What's looking good in January -

My African Hemp (-Linden) (Sparrmannia africana) has started blooming -

 

A cracking January bloom Kedi.......:thumb:

 

Thank you Roders, it always blooms nicely at this time of the year.

 

Cor Kedi-G! Is that gorgeous thing in or out of doors?

 

Sis, I must say that it absolutely beautiful .... I have never seen one in flower. Sadly, I don't think I have space for one ..... :(

Dave, speaking on Sis's behalf .... because I think she's offline now (bearing in mind she is one hour ahead of you and me) leaving for Cyprus for three weeks at the crack of dawn .... but I'm not sure if it's in her conservatory (where plants root into the ground below) or if it's outside .... does it not look like frost on the leaves?

We shall just have to wait till her return from the sunshine .....

 

Both Dave. They are easy to grow and I've never had a problem with mine. It just needs quite a bit of water in the summer because of the big leaves (we always put ours outside after the last frost in May) and best kept out of the wind. We put ours in the Wintergarten in the winter, but you can keep it in the house in a coolish spot. And it always blooms at this time of the year. We have cut it back several times when it got too big.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparrmannia_africana

Here is a link with some lovely pics and you can see it gets quite tall.

http://trees.stanford.edu/ENCYC/SPAafr.htm

 

Sis, you answered while I was still writing. I'm still online but running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to get all the last-minute things done. Don't know why more keep cropping up just as I've finished with the last one .

Anyway, you had a clipping of mine years ago. It got so big that you took it into work where it had space to grow even more. It was when you worked for Ian. Remember? Perhaps it didn't flower then, might be they need a couple of years before they do.

Mine is in a fairly large pot and those are fine hairs on the leaves, not frost. I think frost would kill it off.

 

Hi, Sis ... chicken with the head cut off .... k-l

Are you sure it was when I worked for Ian? .... that was the diamond mine and I was there from 1985-89 .... THAT long ago ??????????

There is a humongous one here in the castle gardens at Tavira .... pete disputed that's what it was when I put a piccie up but the trees/shrubs/plants are brass labelled there .... if you've been you know.

Sleep tight, safe journey and speak along the way .... :luv: xx

 

Now I'm not sure - perhaps it was when you worked at ???, where there was an open two-story office bit.

The one at Tavira was the one with the large pink pom-pom flower heads, like the cuttings that stuck to my hand in Alvor.

Off now, xx

 

That was the airline industry in Thame and I had a giant Begonia (Tiny Tim aged 32)) going up the atrium (3-4 meters tall) which Val has now because it was too big to bring here (severely cut back) and I have the baby, Walter Trout (aged 12) in the pergola.

Seriously don't think I ever had a cutting of yours ..... xx

It was not a Dombeya at Tavira .... but I agree that was in Alvor ..... :flag:..... and the one I've now discovered on Praia Grande, Ferragudo.

 

Have a good time Kedi, Greek or Turkish Cyprus?

 

Sis, you definitely had a cutting of mine.

Strongy, thanks and it is Greek Cyprus. Going to Paphos this time, were in Agia Napa last time. That's where I got the seeds from the Thevetia (spelling?) from. Only managed a day trip to Paphos last time and we liked it a lot. Many interesting places to see in that area. Doesn't your brother live in Cyprus?

 

No next door, in Crete.
Only been to Northern Cyprus, may go to the Greek part one day.

 

Oh yes, now I remember. Mrs Strongy used to live in Northern Cyprus and brother in Crete.

 

Can't compete with Sis there (but just wait till I get my new camera) ... but here's a few shots taken between the sunshine and showers today ....

My Cestrum is covered in blooms ....



The Jade Plant is covered in buds and blooms ... it now lives up on the deck and gets full sun (when it's not raining, of course!) ....



This Verbena is actually much more maroon coloured than this (new camera, new camera, new camera) .....



And this is what I look at when here at the computer looking across the kitchen out the window ... oranges, oranges and more oranges ....