MULA

I mentioned last week that there is a Garden Centre near by which now specializes in exotics.
I have just been and they have beautiful specimens
of many types....just a couple pictured here.
Tree Ferns,the largest stands 15ft and costs �£250.

I just loved the Olive trees you can see,wonderful shapes some of them.
Wild West material...display only these ones..no wonder :eek:

 

15ft, Stick on the roof rack then Nick, and come over for sunday lunch! Is it Mula or Mulu, they are in evesham I think ? They have Tetrapanax papyrifer "Rex" in stock, you have to have one !

http://www.mulu.co.uk/plant_info.php?id=392

 

Looks like you're taking photos, here, Pal! :eek:

Will they all survive there, Babe, other than in your cosseted conditions?

 

Oooops!.. :D got in a bit of a Mulu there mate!!!!
The place is amazing..I have never seen so many exotics before. As I said,I loved the Olive trees but at �£1500 ....... :eek:

 

Yep. it looks interesting Pal.
Long way to go for a look though :D

 

Pal, how old were the olive trees and what is the circumference? Height doesn't often count with them because they cut them back so much.

 

It would seem that the 'Rex' form is hardy in a protected bed much like alot of tropical type trees. I found this link which shows the rapid growth and the splendid form they achieve in relatively little time.

http://www.pbase.com:80/pillharrier/tetrapanax_rex

 

The tree that cost the most looked as old as the hills. It was a magnificent,twisted and gnarled beauty! As you say,no height but a girth of 6ft +.
Each tree had shoots from around its base pushing up and pruning must be on going!
They are so beautiful I can imagine they would be part of a dowry in their native country.

 

That's interesting, Babe ... wish I knew that when I lived there as I may have had a different garden scenario.

Pal, it's all the thing here now buying ancient olive trees. I believe I've mentioned this elsewhere where they have "raped the land" in Alentejo to make way for an humongous resevoir and are bringing hordes of them down here and apparently into France and other European countries, ie, looks like UK as well!

They can take frost and drought ... they have to in the Alentejo region (the one completely bordering Algarve to the North) as it's both the hottest and coldest region in Portugal.

They can massacre the root structure and pot them up quite small. I'll check out our prices again here when I'm moseying around, just out of curiousity ... I don't need one as there's one we have to massacre yearly that attacks our kitchen!

 

I often wonder where they get these old gnarled olive trees from, and are they signing their death warrant bringing them over here to perhaps slowly die in unsuitable conditions.

 

Nick your end of the world has two of my favourite shops, Mulu being one and The Aquatic Habitat in Brockworth being two. Last time I was there they had some of the best examples of synodontis I have seen in a retail outlet.

 

Evening, pete. I'm sure they are coming from here, from the Alentejo. And you may well be right that in the UK it could be their death warrant.

So sad but what is the option when they are uprooting thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of them? At least they are uprooting them (making big bucks obviously) rather than ploughing them up into nothingness.

It's sad when you live here, see them moving around on trucks, being temporarily planted in "holding sites" and just actually see it happening.

BTW, the one attacking my kitchen is a black bitter olive so that's even sadder! :(

 

I suppose if its death or a chance then thats not quite so bad, although I cant help wondering how many will still be alive in say ten years time.
Not many, I bet.

 

Talking of fish BM, lets see some more pics of yours.

 

Hi Pete

Olives are a lot hardier than people think!!!! I have a beauty in a pot here and its been outside since I got it 3 years ago, and had a few olives on it - the last one came off this week!!!! Never protected it at all, and I hope to plant it out next year.

BM - OMG!!!!! Gotta DEFINITELY get one of the t-rexes!!!!! Even 'im indoors peered over my shoulder just now and said "mmm - I like that" !!!!! Is that garden wonderful, or what!!!!!!!!! I am busy studying the pictures making a note of the plants in the bed........ There is a tropical place near Chichester, so I'm going to give them a ring and see if they have any!!!!

And Nick - that 15 foot TF makes my 8 1/2 ft one look positively short!!!!!! (its finally planted and I had to climb a step ladder to water it!!!!!)