JWK's Tropical border

Thanks Vicky and Claire. They will recover, it didn't get below -10 :o

 

Sorry Ziggy I don't recall that. I've been using accuweather recently, and pretty good it is too.

 

This is a great thread, JWK, just looking at the pictures gives me that feeling of anticipation of the coming colour and textures of foilage.:yess::D

 

Thanks Ziggy, that looks a nicer layout than accuweather. I'll make it a favourite.

I'm pleased with the effect too, some of the plants were expensive so this year I'm trying more from seed like Canna Musafolia grande & Ricinus (Castor Oil plant) plus tubers like Colocasia Burgundy. The rockwool wrapping is cheap, easy and quick - just ugly!

Thanks for that Kristen. I do use wunderground but no stations are near me (at least not at my altitude). We are pretty close to Wisley which has lots of historical met data on-line, but we are always colder and I reckon about 3 weeks behind them season-wise. It's the altitude that makes the difference, we are on the top of the North Downs, in the valleys where Wisley is it's much milder.

I am greatly encouraged by that Armandii. One thing about this tropical planting is that a mixture brashy colours and spikey and paddle leaves just seem to go well together, none of this colour wheel nonsense :D

Maybe not pete. I'm reading this Japanese pruning book I've borrowed from Wisley and it's shows what they do out there, can't post a picture on here as it's copyright. If I put bamboo wigwams over my rockwool wrappings it would look a lot neater

Yes we are on fairly steep hillside, down the bottom near the house is sheltered though. It's only the last week where the ground became frozen here, so hopefully mine will all recover. If they can't survive this relatively good winter then I'll replace them with something a bit hardier.

 

Julie Not everyone recognises the cabbages amongst the exotics

I love the tall cabbages, Zaphod looked a bit sad through the cold spell. He thawed out today and has really perked up.

 

I've got a couple of Oregon Scientific wireless max/min thermometers which I use all the time, moving the sensors around, into the greenhouse or outdoors or inside the propagators. I like the idea of being able to log the temperatures like with your el cheapo £50 special Kristen. Maybe too late for Valentines day now, but Father's day is coming

What make/model have you got Kristen? I'm not worried about the useless handset, like you I'm more interested in it's PC connectivity.

 

I agree with you JWK about the brash colours, spiky and exotic leaves. I love the big, bold and brash non exotic herbaceous plants and they get a prime place in my borders. As for the "colour wheel":lolpoint::lolpoint: to the colour wheel. All colours get mixed in my borders without any real thought or design and it seems to work......well for me it does anyway:D