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Are agave hybrids the future?
It is has been a while since a longer post on the agaves, so thought it was time to rectify that. Looking around the plants I realised how many agave hybrids had found their way in. It seems recently...
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The benefit of space
It is often natural experiments that highlight points better than anything we could plan. Things that happen not deliberately, but by chance. In my garden these tests of hardiness or growth rates,...
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Sempervivum Sunday: S. 'Green Dragon'
A little plant for the selection today and another of my favourites (although it seems I say that every week). Unlike last weeks plant, this one looks good all year and always has something worth...
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Ungrateful plants
It has been such a good summer, it's easy to forget we are now into September. Today for the first time I got home and it was dark. My father in law would say "the nights are drawing in". As far as...
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Update on propagation experiment
One of the more drastic methods to propagate agaves is called coring. This involves damaging the growth tip forcing it to produce multiple heads. There are several methods, the most common being to...
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Favourite offset of the week: x gastroaloe 'Flo'
The first offset for any new plant is always exciting. It doesn't matter if the parent is prolific, there is always the worry that you have one that will not offset. This gasteria x aloe cross is a...
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Will they germinate
I posted before that it is a good year for seeds on the aloes, with seeds pods on the a. striatula and a. aristrata for the first time. The problem with aloes seed pods is that they tend to open...
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Favourite offset of the week: agave parasana 'Fireball'
It is getting to the end of the offset period, so this could be the last in this series for this year. It seems lucky then that it is another first for me. Agave parasana 'Fireball' is one the best...
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Astroloba
This is not a group or plant I know much if anything about. I really liked the structure and bought it on a whim in the spring. If anyone knows exactly which astroloba it is, please leave the name in...
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A week off
With the new house needing a few major bits of work, it has had to be a cheap year and this meant no overseas holidays. Instead we visited Cornwall and the Scilly Islands. In the right weather this is...
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In the place of succulent Sunday...
I thought a quick trip to the Scilly Isles would be suitable substitute, especially a focus on Tresco Abbey Gardens. The Scilly Isles for those outside the UK are a group of island just off the coast...
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Tresco part 2: The plants
Or some of them anyway. It would be impossible to include photos of more than a fraction of the plants, I must have a couple of hundred photos from my one day, so these are the edited highlights. I...
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Wordless Wednesday: Tresco up close
Photos taken by my better half, she takes a mean close up.
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It's that time of year
Although it feels too early, the plants all look great, there are still lots of flowers and I'm not sure about you, but I'm still holding on to the idea it's not yet Autumn. So as a break from the...
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A Cornish valley garden
One of the joys of going to Cornwall are the ups and downs and the quintessential Cornish garden has to involve in valley in some way. There are countless to choose from, but for me one of the best has...
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Back to Cornwall and some horti-culture
In the last post on Cornwall, I mentioned that it is up and down. This leads to some good cliffs, especially as the main rock is granite. Combined with a little, sorry a lot of imagination and you...
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Spot the dalmatian
Ok so that one was a bit easy.I have posted about Keith and Mel's garden before , usually I end up visiting at the end of spring, before the covers are off. Like this post.Mel is the remaining bad...
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Packing up: part 2.
The good weather has continued and it has been lovely out in the garden for the last few days. It would be easy to forget things need to be packed up.I have been mixing my days between enjoying the...
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What are the signs of your plant addiction?
At this time of year there is no hiding it, every windowsill is covered in plants, with a few of the larger ones on tables or by doors and generally scattered around the house. The other common...
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Winter hibination
It seems to have been the norm for the last few years that I really don't feel like doing garden and plant things in November and December. Maybe it is the short days or the plants all being safely...
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