What's looking exotic in 2019

I have had Mandevilla for 11/12 years and for the first time one has produced a seed pod ...



I currently has six, four red, one pink and one white. This pod is on a red one so I will see how I go propagating it in due course.

 

Hi @Victoria , mines about 7 years old now. I've never had any seedpods :(

 

Give it time @KFF ... like I said, 11/12 years in my climate! Not sure how old this one is, but to be honest I think only 7/8 years. Like I said, this is a first for me and I still have the 'old' ones, this one 11 years old ...

 

Surely, making seed is not about the age of a plant, if it's flowering, it's about pollination.

 

I am sure we have enough flying critters visiting them, in different parts of the garden, outdoors all year round.

 

This looks cute, I've got a similar one in my garden too!

 

Not looked up the usual pollinators of mandevilla, is it s.american?

Reason I ask is maybe humming birds.

 

Thanks for info @Victoria - I am tempted to order for next spring! And your mandevilla looks lovely.

 

@pete I read bees and butterflies, have zillions of the first on the almond tree and some of the latter.

This week have layered one in two places to see how it goes.

 

I did do a very fast look up on pollinators when I got home, I see it says large bees, but then there is the cross pollination that might be required, and maybe seed is more likely to be set if pollen from a different clone reaches the plant.

So two different varieties in flower at the same time could help.

 

Do Carpenter Bees count? I have lots of them living here. Different varieties ...

 

I dunno, it seems that its not that easily pollinated, I use a soft brush if I want seed on things that dont pollinate easily.

 

This finally flowered. But I can't remember which protea it is. Not very impressed - I flowered roupelli before and it was much better (as are the cynaroides of course). Hopefully next year it will do more.

 

Tillandsia tenuifolia, wait three years to flower and only lasts a week or so, same as my Billbergias.

 

But it's a wonderful colour @strongylodon ! And there are other plants like flowering cherries that only bloom for a very short time - yet we still grow them.