Breaking Strelitzia

[pete G]

I've broken up a Bird of Paradise today, it got too potbound and was getting to big to move around.
Anyway, I ended up with three largish pieces that are bonfire bound, if I cant find good homes for them.

So if anybody in striking distance of Mid Kent is interested, they are yours.

Pete G

[darran]

If only I were closer.....Im sure you will find a good home on here for them!

[Dave Brown]

Pete, don't mention bonfires for plants You'll set Mark H off My old work used to burn £1000s worth of plants rather than give TLC They'd burn 6ft Phoenix reobelenii etc.

I have a poster with "Good homes required" for spare plants. I stand them at the end of the front garden. About 30 self sown seedling green Cordyline australis went last week. and 9 Agave americana pups went over the weekend. The advantage is they appear all over the local area Never underestimate what people will take for nothing. I just put a wriiten label of hardiness etc, and a reference to the website for more info. Don't bother potting just put in supermarket carrier bags. Will be 100 or so self sown Trachycarpus seedlings, 1 to 4 year old, in the next couple of weeks

Bonfire and compost heap really has to be the last resort.

[kentgardener]

Burn them Pete - shame on you

I have always managed to find homes for plants. The HTUK meeting are a great place to get rid of things (problem is we all seem to go home with more plants than we took - not sure how that is possible?!... Something to do with Don's KA no doubt - fondly known by HTUK members as t.a.r.d.i.s.).

If I can't offload something at one of the meet-ups I then take it to the local cats protection league charity shop - they usually sell within 24 hours.

Otherwise - if you want to drop them over to Gillingham (sorry no transport anymore) I could pot them up and get rid of them for you.

But please don't burn those poor healthy plants.

regards

John

[kentgardener]

Pete

thanks very much for giving the condemned strilitzia a pardon!

I have potted two of them up into one big pot (and much against my usual ethos of growing plants from small to flowering size - have allowed myself to cheat in the case of a 6 to 30 year wait for flowers and shall keep the pictured pot full ). I have made a phone call and the remaining 5ft 8inch piece has a new home to go to as well.

Did you notice that one of the pieces you brought to me is showing the same kind of 'double flower' from your other post - fingers crossed it may do something similar in future years. Interestingly the stem with the double flower also has 'double leaves' too

Two fused leaves:

I shall split and pot your surplus clivia this afternoon and take them to the charity shops.

Thanks again for driving over and saving the life of the B. O. P.

John

[pete G]

Hi John,

That looks really good, I did know that it also had a double flower.
Its just something that mine seem to do, although I dont think there is any connection between that plant and the one in the ground by the conservatory, different seed.

The fused leaves "thing" seem to happen when the crown splits and forms another growing point, thus forming two plants from one, and more flowers in the long run.

Its good to know that they have all found good homes.

Really enjoyed the tour around your garden and the chat this morning, you have some very interesting stuff there.

[Dave Brown]

Seems a happy ending then

[SteveW]

I have made a phone call and the remaining 5ft 8inch piece has a new home to go to as well.

It did indeed find a new home and has been flowering its socks off for the last 2 months or so
None of the double flowers sadly though,at least not yet,theres one more flower head still to open so maybe......

[grub]

Bloody'ell Steve , that only took you 23 months to reply

[SteveW]

Better late than never though eh!

[kentgardener]

Glad it is doing well for you Steve - I managed to kill mine by attempting it outside (2 winters ago! )