Hardy Tropicals UK

My Fatsia japonica normally start to flower in October, but this year the buds are still not open. I'm thinking this is around 3 weeks later that usual. How are they for you? I'm trying to evaluate if the difference in timing is due to the very late/non existent spring, or if the mild October has delayed them.

This is only for standard Fatsia japonica, as other species/cultivars have different timings anyway.

I am conducting a poll

Most of my standard fatsia are at about the same stage as your's dave, although I have a lovely size annelise which is catching up!. karl.

Dave Brown wrote:I'm trying to evaluate if the difference in timing is due to the very late/non existent spring, or if the mild October has delayed them.

We had a cold Northerly wind for a few days in October, can't remember when except that it upset plants that I had at that end of the greenhouse because there was a broen pane of glass.

Expect you had that too, might that have "stalled" flowering do you think?

Kristen wrote:

Dave Brown wrote:I'm trying to evaluate if the difference in timing is due to the very late/non existent spring, or if the mild October has delayed them.

We had a cold Northerly wind for a few days in October, can't remember when except that it upset plants that I had at that end of the greenhouse because there was a broen pane of glass.

Expect you had that too, might that have "stalled" flowering do you think?

Yes, I got the cold snap as well.

Not sure if Autumn flowering plants are brought on by warmth. Could be mild has delayed them like the falling of leaves on trees, or again could be the whole plant was set back by lack of spring so was later to stop 'leafing' to produce flower buds.

karl66 wrote:Most of my standard fatsia are at about the same stage as your's dave, although I have a lovely size annelise which is catching up!. karl.

I also have an Annelise, but is way too small to flower

Flowering as normal here, Annelise and spiders web also ready to flower.

Not flowering here yet.

Conifers wrote:Not flowering here yet.

are they going to flower at all then, or is that normal for your area ?

Dave Brown wrote:are they going to flower at all then,

Tell you when it's light tomorrow when I looked just before posting, it was still light enough to see it wasn't in flower, but not enough light to see if there were any buds.

Dave Brown wrote:or is that normal for your area ?

It doesn't flower every year, but does do so (or produce flower buds which get frost-killed!) in most years, I'd guess roughly 4 years out of 5. Typically in December, but in 2005 (a long, unusually warm autumn) it was in flower by mid November. Pic below from 15 Nov 2005. Since this autumn is also warm, maybe it'll be in flower in Nov this year too.

Fatsia japonica all look like the flowers are about to open.

Fatshedera lizei variegata flowers open on North facing front garden.

I have a few mature Fatsia's in different parts of the garden, some with more developed flowers than others, I guess it's just normal behaviour Dave.

Later than usual for me. I reckon next week the first flowers will appear.

They're just opening which is normal for mine at this time of year

The panicles are expanding but still some time yet before the flowers open. Roughly normal timing for here at the moment.

Moseri just come fully into flower and buds all open, taken this morning