We’re itching to get planting in the Edible Jungle but dust-bowl-like conditions are causing a delay. It’s months since we’ve had any real rain and even though the 5-day Met Office forecast keeps promising showers, they simply don’t materialize. The weather yet again is leading us all over the shop. We’re just glad we don’t have a lawn.
Exotic Vertical Garden
I’ve replanted the Exotic Vertical Garden. Despite good intentions of keeping the plants alive over winter it was a lost cause in a greenhouse that went down to –6.6 degrees centigrade, but Hey Ho. New planting opportunities etc. Had all the plants survived I wouldn’t have had space for these lovely Bromeliads.
There are a couple of gaps left for Colocasia ‘Black Magic’ but I daren’t put these in yet as they’re only little and just last week we had a shocking frost. -6 degrees centigrade!! We shouldn’t forget we could be caught out by frosts right up until June.
This Mother Blackbird is making good use of a dead Cordyline before it goes onto our very expensive compost heap. We also thought the Wrens might raise another family in the nest they built last year in our pay hut. They inspected the nest several times earlier this spring and did what birds do all over our till (that’s probably not good Feng Shui), but obviously decided against it.
Canna 'Taney'
Dahlia imperialis
Musa Basjoo
Lots of plants that we’d left in the ground over winter and given up for dead are reappearing. Canna Taney is sending up good, strong shoots. Dahlia imperialis, the tree dahlia likewise. Musa basjoo are very much alive. Even Hedychium gardnerianum (Kaffir lily) has what appears to be growth on the tuber (perhaps its just mould). Pittosoprum ‘County Park’, one of my favourite evergreens is recovering from the winter damage and I think will look as good as new in a month or so, and Purple Oxalis, once considered so tender that it used to be sold as a house plant is continuing its slow but steady march across the border.
Hedychium gardnerianum
Pittosporum tenuifolium 'County Park'
Oxalis triangularis subsp. triangularis
Cordylines are also sprouting new shoots.
Cordyline australis
So who says these plants aren’t hardy? What does hardy mean? I’m confused. I think I’ll go water some plants.
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