My garden today

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Charithea

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Re: My garden today
« Reply #15 on: April 21, 2021, 01:32:47 PM »
You are correct about the colour. It is so strong. I am not sure why it is spreading.  During the winter months it was shaded and perhaps it was stretching for the light.  This is the first time that I managed to grow it. I will wait until I get some cuttings growing before I prune it into a round shape.
I garden in Cyprus, in a flat old farming field, alt. approx. 30 m asl.

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Charithea

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Re: My garden today
« Reply #16 on: April 21, 2021, 01:56:00 PM »
I have mentioned that we have 200 plus pots in our garden.  I am now going to explain how this came about.  My sister gave us a mature Epiphyllum oxypetalum and a young friend of mine that has a wonderful garden full of pots of cactus and succulents suggested that I should try some hybrids of Epiphyllums.   We started with Epiphyllum Elektra and Epiphyllum Desert Moon.  They were easy to keep so we got some more varieties.  We now have 28 pots.  Some are hanging of tree branches and other in special wrought iron containers.  Last year the two original plants got too heavy for their support and crushed down.  Surprisingly the pots did not break because they were cushioned by the foliage, but the plants needed a hair cut.  I gave some of the cuttings away and re potted the original parents. I planted the other cuttings and now have 15 of them in plastic pots.  When our Epiphyllums are in flower passersby and friends ask for cuttings.  This year I am prepared.  I will give them the already growing ones and reduce the pots.  Our biggest problem here is the relentless heat of the summer so I grow some special plants in pots so that I can move them about in the shade when needed. Finally my seedling will be hopefully planted in the ground and take the empty pots to the Nursey for their use. I will be saving time so I can repaint my pots as they fade during the year.
« Last Edit: April 21, 2021, 01:58:24 PM by Charithea »
I garden in Cyprus, in a flat old farming field, alt. approx. 30 m asl.

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Charithea

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Re: My garden today
« Reply #17 on: April 29, 2021, 09:59:12 AM »
I am posting the first Epiphyllum photo today.  It is Epiphyllum Candy Crush It can be very untidy .  It will look amazing when the rest of the buds open up.
« Last Edit: April 29, 2021, 01:51:07 PM by Charithea »
I garden in Cyprus, in a flat old farming field, alt. approx. 30 m asl.

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Charithea

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Re: My garden today
« Reply #18 on: April 30, 2021, 04:37:47 PM »
Spring has definitely arrived here as our visiting Golden Oriole  has been enticing me out of bed at 5 with its calling.  Wednesday I was outside our side gate in the road in my PJ's  trying to espy the bird.  It was sitting on my cousin's Morus alba 200 meters away from me.  Thursday 6.30 it was 10 meters away from our kitchen window on the Carya illinoinensis.  I crept towards the tree and it flew and perched itself on the Melia azedarach  at the end of the garden. This morning it was on the melia again with its bright yellow feather shining in the early morning sunlight. I can not photograph it as I lack the expertise but I wanted to show how beautiful it looks so I downloaded the picture from the internet.
« Last Edit: May 01, 2021, 04:30:05 AM by Charithea »
I garden in Cyprus, in a flat old farming field, alt. approx. 30 m asl.

David Dickinson

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Re: My garden today
« Reply #19 on: April 30, 2021, 09:04:51 PM »
I wish I had those in my garden. They do live in some of the larger parks towards the outskirts of Rome but they never pass this way. I can hear that the bee-eaters have returned, though. They fly around the fields behind my house and their calling is a real summer sound.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_bee-eater#/media/File:Guepier_d'europe_au_parc_national_Ichkeul.jpg
I have a small garden in Rome, Italy. Some open soil, some concrete, some paved. Temperatures in winter occasionally down to 0°C. Summer temperatures up to 40°C in the shade. There are never watering restrictions but, of course, there is little natural water for much of June, July and August.

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John J

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Re: My garden today
« Reply #20 on: May 01, 2021, 04:22:53 AM »
I heard the bee-eaters here for the first time this week too, David. They pass through around this time of year and then again at the end of the summer. They circle and swoop around above our property and the surrounding area, but never really low enough to even try to get a photo of them.
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)

Umbrian

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Re: My garden today
« Reply #21 on: May 01, 2021, 08:38:14 AM »
Early starts to the day have arrived for me too with birds sitting in the Persimmon tree just outside out bedroom window and singing their hearts out earlier and earlier. One night, when finding sleep elusive, I got up about 3am and went outside for a wander and was serenaded by a sole Blackbird - beautiful. After that I managed to get some sleep before the dawn chorus arrived.
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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Charithea

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Re: My garden today
« Reply #22 on: May 14, 2021, 02:56:16 PM »
The last two days the bees have been humming in and out of the large Epiphyllum flowers.  I made a short video with the bees and  bird songs but I am not sure how to edit it and post it so I decided to take some photos instead.
I garden in Cyprus, in a flat old farming field, alt. approx. 30 m asl.

Hilary

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Re: My garden today
« Reply #23 on: May 14, 2021, 05:14:51 PM »
What a wonderful show!
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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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Charithea

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Re: My garden today
« Reply #24 on: June 15, 2021, 06:19:52 AM »
We have different varieties of Teucriums and they do well in our garden.  This one was given to me by the young nurseryman to try it out in our garden a few years ago. I found that I liked its toughness and took cuttings and now it grows on different parts of our garden.  I believe it is aTeucrium chamaedrys 'Prostratum' but if anyone thinks it is wrong please correct me.  I am also posting a photo of a Gardenia jasminoides as this year is flowering profusely.  Our other Gardenias  were recommended to us by the same young man. They have an amazing display of them.  New blood in the family business  has improved the quality of their plants. 
I garden in Cyprus, in a flat old farming field, alt. approx. 30 m asl.

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Charithea

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Re: My garden today
« Reply #25 on: June 20, 2021, 06:41:51 PM »
I took some photos early this morning of some of our bushes that have finally come of age.  They are finally producing flowers not just the odd one.  The Tabernaemontana divericata , the first photo and theHibiscus syriacus second photo get some shade during the day and their leaves don't get sunburnt and the Lagerstromia indica likewise protected part of the day by the old grapefruit tree.
I garden in Cyprus, in a flat old farming field, alt. approx. 30 m asl.

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Charithea

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Re: My garden today
« Reply #26 on: June 25, 2021, 10:48:42 AM »
A tale of two sites.  I have planted Salvia leucantha in different locations, one site is shaded most of the day by an enormous  avocado tree and also gets a bit more water when the vegetables get watered, the others are just outside the kitchen window because I wanted to see them when in flower first thing in the morning.  They do well in early spring and in late autumn but as you can see in the photo they suffer during the hot months.  All these Salvias were cut down in the end of winter.
« Last Edit: June 25, 2021, 10:52:56 AM by Charithea »
I garden in Cyprus, in a flat old farming field, alt. approx. 30 m asl.

David Dickinson

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Re: My garden today
« Reply #27 on: June 25, 2021, 11:24:50 AM »
Salvia leucantha is normally an autumn/early winter flowerer for me. We must have had a very sharp frost one night during late winter as many plants were cut to the ground in February. One of them was S leucantha, Just next to it is a S leucantha 'Midnight' which wasn't affected. The new growth of the S leucantha is trying to flower just now whereas 'Midnight' isn't.  Perhaps, flower-wise it is a species that benefits from being cut back in spring?
I have a small garden in Rome, Italy. Some open soil, some concrete, some paved. Temperatures in winter occasionally down to 0°C. Summer temperatures up to 40°C in the shade. There are never watering restrictions but, of course, there is little natural water for much of June, July and August.

Umbrian

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Re: My garden today
« Reply #28 on: June 26, 2021, 07:46:27 AM »
The small 'midnight' you gave to me was cut back in the autumn and well protected through the winter it being a young plant . It survived well, still fleeced when the late frost struck. Now it is making good progress but this early extreme heat has slowed it down as is the case with many things I find. I am resorting to the odd bucket of water in some cases😕
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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Charithea

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Re: My garden today
« Reply #29 on: July 07, 2021, 03:21:26 PM »
Here are some photos of some of our Clerodendrums.  Our Clerodendrum trichotomum var. fargesii has not flowered yet .First is C. x speciosum, C. chinense and C. bungei starting to open up.  Last year the latter did not do well.
I garden in Cyprus, in a flat old farming field, alt. approx. 30 m asl.