Devon Subtropical Garden

YouTube video by theclashVEVO The Clash - Bankrobber (Official Video)

#FebMusicChallenge26
So many options for this theme!
So, because I guess that money has to come from somewhere:
The Clash
Bankrobber

youtu.be/ttJBdr6eBuo?...

YouTube video by The Strawbs - Topic Martin Luther King's Dream (Live At Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, 11 July 1970)

#FebMusicChallenge26
Great theme today!
A timely reminder from a hero from another unsettled era…

plus ça change…

youtu.be/baOpR6IjxVI?...

YouTube video by Al Stewart - Topic Antarctica

#FebMusicChallenge26
My go to for songs about the cold…

youtu.be/6QrrMVXKQ0Y?...

YouTube video by Watchawhile Fairport Convention - "Clear Water" Cropredy 2016

Late starter this year. Hear’s a cheery thought:
Fairport Convention with Clear Water.
#FebMusicChallenge26

youtu.be/5Uo_cvRG1Ic?...

Amazing #aurora borealis scenes this far south last night. Thanks to Angie and Lee next door for getting us to go out!
And also pleased I didn’t let my recent rereading of ‘Day of the Triffids’* put me off!

*Naturally I was rooting for the plants.
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One of my horticultural heroes and an unexpectedly humane conquistador!

This was after we had trimmed it! It didn’t go much over the hour…

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We were a very short notice fill in for a cancelled speaker for the lovely people at Goodleigh Horticultural Society last night. Since we’d already done our general talk to them in September we dusted off a passionflower talk from 2years ago.
Great audience who laughed at all my terrible jokes!

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More winter #passiflora
Firstly P. x violacea ‘Atropurpurea’ that we acquired from the legendary John Vanderplank when he visited us this summer and a tacsonia hybrid, possibly P. x exoniensis, with its shockingly pink flowers. Both will have prominent greenhouse positions next year.

🌱 As we stampede towards the shortest day of the year greenhouse passionflowers are struggling. A couple that are thriving in cool &duller conditions are P. ‘Annette’ & the tacsonia supersection including this bright pink one we have been growing as P x exoniensis & first bud on a newly acquired one

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Coincidentally our night flowering (&day this time of year) #Passiflora ‘Annette’ has 2flowers open today just as I spotted that one of the open pollinated seeds from it has germinated in the propagator.
We don’t know which of our many other plants the pollen came from - should be interesting!

YouTube video by Steve Morgan My entry for the Justin Guitar Wish You Were Here at 50 Challenge (Dedicated to Dan Adie RIP)

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the release of Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd. As part of this I took part in an online intro challenge.
Very scratchy and rushed but what the hell, how often do we get the chance to legitimately desecrate an all time classic?

youtu.be/7mGN1W2Ty-s?...

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#Passiflora in the greenhouse are throwing occasional slightly distorted flowers as we head for the darkest time of year. Here P. x exoniensis (showing more of the shape a colouring of P. tripartita var mollissima, one of its parents), P. cocuyensis and P. ‘Annette’

This system with 3 sensors is ideal.

Dahlia imperialis had loads of weak new growth. All down now!

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First frost last night, and a sharp one. Exactly what was needed to stop weedy new growth and reset plants. Greenhouse heating passed first test of the season (looking to keep a minimum of +5C)
Time to focus on clearing up and generating lovely compost for next year.

The greenhouse is now nearly winter ready. All plants are back in and the heaters are ready for the first cold night.
Heated trays are already in place and protecting the most tender items and other greenhouse inhabitants!
And yes we are a right soft touch (see second pic)

Just 7 1/2 hours to go to Vote in the National Trust Council elections. Your vote will help keep out the Restore Trust entryists.

I’ve now had it confirmed that this is #Passiflora ‘Scarlet Flame’ which is not quite as tender as its parent, P. vitifolia. Nevertheless I will overwinter it very dry (misting more often than watering) &in September grafted some shoots to the hardy P. caerulea which will overwinter on a heated tray

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A bit of late season #passiflora colour:
P. ‘Scarlet Flame’
P. ‘Blue Nun’*
P. ‘Pura Vida’
P. ‘Byte’

*unofficial name - our open pollinated hybrid of P. ‘La Morellina’

Sharing the joys of cat sitting for our neighbour when they expect photos and videos every day.
Enjoy…

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We had a lot of fun giving our Tropical Plants talk to Ilfracombe flower club yesterday.We seem to be in moderately high demand at the moment which is nice!
Someone described these talks as ‘a cross between a gardening talk & a slightly sinister piece of performance art.’ A compliment, probably!

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Some great scented passionflowers n the greenhouse today.
Here is one of our latest seedlings, an open pollinated seedling from P. ‘Fata Confetto’ so far free flowering,robust and well scented. We will see how it overwinters
&the glorious P. ‘Byte’ one of the best scented #passiflora you can grow

P. ‘Scarlet Flame’ a beautiful hybrid of P. vitifolia with brighter and bigger flowers which is also more tolerant of lower winter temperatures (testing this year but hopefully as low as +7C)

P. ‘Pretty Tina’ is a cross of P. tarapotina and P. caerulea by Martin Drews and is glorious

P. ‘Pura Vida’ a hybrid by S. Kamstra, a breeder from the Netherlands in the 1990s. Utterly gorgeous!

The second form of P. ‘Buzios’ that we have with slightly darker and smaller flowers. A truly top plant!

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Lots of great colour from the #passiflora in the greenhouse.
P. ‘Scarlet Flame’,
P. ‘Pretty Tina’
P. ‘Pura Vida’
P. ‘Buzios’ (a form or hybrid of P. princeps - used to be called P. racemosa)
All lovely but none are scented.

Correction 3rd one is hybrid of P. ‘Fata Confetto’ rather than ‘Las Morellina’

Some passionflowers:
tacsonia hybrid - we have been growing this as P. ‘Coral Seas’ but it probably isn’t!
P. ‘Michael’ - has done well this year.
An open pollinated hybrid of P. ‘La Morellina’ - really like this one.
P. ‘Vivacious Velvet’ our amethystina caerulea hybrid - great scent.

As the season winds down and day length, light intensity and temperatures reduce some #passiflora flowers stay open for 2 or 3 days giving some dramatic displays.
Here are P. ‘Byte’, P. ‘Fata Confetto’ and a seed raised P. incarnata.

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Some lovely #passiflora action today. Here’s P. ‘Pura Vida’ with really strong Autumn colour and the night flowering P. ‘Annette’ which can stay open all day when it gets duller and the days get shorter.

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Better late than never!
It’s not been a vintage year for our indoor hedychiums, my fault mainly as we have prioritised Passiflora.
This is likely to be the only flower from H. maximum, the huge scented glory of autumn.
More to follow as it opens.
I will try harder next year!

One big #passiflora success this year has been this P. ‘Michael’ (P. x vitifolia x P. caerulea) with its huge red flowers.
Although not prolific, it has flowered steadily through the season (with a few buds to come) and has remained healthy. I have now grafted some bits to P. caerulea rootstock.

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This was a lovely surprise this morning. An open pollinated seedling from #Passiflora ‘Fata Confetto’ (seen in last pic) sown this spring. It is healthy looking and full of buds. The flowers are pretty, decent sized and have a good scent. I think this is a keeper!

#Passiflora x decaisneana has dark coloured sepals and petals whereas its parent, P. quadrangularis has paler petals and is also more tender and difficult to cultivate. P. x decaisneana can take down to +5 C or a bit lower. To keep it healthy and flowering keep it under potted and don’t pot up after mid August. Like all passionflowers keep it shaded from harsh direct June/July sunlight.

It is a big plant with thick square sectioned shoots that can be a bit brittle. Provide lots of support and in winter keep the pot up off the greenhouse floor.

This is P. ‘Buzios’ which is either a hybrid or a pink form of P. racemosa (now P. princeps) which has this unusual pale pollen. It has been used as a pollen donor successfully although it doesn’t set viable seed itself.

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Busy with gardening open today so quick share from yesterday. So here’s the magnificent #Passiflora x decaisneana (often missold as quadrangularis - but it’s a hybrid of that & P. alata and a much easier plant to manage) wonderful huge scented flowers. I’ve crossed it with pollen from P. ‘Buzios’

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It’s red/purple day in the greenhouse.
#Passiflora ‘Marijke’ (P. x decaisneana x P. caerulea)
P. cocuyensis ‘Nova’
P. ‘Michael’ (P. vitifolia x P. caerulea)
& P. ‘Pura Vida’ ((P. kermesina x P. caerulea) x P. princeps)

Lovely!

We even have a P. x decaisneana about to flower.

#Passiflora caerulea fruit are edible but a bit insipid. The best way to think of them is as ‘cookers’ rather than ‘eaters’ once they are fully ripe.
Sliced then baked with apple in a crumble they make a rather sophisticated alternative to blackberries, just a bit crunchy!