Summer at Exotic Garden…
Posted on | July 9, 2011 | 8 Comments
Solenostemon (Coleus) with Colocasia (Edo) from Morrison’s supermarket!
It’s been a very busy week here at the Exotic Garden with lots of coach parties arriving come rain or shine. The most exciting group though were three coach loads of children from Avenue Junior School here in Norwich, who were all on a jungle plant hunting expedition. They all had to find fifteen things in the garden then draw them and anything else that took their fancy – what enthusiasm; I think a couple of them are going to be budding gardeners!
Two of the things they had to find in the garden were sculptures created by a member of the Norwich 20 Group, Oliver Creed. I was really pleased when Oliver offered to place two of his works of art in the garden for the summer months. Oliver Creed studied Sculpture at the Norwich School of art in the late 80’s. For the last decade he has worked exclusively with stoneware clay, having previously used cement and plaster. He told me that he is a modeller by temperament and enjoys working with clay and within the structure of its limitations. It is a delight to have his sculptures nestling amongst the plants in the desert garden, where they look very much at home.
'Pagoda' by Oliver Creed in the Xerophtic garden
Tree piece sculpture by Oliver Creed
One of the sculptures called ‘Pagoda’ has another very architectural shape close to it, Agave celsii (century plant) a species which is native to the cloud forests of north central Mexico which grows to about 45-60cm (18-24in). It’s a fabulous Agave which forms large colonies in the wild. Like many Agaves it can tolerate sub zero temperatures under the right conditions. My specimen has been sending a rather imposing single vertical spike up for the last three months and at 1.5m (5ft) tall it is is now coming into bloom. It looks absolutely amazing with its very dark purple flowers with bright yellow anthers all tightly packed together. This gem should be flowering for many weeks to come and will hopefully produce some viable seeds. Unfortunately being monocarpic it will die after flowering, though pups will form around the base.
Agave celsii coming into bloom in the Xerophytic garden – originally bought from Amulree Exotics here in Norfolk.
Agave celsii up close
Agave celsii even closer!
Now for something completely different! In the spring Thompson and Morgan sent me a dozen summer flowering Daffodils, something I had never heard of before! I planted up two pot-full’s of Narcissus ‘Erlicheer’ in April when most Daffodils are coming to the end of their season. Now they are in full ostentatious bloom. An oddity I know, but beautiful never-the-less, highly scented and enjoying the July weather. They look somewhat like a variety that can be forced into flower for Christmas called ‘Cheerfulness’. If nothing else, they will be a talking point in the garden over the next couple of weeks! In past years I have planted the winter flowering ‘Paperwhite’ Narcissus in August and had it in bloom by mid September – all we need now is one that flowers in August! Another out of season bulb I have grown is the normally winter flowering Amaryllis hippeastrum, also associated with the darkest days of winter. A couple of years ago I placed a large bulb at the back of my fridge to keep it really chilled and then potted it up into a terracotta pot in June where it quickly grew a flower stem that subsequently came into full bloom in July with its large intense red flowers.
Narcissus 'Erlicheer' floweing in July!
Narcissus 'Erlicheer'
As for the rest of the garden – it is now really powering up, with some plants like the ‘Elephants Ears’ Colocasia esculenta ‘Mammoth’ forming enormous plants already, and I’m hopeful that a new form I purchased last year called ‘Jacks Giant’ should get even bigger than ‘Mammoth’. Maybe its wishful thinking on my part, but I hope it gets absolutely enormous this summer!
Colocasia esculenta 'Jacks Giant'
Colocasia esculenta ‘Mammoth’ after a rain shower…
Last week I lost my car keys and spent a very frustrating two hours or so looking for them everywhere including my fridge, airing cupboard, and all my pockets many times! I ran out of places to look, so in total frustration I took the drastic action of digging up about 15 plants I had planted in the garden early that day looking for them in the planting holes! Eventually I gave up looking a decided to get on with the daily watering – then low and behold I found them on top of my propagator in one of the Polly tunnels with Dweezal guarding them!
Dweezal guarding my lost keys
Genghis gardening the garden!
My Tokenise cat called ‘Dog’ decided to move in with my neighbours a couple of years ago and is now called ‘Biscuit’. While my neighbours are having a week’s holiday, he is back in the Exotic Garden and temporarily called ‘Dog Biscuit’!
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8 Responses to “Summer at Exotic Garden…”
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July 9th, 2011 @ 2:15 pm
I think Dweezal is going to go somewhere with those lost keys!He’s so cute!
Garden looking great!
July 9th, 2011 @ 5:29 pm
I was recently warned against using Agave celsii in the landscape here in So. Calif. because it flowers so quickly, dies and leaves a gap. But I had no idea that’s what the flowers looked like! Nothing wrong with a short-lived plant that’s spectacular throughout its life.
July 9th, 2011 @ 7:10 pm
The Agave bloom is amazing! Love your cats. Did the Tonk, move out because you named it ‘dog’ do you think? lol!!!
July 9th, 2011 @ 8:09 pm
Your photographs are better than ever today Will, awesome
July 10th, 2011 @ 10:49 pm
Dog Biscuit – love it! I don’t have summer-flowering daffs, but I have summer-flowering primroses, which were left over from early spring containers. They look very bizarre underneath the Musa basjoo. Goodness knows why they’re flowering again now – they were in flower for weeks in February, March and April. You’d think they’d be exhausted.
I get my new kittens next Saturday! I’ll tweet when I’ve posted pictures.
July 12th, 2011 @ 1:31 pm
Joanne – I think if Dweezal had his own car it would be an open top MGB Roadster with wire wheels and red leather seats – he would also wear sunglasses at all times!
Denise – Unfortunately Agave celsii does seem to flower when fairly young – I had one that did this two years ago, but I think they are never-the-less worth it for that fabulous flower spike!
Libby – Dog is related to two former Tonks named boy 1 and Boy 2! I think his moving was more to do with the fact that my vet told me to only feed my cats with dried biscuits as they are far better for their teeth that soft food. My neighbours loved dog and gave him lots of soft food which all cats prefer – unfortunately makes them get gingivitis. He now lives in their house apart from when they are on holiday when he comes back to my house to get his daily heroin fix!
Chris – thanks for the compliment old chap…
Victoria – Dog biscuit sends hid regards! I think plants out of season really stand out and my daffs have certainly been a talking point. Primroses and Musa basjoo – now that’s an idea! I know how attached you were to Pushkin, so am really pleased that you are getting some new kittens – fantastic! Looking forward to hearing all about them.
July 14th, 2011 @ 6:14 pm
Hi Will
‘Bonio’ would be less of a mouthful to say!!
Love the Agave flower, spectacular.
We are coming to Norfolk on August 3rd, so will be visiting the garden on 7th. Really looking forward!
Check your emails by the way.
July 14th, 2011 @ 6:34 pm
Hi Tania,
Really looking forward to seeing you again when you come to Norfolk – I hope you have good time and am looking forward to having a cup of tea with you on Sun Aug 3rd. Have I missed an email from you?