Again cheers for the encouraging comments. Regarding gardening with colour. This is what my garden looked like in early 2008! So answer to your question Red Squirrel only a couple of years. I am going to plant more plants this year rather than rely on bulbs and bedding, but still keep my palms in po...

Thanks everyone for the kind comments. Like a lots of people I've got a small garden but big plans! No special treatment on the tree ferns. I simply water them every day come rain or shine from May till autumn. I was worried that this would be too much but seems to work. The only problem I found was...

Cheers Pete. I've messed about with internet options and logged in and out and the Xmas banner has now gone it has been replaced by frosty palms and naked chics climbing cocos

The Cardinalis grows everywhere! in most borders and in lots of pots. It divides so easily. Started with 2 plants 4 years ago and now have at least 30 -40 in pots ready to go out into the garden. It needs no more water the the other bedding plants and grow up to 4/5 foot in the ground with minimal f...

Well it must just be me then. Oh well It'll be Xmas every time I logon onto this site! Did the Xmas banner ever appear for anyone else?

Cheers. The Dicksonia antarctica was £90 three years ago. Its about 5 foot tall (was over 6 foot before I planted it) The fronds are also about 5 foot long

I bulit the arid bed last summer and left the Agaves out this winter. They are now dead but the opuntia sem fine as does the dysrolion (sp) and the Aeonium (these are in greenhouse) By the way how much does mushy Agave stink!!! I chopped off all the remains of mine this week and they reaked like not...

Hi all, Just realised I haven't posted any pics of my garden. I have been into exotics for about four years but until this year I have mainly concentrated on cannas, dahlias and the odd banana. The only permenant feature in my garden has been the tree ferns. This winter I've picked up a few palms th...

How very stange!

Its says Merry Xmas Hardy Tropicals UK on the top of each page on this forum. There is also some Xmas decorations on a tree?

Is it me, does it still say Merry Xmas at the top of all these pages?

I have a maurelii banana that has had three growing seasons and still have it, ready to go back in the garden for its fourth season. how long do they live for? What is the longest people have kept them for? It did suffer with water in the crown in its second year so was set back somewhat but current...

Ive not seen any colocasia/alocasia tubers for sale in Wilkos this year but they have a ginger and a crinium.

I could be wrong as I've not looked at the topic in question for a while (cant find it)but I think that the guy was overwintering fruiting bananas. If this is the case then it would be intresting to see if it works here.

Cheers for that Metalhammer. Never thought about the build up of salts in pots. I guess organic feeds wont have this problem. Guess I should by some Chicken poo! Yes having too much growth too fast on palms is a bad idea, but on bananas and colocasias is ideal. Lets hope for a long hot summer and mo...