The 2020 picture Diary

[charlie]

Is your Tibouchina urvilleana really 'blue'?

Mine is still in flower and is still purple.

Chad

Took that in the early evening and under glass - but I didn't tweak the colour balance, took another this morning as I would, like you describe the flowers as Purple. I think below is a good match!


Tibouchina urvilleana 002 by charliepridham, on Flickr

[charlie]

Scilla madeiriensis 004 by charliepridham, on Flickr

[Chad]

Well I guess we are now at the time when England's gardeners want to move to Cornwall.

I seem to have most seasons at once here today!.

Summer is still hanging on;

Eucryphia [not sure which hybrid].

Autumn is here with the Camellia sasanqua now in full flower.







I found these 'main crop' snow drops having a go at breaking through.



But spring seems to having a go as well;




Galanthus elwesii [usually in flower in February here]


Daphne bholua



Narcissus 'Rijnveld's Early Sensation' should be there long before Christmas for the first time here. But I think John already has it in full flower.




This snowdrop is a cheat twice over. The variety is 'Three Ships' and it should flower before Christmas anyway. It also a cheat because it has just been given to me already in flower.

What season is everyone else in ?

Chad

[Paul S]

Well I guess we are now at the time when England's gardeners want to move to Cornwall.

:lol: Constant mizzle, temperatures barely into the 20s all summer, storms all winter, no decent roads, tourists everywhere, 5 hrs to get back to the civilised world? Nice to visit once a year but - live? - no thanks! :lol: But nice to see you have integrated so seamlessly, Chad :lol:

Still firmly autumn here. Not so many leaves left now but it feels autumnal, not wintry.

[charlie]

Here its like the curates egg, "good in parts"
Had the first couple of frosts here but the following still looking OK although its the usual suspects

Cestrum Newelii by charliepridham, on Flickr


Senna corymbosa by charliepridham, on Flickr

Abutilon unamed yellow by charliepridham, on Flickr


Abutilon Milleri by charliepridham, on Flickr

Abutilon Marian by charliepridham, on Flickr

Abutilon Hinton's Seedling by charliepridham, on Flickr

[AndyC]

Your Abutilon look amazing Charlie, I've never had much success with them in the past, must try again.

No frost here yet. I'm hoping it will stay away a bit longer as the Tibouchina is full of fat buds
IMG_5185 by Andy Cowlishaw, on Flickr
It took along time to get going again after last winter hence the late flowering.
Summer is certainly hanging on. The Impatiens tinctoria has had a new flush of leaves and a few flowers
IMG_5189 by Andy Cowlishaw, on Flickr
Amicia zygomeris has even more flowers than back in the summer
IMG_5187 by Andy Cowlishaw, on Flickr
Same goes for Dahlia tenuicaulis
IMG_5186 by Andy Cowlishaw, on Flickr
The Vasconcellea pubescens that Chad gave me is flowering at about 6ft in height. It is a shame that the roots are so fragile, it doesn't transplant very well so it will be a gonna when the frosts do come
IMG_5188 by Andy Cowlishaw, on Flickr
Most of the Hedychium are looking 'autumnal' with a few producing brightly coloured seed capsules but this H. 'Devon Cream' is still going strong
IMG_5184 by Andy Cowlishaw, on Flickr
Schyzostilis coccinea (or should that now be Hesperantha?)
IMG_5180 by Andy Cowlishaw, on Flickr
There are some signs of autumn in the garden. This 15ft tall Mahonia I inherited is putting on a show with sound effects, lots of bees buzzing about it
IMG_5178 by Andy Cowlishaw, on Flickr

[Chad]

Had the first couple of frosts here but the following still looking OK although its the usual suspects

When ever I berate myself for not having investigated Cornish micro climates before moving down and for not having moved just a few miles further west than I did, I am consoled that I at least I didn't end up in famous frost pocket!

Have you just had a grass frost or actually an air frost?

I don't think I've had either here yet, at least as with Andy I still have green Impatiens.

Chad

[Chad]

The Vasconcellea pubescens that Chad gave me is flowering at about 6ft in height. It is a shame that the roots are so fragile, it doesn't transplant very well so it will be a gonna when the frosts do come

They will take a couple of degrees of frost so in your patch it may come through outside.

In the unheated tunnel they were 'reliable' until The Beast From the East.

We both owe this plant to Paul who gifted me one that was self fertile and the babies are seedlings.

I'm impressed with your Dahlia. Mine are wind shredded and the late species won't flower [again].

Chad

[Chad]

Well I guess we are now at the time when England's gardeners want to move to Cornwall.

:lol: Constant mizzle, temperatures barely into the 20s all summer, storms all winter, no decent roads, tourists everywhere, 5 hrs to get back to the civilised world? Nice to visit once a year but - live? - no thanks! :lol: But nice to see you have integrated so seamlessly, Chad :lol:

Still firmly autumn here. Not so many leaves left now but it feels autumnal, not wintry.

I was careful only to suggest we are winter favored!

Chad

[Paul S]

hah!

If the vasconellea was from mine, I used to dig that up every years for a few years on the trot and unceremoniously stuff it into as small a pot as I could get away with then bed it out again the following spring. Got to be worth a try, Andy.