A blog about plants and gardening.
It’s been a crazy old time lately and I have been busy with my plants, plant deliveries, seed sowing and tidying the yarden.
I’m trying to grow more edibles and herbs, also more climbers to make use of the height available to me.
Here is an order received from Poyntzfield Herbs. I like how they don’t send the pots, reusing them in their nursery and sending in plastic free packaging.
Let’s hope I can keep them growing well allow me to have some more tasty treats in the yarden.
Happy gardening!
Here is a list of plants that I grow here in my Tiny Tropical Yarden and at my parents. The list is ever growing as I truly am a plant geek. My latest additions have been edible and tropical, even more recent some more unusual snowdrops.
I will endeavour to update the list with new additions and any sad but sometimes inevitable losses.
I am always happy to swap cuttings, plants and seeds with fellow gardeners if I am able.
I hope this finds you well and gardening!!
I have finally cut some leaves off the Ensete murelii and have brought her inside.
I am always so saddened when I cut these stunning leaves from the plant (Ensete murelii), however I’ve learnt that this is a necessary evil to allow the plant to survive for the winter months. Along with not watering it whatsoever. This is a mistake that I have ignored in the past and sadly lost this beauty.
Many of my plants have had to come to their winter home, loving the green jungle which is our stairs!
This is one of my seed sown plants, Aeonium tabuliform, look at the prefect form of the leaves!
As the weather cools, hidden and forgotten friends return. This is Arum italicum pictum, soon we will have an insignificant flower to be followed by bright red berries.
Another stunner at this time of year is the beautiful Cyclamen hederofolium, look at their leaves! They even have beautiful flower … watch this space.
Many of the exotics are now inside, I am lucky enough to have a micro climate due to the high walls and the heat from a neighbouring launderette.
This Colocasia esculenta is still growing and looking quite at home in our tiny tropical yarden.
In other news, a friend on twitter sent me these huge cuttings. They look like bamboo, however they are Dahlia imperialis aka The Tree Dahlia.
It’s been an interesting year in the garden, I’ve grown many plants which I have never grown before. This is an interesting plant, it is a climber with delicate leaves and can flower if looked after properly. It has the added use that it is edible, it is known as Mashua, Latin name is Tropaeolum tuberosum.
It’s also been an interesting year in my parents garden, the bananas have grown well, I’ve also grown Mirabilis species, jalapa and longiflora. Both have also set seed and hopefully will see more of them round the garden next year.
Another plant that has really shown how well it performs is Impatiens tinctoria, a tall growing perennial with large scented white flower. A must have in any jungle garden.
Also pleased to have some seeds mature from my Hedychium, I believe it to be densiflorum ‘Stephen’.
I hope you’re all keeping well, keep gardening!
I’ve been needing to pot on some rooted cuttings and today was the day.
The roots on my Rhaphidophora tetrasperma looking great, I’m hoping that now I’ve planted it, it’ll grow fast.
Another cutting with stunning leaves, this is Epipremnum aureum ‘N’ Joy, more commonly known as Pothos.
I had some other green Pothos to plant up, and two varieties of impatiens cuttings.
I have another variety of Tradescantia, they are easy to propagate from cuttings. This is Tradescantia pallida.
A bit of an update on the mango seed. I was told to dry the husk and then open it.
I opened it, sadly the seed didn’t come out whole. A little broke off.
I have planted the seed and fingers crossed it will sprout.
Enjoy your plants!
I’ve had a full day and not really had much time to do anything other than water some of my plants.
After making dinner I have saved the mango husk to attempt to grow it.
I have grown a fair few avocados and a couple of pineapples after some refining of the technique and am hoping I will be able to grow a mango too.
Have you grown anything from kitchen waste?
Keep planting!
So I’ve managed to do a few bits outside today in the sun, rain and wind*.
I’ve finally put the stand together and placed some hostas on it. There needs to be some rearrangement but it’s a good start.
A lovely Dahlia flower. I had to buy these for my parents when I saw them! These are Dahlia Sandra. My mum’s name.
These are Amaranthus.
I love how big these ornamental gingers are growing! I am not sure of the variety of these Hedychium, I believe it could be ‘Stephen’.
These are the planters I prepared for my parents earlier this year.
I’ve spotted a few things of interest, hoping to catch you up on these soon.
I’m pleased to see that the Alocasia ‘Polly’ is growing back after it slowly died away.
I also planted up some of the growing avocado stones.
Also potted on the Crassula ovata, aka money plant.
I potted on one of my fig plants. Ficus carica ‘Ice Crystal’.
I bought some thyme and decided to plant it in this terracotta pot and repot this over growing Oca.
Here is the Thyme potted up.
And on my edible shelf.
I’m pleased to see my recently bought Bomarea is flowering.
I also bought some chives. The key to any supermarket bought herbs is to split them and repot them as soon as you get them. This will give them the energy and nutrition they need.
I’m hoping to catch up with more things tomorrow.
Haven’t done lots in the yarden today. Thought I’d share pictures of the plants I have recently blogged about.
This is the Lathyrus latifolius ‘White Pearl’.
This is a very bad picture of these fairly tall Cyperus longus.
And here we have the Impatiens auricoma x bicaudata.
These are the beautiful Rhodohypoxis now potted up in terracotta.
Other than that I went for a trip to Ikea to get more plant pots and sadly after the hour queue to get in they had sold out of the ones I went in for.
I’ve hung the plants regardless but as you can see I need better plant pots!
This gives you the idea.
Speak tomorrow.
Dare I say, more and more plants have joined my growing collection today.
When I was heading out I found my expected parcel, earlier than expected which was a nice surprise.
I’ve been looking for this plant for quite some time – Pandanus amaryllifolius. This is a plant that James Wong writes about in one of his books. They are used in Asian cooking to add a vanilla flavour.
I went to collect a Facebook find in a nearby area, to buy a white everlasting pea – Lathyrus latifolius ‘White Pearl’.
The lady was lovely and we chatted about plants and gardening for some time.
We were accompanied by her lovely dog, who seemed to enjoy the attention. I do miss having a dog.
She showed me round her lovely garden and also gave me some seeds for the everlasting peas to see if I could grow them myself.
Or only that she gave me some of these stunning little alpines. These are Rhodohypoxis. I’ve grown these before back when I lived at my parents. Sadly they don’t like being wet in the winter. This tends to kill them. They do form lovely clumps.
After leaving, I collected my friend Stella and we headed to Parker’s to look for some pots. Sadly they were a little expensive and not what we were looking for. I did manage to get a shelf that sits on top of my potting tray.
We headed to one of our favourites – Aqualife. The staff are really friendly.
I came away with an extra Cyperus longus aka Native Sweet Galangale (James Wong book) and a Zantedeschia aethiopica ‘Kiwi Blush’
A Houttuynia cordata ‘Chameleon’ which is another edible in James Wongs book!
I was also given this creeping plant – I believe it to be a Gunnera magellanica.
I was also given a cutting of a rarer form of Gunnera. This has a velvety touch to the leaf. I’m not sure of the variety on this one.
I got home late, ate dinner and started potting up the plants.
Looking forward to more gardening tomorrow.
Today I had chance to spend a fair bit of time in our tiny tropical yarden.
Yay. I had more seeds arrive. These are from Mike (Mikes Rare Plants) down in Devon. He always has some really interesting seeds, many of my more unusual plants come from growing from Mike.
Here is a lovely impatiens that I have bought this year from Carl at Turn it Tropicals. Impatiens auricoma x bicaudata.
This stunning plant and flower is Arisaema ciliatum var. liubaense.
This tiny yet beautiful flower belongs to Titantia pringlei.
Here are some home grown radishes. Sadly not as many as I’d have hoped for.
I love these tiny lily pad plants that simply float on the surface of the water. These are frog bit (hydrocharis morsus-ranae) and they multiply easily. Sadly they never flower for me.
I have grown Alyssum ever since I found out it was scented. I dot it about the garden with blue trailing lobelia.
I love how tropical the yarden looks.
I potted on some succulents today.
Here are two agaves. They were from an agave mix seed packet. I’m hoping my friend David may be able to recognise them, though I have a feeling they may be still too young to identify.
Here is my Aloe ‘Cleopatra’ (again from Turn it Tropical) repotted and finished with a black gravel.
I hadn’t noticed the flower on this Billbergia nutans, it’s colourful yet delicate all in one!
Another picture of the stunning little blue sweet pea – Lathyrus azeurus.
I have moved other bits about and trying to tidy and make space so we can actually sit and enjoy our green space.
I’ll update you with more tomorrow.
HungryforHostas 