Strelitzia and friends.

I've got five flower spikes coming up this year.
I'm looking at this one and thinking it might turn out to be one of those double type flowers


We will see.

Not really exotic, (depending on your definition),but Calycanthus occidentalis has just started flowering. Complete with hover fly.



Anyone still growing Crinodendron, it was a favourite a few years ago but dont hear much about it now.



Be another week or so, but the Iochromas are just getting going, we need some sunshine.

 

Pete I`m so jelous of your strelitzia , i would love to grow one outdoor as you , but unfortunatly the weather das permit has you seen mine died even in a frost free greenhouse , talking about strelitzia , mine has reached 5 feet so I`ve been forced to repot and keep it outdoor for summer .

with the pot reach 2mt

 

Oh, lucky you Pete. I didn't have any doubles this year but did have five beautiful blooms on my miniature .. they are resting now but new leaves are growing.

 

I have certain thoughts about growing strelitzia that tend to be slightly different from most.
That plant in your picture Sal is healthy, but from the long leaf stems I would say it spends a lot of time in low light levels.
And low light levels mean flowering will be delayed.
Hence the usual advice about getting them pot bound, to make them flower.
You have seen the roots that strelitzia grow, can you image one in a pot that is not actually potbound?

 

I dragged the Beaucarneas out of the greenhouse on Saturday, either they are getting too big, or I am getting too old.

 

Pete, I don't know Crinodendron but it looks very nice indeed. My Iochroma is going out of control and I just chopped it back a week ago ... and need to do so again seriously. I have a lot of yellow leaves ... is this normal? The I australia is 'lost' somewhere ...

 

At least I dont have to move this Agave

 

No Victoria, Crinodendron would not like your conditions, its only because its been so cold and wet that its looking half decent here.

I cant grow the Iochroma you have, but austrailis grows like a weed for me, self seeds all over. The one in the picture is 8 or 9ft high, mixed in with calycanthus and a poor looking callistemon.

 

Oh, just love your Beaucarnea Pete, a real beauty ... I know you have had that TOO many years, mine is a babe in comparison. My red trio is doing nicely now. Wouldn't have an Agave if my life depended on it.

We took a friend out to lunch today and she asked me to photograph her 'Pita' which was blooming as they only do in 25 years ... I immediately knew it was an Agave americana ... ... boring, boring, boring ...

 

Oh I like the sun baked hillside.

Although I like to grow plants, I just like the look of dead grass, in that kind of way.

Yeah, we all try to grow plants that are not easy, once it becomes easy there is no challenge.
An agave is boring in Portugal, but put one in Kent and it stands out.

 

Pete, I can't stand Jill's sunbaked hillside .... eeek!

Jill (single lady aged 44, petite and cute :WINK1: ) has about 8 hectares (is that 22 acres give or take?) and has two horses and four cats and a dog. There is a little stream running at the end of her property. She is the one I did the horse rescue for 2 1/2 years ago (Aramis) which is how we met. She now has two horses, had three, but horse trading goes on here.

 

Oh well I guess its all down to what you like.
I'm thinking that at certain times of the year that is actually quite lush, before it dries out, at least most years.
I just like that kind of look, perhaps a few cork oaks planted would give some contrast during the summer.
Does Quercus ilex grow around there, something to contrast with the dry grass.

 

Mine don't flower much ... I ought to put more effort into getting them to Tip Top condition.

Anyone got a 5-point (or less!!) plan pls?

 

Well Kristen the old story is let them get potbound.
I have no doubt this works, but the flowers tend to be small and not very good.

I've always thought free root run was the answer from planting one in the greenhouse border years ago, but I had to dig it out a while back when I built a conservatory.
So I planted a section of it outside in a sheltered but sunny position, that was about 10 yrs ago.
I have to keep the frost off it but it takes all other kinds of weather and although slow growing produces flowers every summer now.
The more crowns the plant grows, the more flowers it will produce, you rarely get more than one flower spike from each crown in a season, in my experience.

 

Pete, the Holm Oak (Quercus ilex) is quite rare here actually. According to my 1827 English/Portuguese dictionary (seriously worth lots of money), it is the 'hanging tree' and the village I live near is named after it ... Carrasqueira, the place where the holm oak grows. My postal address is Algoz and that means 'the executioner' and they hung folk from the oak tree. I think I live in a very strange place ...