What's looking exotic in June.

It can only be found in the wild in the forests on the lower slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro.
If you're interested when you return pm me.

 

ps can anyone identify the plant in the picture number 5? that comes from a far far place as well.

 

My Dracunculus vulgaris has bloomed!





Baby too!


I had forgotten how bad it smells!

 

Longk, where I'm going I'll only see Kilimanjaro from a distance.

Sal, when did you put the Aechmeas out?

 

Looks a bit like a Hellebore to me Sal, but probably wrong.

 

Pete , It`s not funny playing game with you ......it was growing wild in my old allotment , it`s an english native hellebore fetitus i think ......look so tropical.

 

I've seen Kilimanjaro from a distance (Amboseli national park) and its mighty impressive. Those solitary volcanoes absent a complete mountain range are dramatic beasts. Fuji is another that sticks in my mind, it was 80 miles away straight down the valley where I worked on a nursery in Japan; sadly in mist/cloud 90% of the time, but on the days when it was clear it was spectacular. My [then] boss had built his retirement home right on the edge of a precipice at the top of the valley lucky blighter!

Me too, but I've half a notion I've seen something exotic looking like that too. If Hellebore it will flower next year and prove it!

 

Perhaps not really exotic looking, but I've not seen them in the UK before, Bead tree flowers,melia azedarach


First flowers this year on the Caesalpinia gilliesii, it hates wet weather, so hope things improve as its full of buds yet again.

 

LongK - your Dracunculus is truly vulgaris.

That really is impressive. How did you grow it? I assume it overwintered in a dry frost free state. But did you do something special to start it into growth. My Amorphophallus rivieri (konjac) is a mere two inches high at the moment - though I have hopes it will get bigger.

 

Mine put up a "spike" a week or so back, and is chucking up leaves now. It was abandoned, outside, when I noticed it was shooting, and I read that it wanted warmth, so I brought it back into the greenhouse.

But first time for me, so don't pay much head to what I am doing - better to checka proper source!

 

Pretty much as you say Peter - dry, frost free and away from mice!
As far as starting it goes, just repot and shove in the coldframe. Keep on the drier side until growth starts to show.

This is my Amorphophallus..................



It's A.albispathus - a small species.

 

I think you will find Dracunculus vulgaris it totally hardy, I grow it on the allotment

I didn't put up my pics as its been a bit wet out there this year and the slugs have been a problem, flower looks a bit ragged, but its the first year that has happened.

My A.konjac, is yet to flower and is just putting up leaves, I consider that to be slightly tender, but once I've got a few spare tubers they will go outside.

 

Pete, I only brought one Caesalpinia with me and planted it last November couldn't take the -8/9cs we had last winter and croaked.

Kristen, that's where we will see it.

 

Planting out in November????

I guess you didn't have a greenhouse at the time.

 

It was very mild and the soil was warm but I didn't take the sandy condition and very prone to frost into account and the greenhouse was stuffed full.
Should have known better!!!