Treesandthings' Outbox

I had half a dozen of these growing a couple of years ago. They survived the winters wrapped in fleece, until the winter of their third year. The last winter last year killed them off.
They can take two to three years to flower and are a magnet for bees, hover flies and all manner of other insects.

I am for ever splitting/digging these up and moving around the garden. I often take root cuttings of the nicer slightly different ones.
Then try and swap them for other different ones.

Amazing I hadn't heard of this plant until yesterday. But today in our local paper there is the usual tat that falls out advertising different things for sale in local supermarkets etc.
This plant can be bought at Lidl for £3.99 or 2 for £6.00
So I might go and treat my self tomorrow.

My Fairies are still hiding behind their doors, as it is wet and horrible.

Ponty, there were two Jays that came that day. I couldnt belive it as I was just passing the window and I caught it out of the corner of my eye. I rushed for the camera and caught them just in time.

Louise I also dislike the vine weevils. The plant was an echeveria that wasn't looking so good. I was going to pot him on until I realisedthere were no roots to re pot.
I have sinced found out that using grit on the surface is a good deterant as the vine weevils dont like sticking their bottoms into the grit.

Sorry guy's the the fox is real, but the badger is made from recycled chicken wire.

The fox pic was taken the other year, he came a couple of times and then one morning I saw him leaving the garden with his vixen.

I love pots, so much colour and shape can be achieved throughout the year with them.
Nice pics.

Syngonanthus chrysanthus 'Mikado'

Cultural details
Aspect
Bright but indirect light. Needs humid surroundings.

Soil
Acid compost (pH of 4-5). Well drained but kept moist at all times.

Hardiness
Tender - best grown between 19-22°C.

Maintenance
Because of its origin as a swamp plant, humidity should be kept high, at around 70% if possible. Keeping the plant in a tall, straight sided glass vase, or a deep bowl, and spraying it regularly with filtered water will help to keep the humidity level up. Water regularly, from the bottom of the pot rather than from above, and don’t allow the compost to dry out. The best place for it would probably be a bright, warm bathroom, unless you can provide its exact requirements elsewhere.

May be susceptible to aphids. May be affected by fungal attack if humidity is too high.

I followed Fractals links.

It will probably be bare after this weekends intended doom and gloom weather report.

Its on the kitchen window ledge, so you can see it when you look outside to the boring grey outdoors.

Thanksa to everyone for the belated birthday wishes. I have been taking pics all day and loading them on the computer and croping them and zooming in etc.
All I need now is lots of sunshine and something interesting to take a picture of.

Welcome. There is a wealth of ideas on here. Just look at everyone elses gardens via there pics and pinch the best bits that will work for you.

Thought I should have let you all know. 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Then there was my picture.

So I didnt win, but at least I was in the top ten. The gardens that did win did look fantastic mind, so you dont mind losing to such great gardens.

Mind you none of them were 3.5 yrs old such as mine. They were all well over 12yrs or more.

Better luck next time.

I had one of these for three years. 1st winter it lived in the utility room, 2nd it stayed planted and 3rd even though it was heavily wrapped in fleece it didn't make it.

Wheres the global warming when you want it?

Morgana, I place straw in the crown and then place fleece over this and wrap it around the neck of the fern just at the base of the fronds.
Kind of like a big scarf.

Mine have plenty too.
Mind you they did last year, but when it came to getting some for a christmas wreath the birds had beaten me to it.

Unfortunately it didnt make it through the wlast winter. I shall in the spring of next year be starting again.

This looks a bit like the plant that garden centres sell as Asparagus fern. Usually in the indoor section.

The larger the better depending on what you are going to grow.

I use old compost sacks with drainaige holes in the bottom for growing spuds.

Pots the size of a bucket for growing carrots, onions in and pretty much anything youve got you should be able to grow things in.

Kaffir lily. They spread, which is good.
I did have a pink one as well but it hasnt put in an apperance as yet.

You can get different colours. This one sends up several shoots each with several flowers on them. It is planted in a moist shady area.
About 3ft tall and coming up to 4 years old.

Hi I live in the UK and cover mine with the old leaves that I cut off the plant with onset of winter.

You might want to consider using straw or other grass type medium, Maybe a heavy duty fleece. Basically anything that would keep the frost/snow off.

Someone gave me a cutting of these,
It was literally a section about 2" long. Sat it in water while it got some roots then potted it up.

Foxgloves (Digitalis) are bi annuals, They grow one year and then flower the next.
Well done Mookins.

Bees love them and so do I.

I dug up two large ones. It was a huge job and it took a while. But I then ended up with seven smaller ones in large pots of which a couple went to friends.

Car boots are great way for getting cheap plants along with local chuch fete etc...

Spring bulbs planted now, with some hardy perenials, that should be cheap from the garden centre's around now as they will be going over.

Little and often with the garden. Rome wasnt built in a day.

Take your time and pinch loads of ideas from others on here.

Sweet peas, nasturtians and beens that you can eat all grow quick while your clematis, honeysuckle and roses get established.

Next year obviously but you could sow some sweet peas under glass now to get them ready for next year.

Some people like to keep them under cover during the winter in a greenhouse etc. Then once they start to grow they can be transplanted.

I usually lift some and leave some in the ground. It is the very damp they dont like.

I can only suggest it has got damaged some how. i.e. frost earlier in the year.
Did it get wrapped up during the cold weather? Is it in a very drafty spot?
Do you have a picture?

I have them popping up all over. As usual some of the positions are better than if I had planted them there.