Hardy Tropicals UK

Well perhaps we are stuck here for a bit longer - after making appointment to pick up the deeds from a nameless Highland solicitor, we were told - - - - - - - - - they can't find them..........kept returning all afternoon but they seem to have disappeared into the ether.............our wills were there all present and correct but neither of us plan to shuttle off our mortal coils just yet as we plan another tropical garden somewhere in England..........nuff said

huporhaha wrote:Well perhaps we are stuck here for a bit longer - after making appointment to pick up the deeds from a nameless Highland solicitor, we were told - - - - - - - - - they can't find them..........kept returning all afternoon but they seem to have disappeared into the ether.............

The Lands Registers for Scotland should have them. In fact paper copies are no longer required and banks no longer keep hard copies - it is all electronic now and stored centrally at the Lands Registers for Scotland.

Thanks Blairs - we will reallyclook into it tomorrow......seems totally surreal.......never seen so much incompetence.....

Winter on the way - sunset before 3.30pm. But sort of forgot that some plants still need watering in the greenhouse. A couple of wateringcanfuls later and my Hercules look happier my Equesetum Giganteums are singing again.......

The cloud rolled in this afternoon and it did go dark quite early. It must be dreadful as far north as you are.

I have been okay so far with the dark mornings and late afternoons, but now we go into that surreal time of the year.

Oh well, I console myself by remembering how surreal it is in mid-summer with all of the daylight we enjoy.

Big clear up after last week's storm. Casualties include pine trees and a couple of young eucalypts. Followed the snow plough being used, not to clear snow but to clear 3ft deep seaweed on the road. So now we have a lot of free fresh seaweed. Spent much of the afternoon re tying up trees and firming in roots. It has been pretty wet over the week-end so everything looks soggy.

Spring has sprung here in the Highlands.
My daffodils are an inch and a half tall and my hamamelis x intermedia "Jelena" is in flower already.
Yesterday a high of 13c and a low of 10c
Today it has reached 12c
But looking at the forecast, we are in for some pretty severe winds at the week-end.
What is going on?

I am suffering from the most terrible wind...................well not I, me, myself, but my treasured collection of eucalypts. More damage has been done in the last few weeks than in most complete winters. The damage so far:
Stellulata - almost defoliated
1 X subcrenulata has had to have top 10ft removed due to windrock
1 X subcrenulata has had to have top 15ft removed as a minor earthquake was occurring at root level with every fresh breath of wind.
1 X coccifera also had to be decapitated - well, truncated really before it became uprooted.
1 X pauciflora ssp debeuzevillei rocking so badly that it had to be cut down to about 7 ft.
2 X pauciflora had to have top 20ft cut out this afternoon.
Nicholli and aggregate suffering badly - leaves already burnt to a crisp.
Viminalis, not tolerating very wet conditions and high winds - may be in for the chop tomorrow.
Johnstonii holding its own - just
Rodwayiis are defoliating fast.

Why - storm force winds from every direction plus torrential rain for days on end has rendered the earth a soggy mess. The amazing amount of top growth this summer in now putting constant stress on the roots and they just have not been able to cope.

Crazy, last week we had sub zero temps and snow, now it is a warm wind and torrential rain...........

The photos below were taken the day before yesterday at 2.30pm. It is so dark even outside at the moment that the automatic flash came on when I took the photos.

Well I may have been quiet recently but I have been designing a website - we want to sell the property but I am spending my time enthusing about the garden........I think my other half would like me to spend more time enthusing about the house but I just want to describe the yards, the greenhouse and the plants. This is a far as I have got.http://www.thehousewithaview.com

Time for me to come out of hibernation. A few spring pictures......
Particularly pleased with the Grevillea Victoriae - the first time it has flowered. The Fargesia Robusta was the first bamboo to wake up this year........new culm already over 2ft so fairly chuffed. Up here they often wait until May to show signs of life. Some of the Lysichiton Americanus have seeded and I have loads of babies too. Calla Hercules also very happy.

Your garden looks pretty good after the winter.

I am amazed by your Fargesia; I can only see the tip of one new culm starting to come up.

I am amazed too I reckon it has been in a microclimate in the side bed and very sheltered. - just looked and seen the sasa doing its thing too but the more exotic ones are still looking pretty dormant. I think we have had a very mild winter here with hardly any frost at all to speak of - lovely out in the garden this afternoon in the sun - looking at the mountains in the distance with a covering of snow.........although officially they say that Scotland has had the wettest winter on record, we have had about 85% of the normal rainfall this winter - according to the experts - last week was pretty dire though.

This evening.........

Couldn't resist putting these up - almost felt like I was "Down Under" as I photographed some of my Eucs this evening. Chilly in the mountains and can still see snow from my garden.......

Lovely Images Steph,

Thanks for sharing!!