|
Post by Lord L on Apr 30, 2007 4:27:17 GMT
I noticed yesterday that I have a few self-sown Petunias.
I have never known Petunia seed to survive a Winter before and be able to germinate the following Spring - has anyone else?
|
|
|
Post by lily on Apr 30, 2007 5:47:16 GMT
Not sure about that but I've noticed the difference with other things. My 'softer' herbs all survived the winter and my climbing rose, whilst it had no leaves was in flower all over Christmas and well into Jan. I think it just ran out of steam as it's now in bud again. It will be interesting to see what changes happen if the climate is indeed warming up.
xxx
|
|
|
Post by lily on Apr 30, 2007 6:23:58 GMT
Must admit I'd love to be able to grow bourganvilla outside up my wall at the bottom of my garden!
xxx
|
|
|
Post by carlott on Apr 30, 2007 7:50:17 GMT
One thing that I dread - though no doubt others will love the thought - is the steady march of Cordylines. We inherited three when first we moved here. To us they look bad enough when only in leaf but the flower was unattractive and the smell unbearable. Worse though was that whilst the local bees ignored the flowers the flies were attracted to them in hordes (gives a feeling for the smell). THey have now been re-cycled as mulch or similar.
I trust that more friendly looking drought withstanding plants will take their place. Our Tea Tree is looking a bit worse for wear at present but we will perserve.
|
|
|
Post by revmichael on Apr 30, 2007 8:47:11 GMT
I've been nurturing some seedlings in the greenhouse of Cerinthe major var. purpurea which came from seedlings from a plant I bought quite a few years ago. I planted it very close to the house for protection from the frosts. However, I now have a very large plant of it (a seedling) at the end of the garden which is some way from the house. It has survived (our fairly mild winter) very well. Here is a picture of it:
|
|
|
Post by cheesygrin on Apr 30, 2007 9:14:41 GMT
While my other half was raking over our little flowerbed and pulling out the weeds ready for our new plants he dug up a wallflower. This is strange because we have never grown wallflowers in our garden. I guess the birds must have carried the seeds?
|
|
|
Post by revmichael on Apr 30, 2007 9:43:31 GMT
While my other half was raking over our little flowerbed and pulling out the weeds ready for our new plants he dug up a wallflower. This is strange because we have never grown wallflowers in our garden. I guess the birds must have carried the seeds? I've never planted blackberries in mine either, but there are loads of small plants coming up. The seeds must have been deposited by the 'deposit' of the birds.
|
|
|
Post by Rose Tinted Glasses on Apr 30, 2007 10:46:22 GMT
I've been nurturing some seedlings in the greenhouse of Cerinthe major var. purpurea which came from seedlings from a plant I bought quite a few years ago. I planted it very close to the house for protection from the frosts. However, I now have a very large plant of it (a seedling) at the end of the garden which is some way from the house. It has survived (our fairly mild winter) very well. Here is a picture of it: Your Cerinthe looks great Rev. We grew these a couple of years ago and they looked fantastic and spread everywhere.
|
|
|
Post by Fi on Apr 30, 2007 12:10:45 GMT
I've never known petunia seed survive winter, but at our last house, winter usually involved temperatures down to minus 15 or 20. However, having moved some 40 miles south, and within 4 miles of the coast (it used to be 30), it's like entering a different world. It has been an extremely mild winter, I know, but this new garden is something like 2 months ahead of the old one, as well as including several species that we simply could not have grown before. So, global warming or not, we are having to completely relearn our plant husbandry from the soil up. It is not, thankfully, as drastic as when we moved from Western Australia to our previous house. In WA, even tomato seeds survived winter so well they were like weeds. If this warming continues, we're going to try a few things like bottle brushes (there already is a snow gum) and other antipodean delights. And the fig, which we used to keep in the greenhouse, is definitely going outside.
|
|
|
Post by lily on Apr 30, 2007 15:56:26 GMT
I go to Hampton Court Flower Show every year and am always sooooooo tempted to buy a lemon tree. However we don't have a conservatory or greenhouse to overwinter. I am hoping that maybe I'll be able to get one and it will survive the winter!
xxx
|
|
|
Post by faeryboots on Apr 30, 2007 16:05:04 GMT
I'm happy to grow things like Lemon trees as long as we don't get the spiders with them, I remember some very large ones living in Lemon Trees in Spain! *shudders*
|
|
|
Post by revmichael on Apr 30, 2007 16:41:33 GMT
I go to Hampton Court Flower Show every year and am always sooooooo tempted to buy a lemon tree. However we don't have a conservatory or greenhouse to overwinter. I am hoping that maybe I'll be able to get one and it will survive the winter!
xxx You would be best to consult the people who sell them. With our milder winters it might be all right but perhaps you can keep in the house on cold nights. I had one once and kept it in my greenhouse but eventually it died - even in the greenhouse.
|
|
|
Post by lily on Apr 30, 2007 16:47:43 GMT
I go to Hampton Court Flower Show every year and am always sooooooo tempted to buy a lemon tree. However we don't have a conservatory or greenhouse to overwinter. I am hoping that maybe I'll be able to get one and it will survive the winter!
xxx You would be best to consult the people who sell them. With our milder winters it might be all right but perhaps you can keep in the house on cold nights. I had one once and kept it in my greenhouse but eventually it died - even in the greenhouse. Funnily enough Michael, I was talking to the stallholder last year and they had lemon and mandarin that they had bred here and would be ok outside in the South of England down to something like minus 5/6 I think from memory. Going back to the original climate change I don't remember a frost that heavy here for a while. Maybe I'll get cought this year!!!
xxx
|
|
|
Post by lolliepop on Apr 30, 2007 17:04:43 GMT
I have som lobelia coming up where they have self seeded and I have never known that to happen before.
|
|
|
Post by Fi on Apr 30, 2007 21:30:17 GMT
I go to Hampton Court Flower Show every year and am always sooooooo tempted to buy a lemon tree. However we don't have a conservatory or greenhouse to overwinter. I am hoping that maybe I'll be able to get one and it will survive the winter!
xxx Whilst not 100% guaranteed, if you're talking about a small lemon tree, a very effective, if not exactly green, way of protecting plants above ground from frost and icy winds is several layers of bubble wrap. A thick mulch (or snow) will protect roots except in extremely severe frosts.
|
|
|
Post by Suzy R Sopham on May 1, 2007 7:01:34 GMT
I have a small lemon tree (again bought cheaply from Wilkinsons!). I put it in the greenhouse (unheated) over the winter so I am sure a few layers of bubble wrap as Fi suggested would do the job.
|
|