PUSHING THE BORDERS

In the poly-tunnel things are stirring. If only we had humming birds to do the pollination!



I assume Brugmansia sanguinea is humming bird pollinated, but it must be a much larger one that pollinates Tropaeolum tricolor [I've been calling this T.tricolorum - but I can't verify that name].





The Bomarea that isn't pardina has revealed its true colours if not its species [I'm working on that].



And even outside flowers are trying to get birds [not humming birds now] to pollinate them. This is [after a very mild winter here] I think Aloe arborescens 'Variegata'.




Chad.

I am dissapointed, I thought maybe you really had humming birds!

I think I may have killed my pardina - not . I planted it out during last year and itssulked since, tunnel looks the way to go, caldassii is up outside but not edulis

Green with envy Chad!

Best I can offer at the moment is that C.buxifolia is in bud.

Great that you got the variegated aloe to flower, I can't get mind anywhere near flowering so well done.

Can you buy hummingbird moth pupa like you can for other butterflies and moths? It would probably be warm enough in your poly for them and would be fun to see them buzzing around for how ever long they live.

I get humming bird hawk moths in the summer without trying. They hover over the Salvia and almost [well not really] give the impression of humming birds.

Chad.

Chad wrote:I get humming bird hawk moths in the summer without trying. They hover over the Salvia and almost [well not really] give the impression of humming birds.

Chad.

Ah the joys of a cornish climate. :mrgreen:

Well the moths have been going their job. I have both fruit and flowers on Brugmansia arborea, as well as on an unnamed yellow one at present.


Other things moving are Pelargonium rubricinitum x cordifolium


Justicia rizzinii


Socchus congestus, now standing 4 feet - thanks for the seeds Chad - everyone loves a dandelion - don't they. :lol:


Cystus racemosus or is it Helianthemum apenninum or possibly Genista x spachiana. Another one of these naming nightmares. :roll:

Chad - that Tropaeolum is lovely. And presumably you are getting all that growth from a tuber.

How goes it cope with heat? Charlie was saying Tropaeolums tend not to do well inside because of the heat. But perhaps heat is not a problem at this time of the year.

Both Tropaeolum tricolor and pentaphyllum [about to flower - photo's when it does] are winter growers here. Outside they get blown to bits, but the wind shelter of the tunnel lets them flower about now. By the time the tunnel warms up they are over and aestivating as tubers.

That said, the tunnel has large doors at each end that are open in the summer so it hardly ever gets 'hot' in there. 30C was seldom reached last year.

Chad.

Chad - that's great thank you.

I have just had a very interesting Google and found lots of new Tropaeolums that I didn't know about. I like the look of the blue T. azureum as well.