The Boababs

These and other related plants are overwintered just like erythrinas but when repotting them being still green is not enough you are not safe until they actually start shooting and if the weather is poor this can take a long time. So I've listed those that have made it to the first stage

Adansonia Za a few made it
Adansonia Madagascariensis only had 2 plants one being a survivor from last year, that one is ok, the other !!!
Adansonia Rubriostipa a couple
Delonix regia most, but not sure if they will regenerate as grew poorly last year (from birth they grow normally grow about 3'+in a summer, last year barely a foot (this goes for nearly all of them, some boababs can do nearly4', they have to I guess))
Delonis decaryii nearly all, these generally regenerate well even if you need to wait a bit
Delonis floribunda as above
Chorisia speciosa both survived (these should have been listed in yesterdays lot) and regenerate easily.
Ceiba pentandra crap growth expected them to fail and they didn't disappoint
Bombax malabricum likewise

We so need a good spring and summer

In summary with a bit of effort and good weather you can store a veritable tropical forest in a shoebox, can't be bad.

I will be extending the trial further this winter and will also probably try boxing up desert plants.

The first results from overwintering exotics in a new way, or "how to hang a boabab and other such stories"

What I've been trying to do is to find better ways to overwimter tender exotics. This is one method and that is to take the plant out of it's pot in early october knock off all the compost and hang it from the tunnel roof (the leaves will fall off naturally as will most of the fine roots), ideally when we build our house we will keep them in a box in the spare room to reduce dampness. Come march the resultant stick is repotted and ideally grows.
The idea came to me from realising many exotics have a very long dry season and have to survive in complete shutdown even in their first yearr.

Anyway the first results

Erythrina filiformis perfect (this is a desert plant)
Erythrina Lysistemon perfect (these work very well)
Erythrina Humeana perfect
Erythrina Latissima all failed, boo one of my favorites
Erythrina Rubrinerva success (only had one plant mind)
Erythrina speciosa most ok
Erythrina Vesperitillo only one survived
Idria columnaris perfect

With all the above if they have any green in the stem you can be pretty certain given ok growing conditions that they will reshoot if not from the stems than at least the base. Also due to last years fantastic growing conditions the numbers were few and many hadn't grown as large as they maybe should have.


Erythrinas herbacea and crista gali kept in their pots at -6C and all survived

Flowering Bowkera cymosa

Bowkera cymosa flowering now and for the rest of the winter

Boababs

  The hanging gardens of Boababs

Flowering Canna Musifolia Grande

Canna Musifolia Grande. I thought these guys didn't flower...

 

RHS London Shades of Autumn Show

Ready and raring to go! Looking forward to a good show!

Preparing for Winter!!

The nursery is  now being moved into the winter mode, involving a huge amount of plant shuffling to their winter stations.

As part of the winter relocation of plants, there are now Baobabs and Erythrinas hanging naked from the tunnel roof !!!!!!