Eye candy

This is why I volunteer at The Garden HouseThe Garden House.  Ten late spring images for your delight.

How fast do Dicksonia antarctica tree ferns grow in the UK - May 2024 update

It's been nearly two years since the last update on my Dicksonia antarctica tree fern growth rate.  As I've said before I purchased it in 2002 as a tiny baby, planted it in the rear garden, and have tracked it's progress as it's slowly developed a trunk amd the crown of fronds has enlarged.

It's now May 15th 2024 and the clear trunk from soil level to the level of the newly unfurling fronds of this years flush is 63in / 160cm.  So, another 2.5in / 6cm of extension.  That's nearly 3in /7.5cm a year on average, rather more than the books describe.  It does seem to be slowing down a little.  Here it is in my little pool area in the rear garden.

More than tall enough to sit under, a wish I expressed earlier in the saga!

At a current cost of about £350 for a 5ft trunk specimen I think my £2 purchase has been a good investment.

They're only babies but they'll soon grow up

I've been buying plants again.  Despite having a fairly full garden I can never resist the temptation to add something new for the summer to autumn display.  Four plants in particular, a banana, a colocasia, and two begonias, all obtained as plugs from Craig at Grow Paradise, a little exotic plant nursery he runs from his garden in Dorset.  Cossetted babies at the moment, they'll soon grow to hopefully become garden worthy specimens.

Starting with the Colocasia, this is the cultivar 'Pink China', reckoned to be one of the hardiest and capable of overwintering in the ground throughout most of lowland UK.

For this year I'll restrict it to container growing and overwinter inside but, assuming it pups, next year will be the acid hardiness test.

Much the same can be said for Musa sikkimensis 'Bengal Tiger'.  Frost tender but reputedly root hardy this is another one for a container this year - probably with 'Pink China' in the same 50L pot I have handy.

Hopefully this will grow to resemble this:

Early indications are certainly proming as colour is already appearing after the sunshine of the last few days.

The next two may or may not be hardy.  Begonia luxurians I''ve grown and lost before but it makes such a statement plant with its' palmate leaves that it's definitely worth the effort to find a semi shaded spot for it to develop from this...

...to this.

The second begonia is 'Sterling Moon'.  This is reputed to be a cold hardy cultivar which dies back in autumn and overwinters as tubers in the same way as Beginia grandis ssp evansiana..  Whether it can cope with cool wet Plymouth winters is another matter and I won't be trying to overwinter it outside until I have enough to risk a plant.  In the meantime it can summer outside on a small, shaded shelving unit with other tender begonias and a few houseplants.

I couldn't resist the patterning on the foliage and it's supposed to get better as it grows larger.

It will be interesting to see these develop.