Hi Dim,

No, it is Matteuccia struthiopteris (shuttlecock fern). Also in the background as well which covers my pond filter so cannot be seen. A good space filler, likes shade or sunny areas.

Mick.

Thanks Grub for the reply. It is actually the main stem that is 4 feet high (when defoliated in winter) excluding the foilage growth, yes otherwise it is huge each year!

I will have to leave it then, maybe it will branch soon.

Thanks again Grub.

Hi all, I have a Tetrapanax papyrifer 'Rex' which is now 4 years old and growing strong (about 4 feet high). It seems to grow about one foot per year as very sheltered where it is planted. I am happy to let it go this year, but want to cut the main truck down every two years. Is this possible withou...

Thanks for all the positives. Really great examples Mick icon_thumleft Looks like your garden is sheltered from wind - those leaves are near perfect. Yes Caroline, the garden is very sheltered. Surrounded by high trees which filter the high winds to a gentle breeze. New fence added way back in March...

Few more pics from yesterday.

Very pleased with my two Ensete's this year. Overwintered last winter in garage next to house, so kept about 5C min and dry. The largest one has just sprung a new leaf of 8'. Girth at bottom is now 3' (size matters!). Have been fed with chicken manure pellets and Miracle Gro all summer, just switche...

Hi All, Just bought two Washingtonia's to replace ones I lost over winter. I want to plant these in large pots with a lot of drainage at the bottom, but what is the best soil type to use? Loam based? Anyone recommend bags I can just buy of the shelf? John Innes etc... I don't really want to start do...

The Ricinus is New Zealand Purple, the shrub next to the Sikki is Oleander (no protection) and the plant between the lizzies is Persian Shield. The Sikkis do loose there markings when older, but the underneath of new leaves are a superb red colour, even in a mature plant. Here are a few earlier pups...

Just checked under the fleece today and all 3 stems have survived so far this winter (third year running outside). The main stem is now four years old and the smaller two pups are last years growth! They are situated in a full sunny spot south facing fence (even in winter they get max sun). The only...

Thanks for the recommendations and germination tips. Have ordered seeds today from Trebrown website. Also found this tip:- The easiest way to germinate Ensete seeds is to suck on them for about 5-10 minutes, then place them on top of sterile soil in a sealable container, then add water, seal the con...

Hi all, I am looking for Ensete ventricosum 'Red Stripe' seeds with the guaranteed red midrib and not the green form. Have found various sites with pictures of the red midrib but do they sprout as shown? Has any member bought any seeds of this form and produced what you see on the tin? If so, where ...

Thanks for the info Henry. Mo it is impressive! I decided to go back and buy it. Being a Tree Fern nut I couldn't resist it, as looks like it is growing out of an old tree fern stump? It has 2ft fronds and black with green stripes on the stipes. (a bit of a mouthful there!) Some fronds have bublets ...

Anybody growing this at present? I looked at one this weekend and was quite impressed by it. Supposed to be hardy, but how hardy. Comes from New Zealand. Not much info on Google really.

If anyone can help, that will be great.

Thanks.

Hi David, I too had the same situation as you last year. I removed the plant from the pot and carefully sawed through the root ball between the smaller plants. Thus each having a nice rootball (one side will be flat from saw cuts!, but don't worry about that it does recover!) I performed this operat...

Hi Linden, I too bought a small Black Magic from ebay earlier this year as I lost my large plant. The same symptoms as yours i.e. arrived as a very small tuber (not much bigger than a marble!) with two leaves. These shrivelled up and died. I placed the tuber into a small pot with a saucer at the bot...