Tropical Gardening

I agree Michael so will be babying them through the Winter.

Charles Grimaldi is starting to bloom ...

It is quite comfortable .. with bar in the corner and French doors to lower Patio ... also a/c and heat ... .

As I have has zero success from seed. Well I did get one started and planted but it died over the Summer, so I bought a small plant and had T'other Half plant it by the dead Mioporum trunk so it will hopefullu clamber up it ...

For Tecoma I was really thinking of pot growing it to see if it would flower in a pot, moved under cover in the garage overwinter, but as I don't have one or two can't experiment. Works with Bougainvillea and podranea, Erythrina etc.

I've been messing with pots this morning and found a teeny piece of the coloured leaf canna which still had its label. It's called Downunder. Googled it to remind me of flower colour and height, if it ever does anything, and the first response was "Australia Cannabis security". Nothing at all...

@Kate1984 whereabouts in the country is your garden? Dry winds are not good for bamboos, mine suffers in the wind. The other thing is given the dry hot summer did you water your bamboo at all. Next year in spring I'd feed with blood, fish and bone and then if we get a dry spell then water...

I grew turmeric last year and harvested a decent amount of root to freeze. Like ginger it was much more fragrant fresh, but it's a good job I wore rubber gloves to peel it - it stained everything! I couldn't be bothered to do it again - I'll stick with flowering hardy gingers

They are pretty when in bloom and fruiting. Now they come in thornless varieties. My last had nasty thorns ... none on this one.

these are individual tails about the length of a small hand

I grew mine from seed in the early '80's but it hasn't done this year and I don't expect it will now. Luckily, I removed the pups over the years and grew them on so I do now at least have several new plants.

Thanks for the advice. It did have more fronds on i when I bought it ...... but they were in a dried heap at the bottom.

Yes they do appear to be very similar in colour ,but doing well.

@dipstick, I think there are quite a few plants that look tropical but are hardy in the UK, and are useful to create a tropical look, without having to protect everything in winter.

thanks guys, you've put my mind at ease. it is getting morning to midday sun at the moment, its still potted so ill try it in a different position and see if it copes better.

I can’t lift mine, sometime try a steady roll across the garden in their pots. Which required a large gin on completion. I did get a wheeled pot holder thing from Lidl recently … I’m sure there a proper name… which is my next plan for the winter. The frame is a great idea

There were no blooms last year as they were drastically cut back in 2023 but Jak le Lane (the one on the lane is blooming at last watched over by one of our Collared Doves perched on the lamp post ...Van's Jak is getting his fronds back but won't bloom this year as it was cut back again...

Thanks so much for these replies. Much appreciated and very prompt!

Just another update on this plant. After giving me 7 gorgeous inflorescences, it took a short rest. Then it was time to get growing, again. The first thing it did was to start a new keiki. The original one I planted in its mother's pot. Its about 2-3mm diam and has put on a teeny weeny new...

Interesting @Victoria I've not come across the red ones before. Mine all live indoors nowadays and will be celebrating their 40th birthday this year. Varying sizes depending on how they've been allowed to go mad or restricted due to space available.