A couple of exotic surprises.

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GREVILLEAJ
Posts: 901
Joined: Sun Jul 08, 2018 10:38 pm
Location: London

A couple of exotic surprises.

Post by GREVILLEAJ »

A bit of story to this.

Last summer I bought a cheap fully-coloured bougainvillea to use as bedding. I decided to put the whole thing in the ground, pot and all, so I could lift it complete and store it in the greenhouse before winter.
It put on a good show before being smothered by some wild nicotiana which self-sow every year.

Come late autumn, I collected everything tender for greenhouse storage and saw the nicotiana still going mad and flowering itself to death. So impressed with this late display I forgot the bougainvillea.

I disappear to warmer climes for the winter and come back to UK in March for two weeks to ressurect the garden for the coming growing season. I get caught by lockdown so rather than do some basic seasonal work I start to overhaul front and back garden. The front garden has a partial makeover. On clearing the dead nicotiana I look for new young seedlings and find none. Disappointed I then spot this 'little dead shrubby thing'. Even more dissapointed. The forgotten bougainvillea was lifted complete with pot apparently lifeless. Instead of chucking it I stood the pot in water and left it in the greenhouse to cook in the glorious weather. A few weeks later it began to reshoot from the bottom. Having kept it well watered inside for the rest of the Spring I get another surprise. Some tiny seedlings of nicotiana appeared in the compost. To my surprise none had reappeared where last years had grown but now I can replant my double surprise.
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chainsaw kid
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Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2018 12:00 pm
Location: ll39 1bjArthog

A couple of exotic surprises.

Post by chainsaw kid »

Grev, you know what they say about an ill wind and all that, obversely the same applies to a hot dry spring. :lol: Is it just you that is locked down in London or the rest of the family as well? icon_scratch
Don't Just sit there, plant something!

The Kid.
GREVILLEAJ
Posts: 901
Joined: Sun Jul 08, 2018 10:38 pm
Location: London

A couple of exotic surprises.

Post by GREVILLEAJ »

Came back with my wife to do our usual running around after our sons.....and we still are!!! But the lockdown has meant we have been living in the garden with a Canary Island climate for nearly three months now icon_sunny Not complaining. :wink:

Exotic surprise no.2 to follow..........
GREVILLEAJ
Posts: 901
Joined: Sun Jul 08, 2018 10:38 pm
Location: London

A couple of exotic surprises.

Post by GREVILLEAJ »

Since we knew lockdown would keep us here all summer I decided to convert a corner where we had a huge old honey locust tree (Gleditsia) removed last year into a growing area for summer vegetables. As the overhaul of the garden was to be done without access to garden centres and DIY stores the plan was to accomplish it through total recycling.

All old spent compost was salvaged to build up the growing area including taking soil mixes from plantless containers. Using up most of some old vegetable seeds sown in pots of prepared potting mix taken from these containers turned up another exotic surprise.
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Growing with a cucumber I discovered a Colocasia pink china which must have sprouted from a piece of live stolon and emerging alongside that was a tiny seedling from one of my Australian acacias.

Now I have to carefully separate and grow on all three!
GREVILLEAJ
Posts: 901
Joined: Sun Jul 08, 2018 10:38 pm
Location: London

A couple of exotic surprises.

Post by GREVILLEAJ »

Four days later I need to separate them. (Probably should have done it four days ago instead of feeling self-satisfyingly smug and taken pictures of them!!) How quickly these things grow in a hot greenhouse in sunny mid-June.
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GREVILLEAJ
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Joined: Sun Jul 08, 2018 10:38 pm
Location: London

A couple of exotic surprises.

Post by GREVILLEAJ »

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Items now separated, adjusting to their new homes after repotting.
GREVILLEAJ
Posts: 901
Joined: Sun Jul 08, 2018 10:38 pm
Location: London

A couple of exotic surprises.

Post by GREVILLEAJ »

Update on the Bougainvillea. Pinched out the tip and bushing out nicely. The Nicotiana are ready to to transfer to a seed tray. Must be quick before they get too big...Don't want my surprise "going up in smoke!" :wink:
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