Propagation update.

Having posted about my favourite propagation trick (here) I thought I would show how the plants are doing. So here is the plant on the 23rd of April, just after top cutting.

The three heads were potting up and have now started to root.  And the new plants are forming nicely on the stems of the bases.

I tend to strip the leaves off around the new plants, but leave the rest.  This seems to give me the best results and quickest growth.  It looks like I'll get about 8 plants from that stem. On one of the others it has given a boost to the plants that were already forming, as well creating some new ones.

So along with the three original heads, there should be about 20 new plants. Not bad for one little pot.

Echeveria 'Compton Carousel'

This is one of the most sort after echeverias in the UK, and understandably so. It looks great when in top condition, the problem is keeping it that way.

Sadly it is a right pain to keep in the UK; being prone to rot and also winter growth.  More often than not you end up with a dead plant or one that looks like this:

Thankfully with a bit of luck it will offset for you.

They are not visible in this photo, but there are another 3 pups around the base of the trunk. I am guessing at some point I will top cut it, letting the pups form a clump.  A cluster of these in a nice pot will look good, especially if they are not allowed to get leggy.

If you feel the need to experiment, the leaves also seem to take, but most likely the plants will revert to normal and not be variegated.  Time will tell.

I am hoping this means I have at least solved the rot problem, but if not then I should have a backup.

Savill gardens plant fair

The first (ish) Saturday of May is the Savill Gardens plant fair. It is a chance to meet up with some plant friends, do a little shopping and then look around the gardens. The trick with these fairs is to get there before they open. Usually you can jump the gun and start your purchasing before many other people arrive.  The nurseries are usually not very spiky orientated, but there is usually something there that will fit in the garden. Lately it has been named varieties of sempervivum and it was no different on Saturday. By the time we were finished the fair was packed, a few coach parties turned up, which is always good for the fairs.

Shopping done, it was time to look around the gardens. For me the best bits of the garden are the woodland areas, especially at this time of year.  One section is full of rhododendrons.

The other area is known for its under planting.  This spring it is way behind where it is usually, it was surprising to see how little the ferns and hostas have grown.  It did mean the trillium were still looking their best though.

The beds were full of wild orchids, sadly they were not in flower yet, but they were everywhere.

I'm not sure which variety this one is, it had longer leaves and was less speckled than the usual Dactylorhiza we find here.

Then it was onto the alpine section. They have been having a bit of a clear out, so it wasn't as colourful as usual.

 One that really caught my eye was this little pinus, I am not sure if you could keep it this small.

The gravel garden was so far behind that only a few of the euphorbias were really putting on a show.

It was a very nice way to spend a blustery Saturday.

It survived

As if winters weren't worrying enough, the first one for each plant seems ten times worse. You have done your research and got your plan on how to get it through. Then it is just a waiting game.  The worst plants are those that loose their leaves or vanish underground and it is not until they re-appear that you know if they survived or not.

My biggest concern this year was my little pachypodium brevicaule (You can find a picture of what it will eventually look at at the bottom of this previous post). It seemed healthy enough, but without any leaves it is impossible to tell. They are also suppose to be one of the harder varieties to keep. Then this weekend the first leaves appeared.

Spectacular isn't it. I'm not sure if it's funny or sad that something so small can cause such concern. At least I can now relax for 6 months, and next winter will be easier now I know the winter storage works.

A quick Kew drop in

A bank holiday with sunny weather is a rare thing in the UK, so it was always going to involve popping into Kew Gardens at some point.  We went in through a different gate to usual and this meant walking past the roundabout that is planted up with succulents in the summer, it looks a bit different at the moment.

Next was the walled and tropical gardens.  These are at their best at the end of the summer, but it is still interesting to see them at this time of year as I love the new growth, plus it is often closed for wedding once the summer gets going.


I am not normally a tulip fan, but these were striking.

From the walled garden it is a short walk across the grasses section to the alpines.  Normally you can not see between the two due to the grasses and the paths are like a miniature maze. They had just cut them all back for spring, so sorry Scott, not as much to show you as there can be.

The winter is having a knock on effect and the alpines section was not as colourful as I would expect for the time of year. The actual alpines house had a few things in flower including this nice arisaema.

Outside there is a large rock area for mixed planting.

This always catches my eye.

While it's mainly alpines there are a couple of yuccas planted throughout.  You never see this one anywhere, but is looked great up until it flowered two years ago.  It now has two heads and looks like it's fully back into growth, so hopefully by the end of the summer it will be back to its best.

From the alpines section you come to the Princess of Wales greenhouse.  The big clean out last year seems to have done it job and the main succulent bed looks great.

There didn't seem to be as many aloes in flower as I expect, but maybe I am later or earlier than usual. Lots of agave & cacti inspiration.

I had to track down this aloe having seen this one, mine is a lot smaller and I keep forgetting the name to write a label.  It is a lovely plant very blue in colour.

Thee are a few plants in the xeric section that always surprise me including these Echiums

It was only a quick walk through the more tropical section of the greenhouse to see the bromilaids. 

Then a gentle walk past the main Palm House, through the Mediterranean garden, which gets better every year. 

I love the feel and look of cork oak bark

Carrying on with good views of the treetop walkway, before the trees obscure it totally.

Finally looking at the preparation work for the restoration of the Temperate House. This really needs work, not just the glass and iron work, but the actual stone is starting to go.

They are digging up most of the plants and it is wierd seeing them all in pots

You don't normally get clear views in here, and so it was strange seeing so few plants and much more of the structure.

Outside there were huge piles of rocks, waiting for the work before they can be put back.

What I wouldn't give to have that lot in my garden!

It seems we weren't the only ones to have the idea of visiting Kew on a sunny day, on our way out we saw this queue, it went all the way around the corner out the left hand side of the photo.

I'm guessing people had a different sort of Kew in mind

What does London have against pots

I mentioned before how hard it is to find certain types of pots. I thought this was a UK thing, but lately am noticing it is a London thing.  Visiting a few nurseries on my recent road trip, they all had lovely succulent bowls. Different material, sizes, you name it they had it.

It must be new stock and they are back in fashion, so I visited a few local nurseries. Nothing. The usual stuff, not one nice bowl.  I could understand them being more expensive, or less sizes, but nothing.

Thankfully I bought one on my road trip which is now all planted up with alpines. It doesn't look that bad does it?  So come on London, get your act together and start stocking some nice bowls!