Coronavirus situation

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John J

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Re: Coronavirus situation
« Reply #360 on: August 20, 2020, 07:36:25 AM »
David , I am not sure if the sunflower self seeds as the area it grew in last year has been taken over by Salvias but the one that is growing now it is a seed that survived ants etc. I will collect the seeds and grow them again next year. I have seen an amazing display with this sunflower and Cosmos growing in a cool , water rich garden in Pelio last autumn. They were very tall specimens and with their bright colour caught ones attention.
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: Coronavirus situation
« Reply #361 on: August 20, 2020, 11:35:58 AM »
KNOSSOS, HERAKLION, CRETE

1966, like everyone else who goes to Crete, I visited Knossos

The photos are the same as the ones everyone else takes

I hope you notice the pine trees and some other vegetation
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

Hilary

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Re: Coronavirus situation
« Reply #362 on: August 21, 2020, 11:09:56 AM »
PHAISTOS, CRETE
In 1966 I took a bus to the south of Crete to see Phaistos. No,I didn’t go to see the hippies at Matala
1  Phaistos
2 Green, green fields
3 The Messara plain. Some sort of explosion happened the minute I took the      photo
4 Looking south to the Libyan sea and the Paximadia islands
 
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

Hilary

  • Hero Member
Re: Coronavirus situation
« Reply #363 on: August 22, 2020, 06:41:35 PM »
THE LASSITHI PLATEAU, CRETE


Another day in 1966 I took the bus to Psychro on the Lassithi Plateau.
The point of going there was to see the hundreds of windmills but I was lucky to come across the grain harvest.

Villagers acted as guides to the cave where Zeus is supposed to be have born but the nonexistent path to scramble down and the weak candles for lighting was not to my liking
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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Charithea

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Re: Coronavirus situation
« Reply #364 on: August 23, 2020, 12:45:17 PM »
I remember those hot, labour intensive harvesting and threshing months. That period ended down our way in the late 50s. I remember when the Combine harvester first arrived in the fields. What joy!!
I garden in Cyprus, in a flat old farming field, alt. approx. 30 m asl.

Hilary

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Re: Coronavirus situation
« Reply #365 on: August 23, 2020, 06:18:30 PM »
ANOGEIA, CRETE
 Another day in the summer of 1966 I took a bus to Anogeia. There I saw some of the stages of wool being turned into material. I saw women in the dark ground floor of their houses weaving on huge wooden looms the traditional Kilimia of Crete, but I didn’t take a photo

These two photos are, I think, from Anogeia
The man in traditional dress is not wearing Cretan traditional dress and I have never found out just where this type of clothing is worn
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

Hilary

  • Hero Member
Re: Coronavirus situation
« Reply #366 on: August 24, 2020, 03:43:03 PM »
SPINALONGA
In 1986 we took a boat day trip from Aghios Nicholas, in the east of Crete, which included a visit to Spinalonga, a taverna and somewhere good to swim.
This was long before the book was written and I don’t think we were much Impressed by Spinalonga but the swim remains memorable
Still not much vegetation in the photos
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

Hilary

  • Hero Member
Re: Coronavirus situation
« Reply #367 on: August 25, 2020, 06:15:35 PM »
VAI
We visited Vai, in the east of Crete, in 1986
The thing to do there is look at the Phoenix theophrasti trees, have a swim from the beach, eat at a taverna then look down on the forest of palm trees and the sandy beach.

In fact, every trip in Greece includes eating at a taverna

The palm tree forest at Vai even featured on a postage stamp

A good article to read about the plants of Crete is
THE HISTORY OF CRETAN LANDSCAPES AND THEIR SPECIAL PLANTS by Oliver Rackham
THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN number 63, January 2011
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

Hilary

  • Hero Member
Re: Coronavirus situation
« Reply #368 on: August 26, 2020, 04:09:30 PM »
IERAPETRA
My husband and I visited Ierapetra, on the south east coast of Crete  in 1997, long before we got a digital camera
The only photos I have are of two buildings.
The Muslim fountain in front of an old Ottoman mosque and a large square stone built building
I do remember going into the museum to see a statue which had recently been rescued from unofficial diggers and was struck by how lifelike her face was. I felt as if she would talk to me any minute
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

Hilary

  • Hero Member
Re: Coronavirus situation
« Reply #369 on: August 27, 2020, 07:31:54 PM »
Sparoza card
Looking for something else entirely I came across this postcard sent to me by Sally in 2009.
I suppose the card, which depicts Sparoza and the terraces, must have been drawn by Derek Toms
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

David Dickinson

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Re: Coronavirus situation
« Reply #370 on: August 27, 2020, 11:30:02 PM »
I often wonder about Sparoza and what is going on there. I have seen the photos of 1960s vs now on the main website and it is incredible to see the difference and what has been achieved over the years. The plant list, blog by Isabel Sanders and the diary all give lots of useful and interesting information. It would be great if there was a quarterly update somewhere on the website/journal.  What new plants are being experimented with this year, for example, with a follow up at the end of the first, second, third years about how the plants have done. Perhaps incorporated into a new column in the plant list? Who is this year's apprentice, what projects they have and some feedback at the end of the year. All things that might inspire members and non-members alike to try out new things based on the experience at Sparoza. Perhaps all this is already going on through the Facebook pages?
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.

Hilary

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Re: Coronavirus situation
« Reply #371 on: September 10, 2020, 01:16:25 PM »
WHITE FLOWERS from past Septembers
Anemone hupehensis
Astrantia major
Echinops subdenudata
Hylocereus undatus
Osteospermum
Vigna caracalla
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

Hilary

  • Hero Member
Re: Coronavirus situation
« Reply #372 on: September 11, 2020, 03:32:08 PM »
RED FLOWERS OF SEPTEMBERS PAST

To be honest I think the first four photos were taken in the UK
Dahlia   ‘ Bishop of Llandaff  ‘
Alstroemeria psittacine
Capsicum annuum ‘Spike’
Cyclamen in a garden center
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
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

Hilary

  • Hero Member
Re: Coronavirus situation
« Reply #373 on: September 12, 2020, 09:23:02 PM »
ORANGE FLOWERS OF SEPTEMBERS PAST

Dahlia ‘David Howard ‘
Kniphofia
Momordica
Physalis alkekengi
Pink/yellow/orange rose

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

David Dickinson

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Re: Coronavirus situation
« Reply #374 on: September 12, 2020, 11:01:12 PM »
That rose is beautiful - just like the perfect sunrise. Something I occasionally see on my way to bed, being a night owl.

Thanks Hilary :-)
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.