I received my Colocasia Thai Giant from Albert (username: acphm) today and it's a cracker! Even though it's a young plant, the leaves are already as big as C. esculenta so I can't wait to see what it does as it grows up :o It's looking a bit sorry for itself after 5 days in transit but I'll post som...

Wendy - were you referring to the hardy citrus seeds that I have? If you're interested, send me a private message. Otorongo - I think the fruits are edible but quite sour... with a taste somewhere between a lemon and a grapefruit. They are used a lot for flavouring in Japanese and Korean cuisine.

Hi all - just resurrecting this old thread as someone in the US kindly sent me some hardy citrus seeds: changsa orange and ichangsis lemon to be precise. Apparently they're both cold/moisture hardy so could be a good option for the UK. They have been sprouting really easily so thought I'd post on he...

I second Helen's recommendation for Bougainvillea... should do well in an almost frost-free and dry location with lots of sun and it looks spectacular.

I don't know much about Taiwanese ferns Lesli5 but it is home to Fatsia polycarpa as well as some really interesting looking forms of Fatsia japonica so you should definitely look out for those!!

Have a great time

Mine's definitely on the move. Wasn't there a discussion about these last year where some people suggested that these things respond more to day length than temperature?

Dave Brown wrote: I went up a ladder and started stripping this morning, but butty'ell it was cold

What did you expect taking all your clothes off at the top of a ladder?

Don't give up on the tubers immediately Mike. The ability of Colocasias to regenerate from a tiny little bit of undamaged tuber is amazing so don't throw them out until Spring.

That's great news Alexander. Where did you hear about this? I wonder if/when we might get to trial some of these in Europe??

Some lovely suggestions there Kristen. I have to warn though that Heliconia is an absolute magnet for Red Spider Mite so if it's already dry in there then it might not be a good idea.

Blairs wrote:

Yorkshire Kris wrote:What plant do they use for the rootstocks?

Depends - could be apple, pear, quince or other Loquat.

Loquat cuttings do not root well, hence they use root stock.

Is it possible to graft evergreens onto deciduous rootstock?

No never seen it flower but will check during the rest of this year to see if it does :D Well I was in the neighbourhood today and snapped a picture of this specimen. Not looking its best due to the recent high winds, but it hasn't been frosted yet and is even flowering and has some tiny bananas on...

Do any of our resident weather experts want to update this thread? Go on - put your neck on the line and make a prediction for January

Someone in LCC must be interested in exotics as there are about a thousand (ok maybe slightly less) Monkey Puzzle trees planted near the ring road... nice to see something different being planted, but they're awfully close together so they might need thinning out in about 10 years.

otorongo wrote:Is that a Philodendron bipinnatifidum at 0:35 in the top-right corner?

Northwood Hills is on the outskirts of London, very little urban heat there.

Yes it is, but it's potted and brought inside during winter. I've visited the garden and it is indeed a wonder to behold.