re: Amulree Exotics: New at Hampton Court ‘09

Graham Rice — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 19:27:57 GMT

Here are the thoughts of Tony Avent, an American grower whose garden is as cold in winter as anywhere in Britain: "Many of these aroids are proving to be hardy in the garden... in our Zone 7b garden. Even with their hardiness, the central bulbs may die out during a cold winter and the plants will re-sprout from small side bulbs. This can often be prevented by a 1'+ pile of leaf mulch over the main crown in winter."

As soon as your plants are big enough to split - bring one into protection for the winter and leave one outside to see how it fares.

re: Amulree Exotics: New at Hampton Court ‘09

PlantMadNige — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 08:36:58 GMT

It would be great to find out from other bloggers what has and hasn't survived during recent years. I don't think I'd dare leave alocasias outside in my Lincolnshire garden, but two species of pelargonium are behaving just like hardy perennials, here. They are P. sidoides and P. ionidiflorum.

Also at Hampton Court, I was taken by some of the hibiscus varieties on Old Walled Garden's exhibit. Some are as big as frying pans!