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This website describes some of the more tropical type planting in our Bursledon garden, and outlines the volunteer conservation projects in the local area. The site has been constructed using Microsoft Expression Web software.

Update 14 December 2011. This winter has so far been fairly mild, with only the occasional frost. A few larger echiums outside have been fleece protected, and several are in pots in the greenhouse. There is an old plastic cloche over the bananas in the front garden. Last summer's castor oil plants have been pulled up as the foliage was showing its dislike of frost.

Update 12 June 2011. The musa basjoo plantation in the front garden has grown up again from the roots, they are now about 2' high. These were killed to the ground in the severe winter weather. Castor Oil plants, ricinus communis, grown from the seeds of last year's plants are looking healthy. Agapanthus seems a bit slow, but some now have a few flower heads forming. One surviving Echium has flowered, but the others will not flower this year and we will have to try to protect them over the winter. Most of the cordylines have flowered again, the red one for the first time.

Update 2 January 2011. The very cold December has taken its toll on the tropical plants. All the echiums outside, even those with some winter protection, have expired. Bananas have again been killed to the ground, but new shoots will probably emerge from the roots. Verbascum have survived better, and seem to have picked up now that the snow has gone. We have a few echiums in the greenhouse which look OK, but whether they will flower this summer is doubtful.

Update 7 November 2010. Wind protection has been erected around some of the Echiums, and they will probably get some fleece too when more frost is likely. The large banana ensete ventricosum has moved into the cold greenhouse in its pot. The small plantation of more hardy Japanese bananas in the front garden will be protected with fleece, and hopefully will survive. Last winter killed them to the ground, but new shoots have emerged from the roots.

Use this link to see photo of musa basjoo fruit forming. This photo goes back to 2008. Harsher recent winters have prevented banana plants reaching this size outdoors. 

 

Tropical planting

Photo above shows musa basjoo, the hardy banana plant, in summer 2006. These plants survive in the ground over winter in this area when the stems have reached a reasonable size. In severe winter weather they can be killed to the ground, but will grow again from the root. This has happened in the winter of 2008/9.

Links to test pages.

Boat photo page

Mausoleum photo page

WordPress page

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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