A to Z of plants continuation

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Umbrian

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Re: A to Z of plants continuation
« Reply #30 on: June 05, 2019, 06:04:56 AM »
Spectacular John and how satisfying to have had them so long often growing them from seed.
MGS member living and gardening in Umbria, Italy for past 19 years. Recently moved from my original house and now planning and planting a new small garden.

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John J

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Re: A to Z of plants continuation
« Reply #31 on: June 05, 2019, 06:28:19 AM »
Our Elephant's Foot Palms (Beaucarnea recurvata) are of a size that could only belong to very small elephants as yet, and as they apparently take at least 10 years to flower we may have a long wait before that happens.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

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John J

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Re: A to Z of plants continuation
« Reply #32 on: June 06, 2019, 05:21:52 AM »
From elephant's feet to Elephant's Ears, the Bergenia cordifolia are not in flower at this time so are pretty boring.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

Hilary

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Re: A to Z of plants continuation
« Reply #33 on: June 06, 2019, 05:13:42 PM »
Forgive me for jumping in here but your
Quote
"boring"
Bergenia cordifolia should look something like this in the winter .
There are quite a few in troughs on the pavements in Sparta , I don't see them anymore in Corinth
MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care

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John J

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Re: A to Z of plants continuation
« Reply #34 on: June 07, 2019, 05:22:26 AM »
Thanks for the photo, Hilary. I wasn't referring to the plant in general but to mine in particular, they struggle badly in our garden for some reason, while at higher altitudes they can do very well.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

Hilary

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Re: A to Z of plants continuation
« Reply #35 on: June 07, 2019, 05:28:07 AM »
Sparta is definitely wetter than Corinth and I suppose higher
MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care

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John J

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Re: A to Z of plants continuation
« Reply #36 on: June 07, 2019, 07:02:00 AM »
When I first saw the South American epiphyte, Billbergia nutans, growing so well in pots in the dry heat of Sparoza I was surprised. They are a very shallow rooted plant that obtain the majority of their water via their leaves. I planted ours in the ground and over the years it outgrew its allotted space so I eventually got around to moving it, while at the same time reducing it in size. Apparently one of its common names of Friendship Plant is due to the fact that it is considered easy to split and share with friends. I did not find this to be the case when, over the winter, I had to take a saw to it to get a small enough piece to replant in a new location. The rough treatment does not seem to have done it any permanent harm and it appears to be settling into its new home. We'll see how it survives the coming summer.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

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John J

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Re: A to Z of plants continuation
« Reply #37 on: June 08, 2019, 06:01:32 AM »
Bosea cypria, as its name suggests, is a Cyprus endemic. Not by any means a spectacular plant to look at, nor is it particularly rare, or even uncommon, however it does have an interesting history. Its story goes back in time to the period before the continents as we know them today were formed.
The Bosea genus contains just 3 species. All have their origins on the shores of the giant, ancient Tethys Sea. Subsequent tectonic plate movement isolated them in specific areas, Bosea cypria in Cyprus, B. yevamora in the Canary Islands and B. amherstiana in the Himalaya.
This is not an isolated example. For instance the Cedrus genus has only 4 species and they follow much the same pattern as the Bosea. Cedrus brevifolia is confined to Cyprus, with C. libani close by in the Near East and Turkey. C. atlantica grows in Morocco/Algeria, not far from the Canaries, and C. deodara is found in the Himalaya.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

Hilary

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Re: A to Z of plants continuation
« Reply #38 on: June 08, 2019, 07:26:20 AM »
Interesting
MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care

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John J

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Re: A to Z of plants continuation
« Reply #39 on: June 09, 2019, 06:22:49 AM »
Our Bougainvillea spectabilis has had its periodic extreme pruning in order to confine it to its allotted space, otherwise it becomes totally unruly. This task involves a fair amount of blood (quite literally), sweat (copious amounts) and tears (well, almost), on my part to complete. It takes a little time before it flowers following this indignity but it's well worth it when it does.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

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John J

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Re: A to Z of plants continuation
« Reply #40 on: June 10, 2019, 03:23:23 PM »
We have 2 Brugmansia suaveolens, a yellow-flowered variety and a pink one, the latter is not in flower at the moment.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

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John J

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Re: A to Z of plants continuation
« Reply #41 on: June 11, 2019, 02:28:50 PM »
We have had our Brunfelsia pauciflora for several years and it flowers well annually but it never really looks totally happy. Maybe a deficiency in an element that we have not been able to identify.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

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John J

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Re: A to Z of plants continuation
« Reply #42 on: June 12, 2019, 06:31:44 AM »
We have 2 Buddleja davidii that have established reasonably well in the shade under a large tree.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)

Hilary

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Re: A to Z of plants continuation
« Reply #43 on: June 12, 2019, 09:28:05 AM »
If you think the problem you have with your Brunfelsia pauciflora is the colour of the leaves , this photo might reassure you.
We saw it in one of the hothouse we visited in Madrid last year
MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care

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John J

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Re: A to Z of plants continuation
« Reply #44 on: June 12, 2019, 10:25:40 AM »
Exactly right, Hilary, the leaves always look rather pale and chlorotic no matter what we feed it.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)