my self "Busy Bee"!!!!!!! ARGGGHHH!!! Just been attacked by a Syber-man!!!!(the kids have got the glue and cardboard out!!! :rolleyes: and there's glue all over the table!! Groan - there goes my quick Five minutes with a cuupa!!!!) Hopefully, when they are in bed this evening.....
The Mulu site, I put in .com & got a chinese site!!!! I am trying to find a Tropical Nusery in Cornwall we can "accidently" stumble accross next week on holiday... (whistles innocently!!)
I think I can definitely give up on my Basjoo now too, as the stump has dried over and no sign at all of growth - mind you, its soooooo cold here again today, I'm not surprised.... :(

[ 20. May 2006, 02:35 PM: Message edited by: Honey Bee ]

 

Sorry Honey Bee my punctuation got absorbed into the links, they are working now. If your kids like DR Who, then get them a DR Who Darliek birthday cake from Tescos. I had one for my birthday from my 2 and it came with an 'exterminate'sound button. You can detatch it and press to you hearts content,its great!

 

banana man..do you ever grow any of these giants yourself from seed? i was looking at your links and some are really expensive...you could set yourself up in business growing them..

 

Yes I have but I wouldn't want to do it for money.

Cannas are always a hit and are relatively easy to do. As are the bananas which throw up loads of suckers each year. I used to sell them at garden open days and such but never for my own profit. Besides I enjoy giving the stuff away far more than making money. Theres a responsbility in making money out of it that detracts from the enjoyment. Until quite recently I have done landscaping and design for people as well as maintenance and grounds work, but I found that I lost motivation in doing my own garden, which is all I really want to do.

Things like the ferns, palms etc are usually expensive for a reason, which is that It takes a life time to get them to a reasonable size. My tree ferns are between 80 and a 100 years old and my trachycarpus can't be far off that as it was cold grown in this country and is nice and fat not like the skinning imported ones from portugal.

Places like Mulu etc make their money as middle men importing large specimins and selling them on. They cash in on there relative rarety in this country and boom in interest in tropical gardening. It is highly ammusing to me that in places like california plants like arundo donax and washintonias grow to the point of being environmental pests. Yet we will happiliy pay �£100's for the priviledge of having them in our gardens!

I used to have quite a large collection of cannas which I sold on but I culled them right down as they just multiply and multiply until you have a garden of pots!

[ 20. May 2006, 05:26 PM: Message edited by: Banana Man ]

 

I lived at Paulsgrove :( for a while but I don't usually let on! :D

 

Strongy - Don't blame you!!!!!

Banan Man - well, if you find yourself snowed under with suckers, you could always throw a few in my direction.... and I promise I'll try not to kill them!!!!

[ 20. May 2006, 08:15 PM: Message edited by: Honey Bee ]

 

You know your city has gone down hill when they make BBC's Traffic Cops there! I never stayed in one house in Portsmouth that didn't have damp!

Honey Bee all of last years are allocated but I can hold one of this years for you if you can wait till 2007 ?

 

Honey Bee,
A great tropical nursery in Cornwall is www.trevenacross.co.uk. Its between Helston and Penzance so it depends whereabouts you are heading on holiday, but its definately worth a drive. It has a nationwide delivery service so you don't have to make the kids run behind the car because you've used their seats for plants!

 

Did see the trailer for that one!!!!
Thankfully, its not my city (Phew!!!)I only live "near" Portsmouth!!!! As for the damp - I'm not surprised - its surrounded by water!!!

was being cheeky about your spares, but judging by my track record, I'd love you to put one aside for me, thanks!!!!

 

I've heard of this one.

The web site looks good, worth a visit I would have thought.

Great idea to have a nationwide delivery service, to encourage us tourists to spend more than we otherwise would have. "Can we fit it in?". "Yes we'll manage".

When we went to Hay-on-Wye a few years ago the dogs ended up sharing the boot with a mass of blooms and foliage I don't know how we fitted it all in.

 

Windy - thanks for that!!! If we go that far down - I'll make sure I'm driving, and "accidentally" drive past it!!!! As for the kids running behind the car - its not a holiday unless they have to have goodness-knows-what on their knees on the way home!!!! :D :D

 

I can quite often be seen at Trevena, dragging 3 very reluctant kids behind me. Surprised they haven't tried to put a restraining order on me to stop me drooling over the plants! :D