2023

[charlie]

Palms seem happy with the weather even if I am not!

Trachycarpus wagnerianus by charliepridham, on Flickr

[Paul S]

My palms have done OK over the past year of testing weather, strangely. A few succulents struggled in the summer (!) but the palms didn't seem to cope too badly. Then over winter I lost a load of succulents and, again, apart from a little bit of scorching, mostly they were fine. I have a Rhapis humilis that looks almost dead but still a little green right at the base, everything else is better than that. I think I have around 24 palm taxa.

[Karl66]

Hi guys...yes the never ending winter!
Had lot's of various yucca damage, thankfully most of my rare palms look to have survived.

P.s
How is your book adventure going paul?.

[Paul S]

Karl - book is written and being proof-read by a friend. Lots of pictures still to take, then working out the layout. It's keeping me out of mischief for a while :D

[AndyC]

My little Trachy is flowering for the first time in its life



You can have enormous fun with them when they get big and you realise that they are in the wrong place

Karl - book is written and being proof-read by a friend. Lots of pictures still to take, then working out the layout. It's keeping me out of mischief for a while :D

Hurry up Paul, I need all the help I can get :)

[charlie]

Came across this bit of garden looking nice in the sunshine on Sunday, only had my phone which I am afraid has not done it justice, the Iris confusa looking good and Crinodendron Ada Hoffmann about to

20230507_161033 by charliepridham, on Flickr

So I thought I would bring the camera on Monday - well talk about tropical down pours! I retreated into the tunnel with said camera where I noticed Bignonia capreolata 'Dragon Lady' flowering ahead of the main plant in the garden

Bignonia capreolata 'Dragon Lady' by charliepridham, on Flickr

Bignonia capreolata 'Dragon Lady' by charliepridham, on Flickr

[Tony King]

Karl - book is written and being proof-read by a friend. Lots of pictures still to take, then working out the layout. It's keeping me out of mischief for a while :D

I can't wait for it either!!

It is a great shame so many plants have been hit this past winter and especially so succulents I think.

It has been interesting observing the variation amongst Cordyline australis and a few of the forms too. Perhaps showing the advantages of variation you get amongst seed raised plants when it comes to the 'regular green' australis. Around here many have been cut back to the ground and most of the local front gardens that have been growing either the 'purple' leaf or variegated forms see them looking dead so far.

But amongst the examples are a few regular australis that don't look that badly hit at all and indeed they are starting to carry quite well advanced flower spikes as well.

I don't want to tempt fate but so far my palms appear 'ok' apart from one of my Chamaedorea radicalis that over the last two years started to make a trunk, despite otherwise growing to normal pattern over the last 20 years! The trunk it made has lost almost all leaves but still looks green in itself so I am really hoping it is not dead. Likewise my Trachycarpus martianus always suffers almost total loss of leaves every winter but the spear at the moment looks ok.

But on the EPS forum it is rather disheartening to keep seeing the reports of palm damage that a good number of folk have suffered.

Paul it will be interesting to see how your Rhapis fares. It is not one I have tried outside in the past but one that I thought a few times 'could' have potential in a suitably sheltered and shady spot.

[charlie]

Finally getting the show from Ada Hoffmann

Crinodendron 'Ada Hoffmann' by charliepridham, on Flickr

Crinodendron 'Ada Hoffmann' by charliepridham, on Flickr

Personally I am fond of the straight species

Crinodenron hookerianum by charliepridham, on Flickr

Lovely to see the Wisteria this year (Last year all the buds caught a late frost)

Wisteria floribunda by charliepridham, on Flickr

Wisteria floribunda by charliepridham, on Flickr

Most of our large Montana type clematis died this last winter (stems split at the base and slime flux set in) this seems to be fine - the scruffiness is due to the Dregea sinensis its growing over!

Clematis 'Prosperity' by charliepridham, on Flickr

[AndyC]

I was so impressed with the Scilla peruviana growing in a gravel bed along the Cliff Rd in Falmouth that I copied them along the edge of our drive



The foliage on my Persea thunbergii is lokking a bit sun bleached, should look better one the Fargesia robusta 'Wolong' on its left grows bigger and gives it some shade



The new growth on the Podocarpus henkelii has been left alone by the capsid bugs this year, hoping the cold winter has killed at least some of them off.

[charlie]

Interesting to see the Scilla peruviana, ours is now in quite a lot of shade, it does flower but not like that!