My Global Garden

Aeonium

10. April 2008

Latin name: Aeonium arboreum Description: Stunning and always popular succulents grown for their flesh, geometrically patterned foliage. A. ‘Schwarzkopf’ is the most sort after, with dark maroon stems that become woody at the base and at the tips tight whorls of thick, purple-black leaves, shimmer in hot sun. If the tip is pinched out they become [...]

African Lily

10. April 2008

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Latin name: Agapanthus Description: A superb semi-evergreen clump-forming perennial with mid-to-dark green strap-like arching leaves forming at the base. Majestic spherical heads of trumpet-shaped blue to white (depending on variety and species) flowers are bourne on lax-to-upright stems from May to August. Excellent in containers where they flower best when pot-bound. Hardiness: Deciduous varieties are hardener than [...]

Argentinian Verbena

10. April 2008

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Latin name: Verbina benariensis Description: Semi-evergreen perennial with dark green strap shaped leaves forming at the base and spherical heads of tubular mid-blue, majestic flowerson upright stems from May-August Hardiness: need to be mulched well in winter or brought indoors if planted in pots Height: 0.45m Position: full sun and sheltered Soil: tolerates all soil types if free draining Water: minimal [...]

Belladonna Lilly, Jerssey Lily, Naked Lady

10. April 2008

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Belladonna Lilly, Jerssey Lily, Naked Lady

Latin name: Amaryllis beladona Description: Attractive stout dark purple stems toped with loose heads of six or more scented funnelled-shaped rich pink flowers. The fleshy strap-shaped leaves appear after flowering and into the winter. This delectable plant is dormant during the summer months, flowering from September to October. Hardiness: Hardy down to -5C with a good mulch Height: [...]

Blue Yucca

10. April 2008

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Latin name: Yucca rostrata Description: Yuccas are well known desert plants and there are many to choose from. One in particular – Yucca rostrata is very handsome indeed. It is a stout, single trunked yucca from the Chihuahua deserts of northern Mexico. From the trunk top, linier, powdery, greyish blue, stiff leaves from 25-60cm long [...]

Bottle Brush

10. April 2008

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Latin name: Calistemon Description: The well known Australian Bottle Brush is now being seen more often in our gardens. They are evergreen, woody evergreen shrubs with mid green tapering leaves with a strong scent when crushed. They are grown for their spectacular flowers which, as their common name suggest, look like a bottle brush. They consist [...]

Califonian Poppy

10. April 2008

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Latin name: Eschscholzia Description: A very easy and fast growing annual that will really brighten up your garden. All through the summer months, intense, bright orange, poppy-like flowers with silky petals are carried on slender stems well above the finely divided, blue-green leaves. A glorious display can be had from a packet of seeds sown directly [...]

Califonian Tree Poppy

10. April 2008

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Latin name: Romneya coulteri Description: Tall plant with absolutely fabulous plant with huge solitary poppy heads (10-15cm across) consisting of six almost round petals overlapping each other around the central golden stamens. The petals unfold crinkled from smooth buds from mid-summer to early autumn from the terminal ends of long stems. The large, light-grey, hand-shaped leaves [...]

Californian Fuchsia

10. April 2008

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Latin name: Zauschneria californica Description: The abundance of flowers produced by this delightful little evergreen perennial will brighten any border from late summer to early autumn. It has lance shaped, rich green to grey-green leaves giving an overall light feathery appearance. The tubular flowers are produced in abundance all summer and are a bright vermilion-red, with [...]

Climate change challenge for French wine

8. September 2009

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Climate change challenge for French wine

French wine production is feeling the heat acording to a new report just issued by Greenpeace. A climatically-sensitive process, French viniculture is being seriously chellenged by the impacts of global warming - summer heat waves, recent hail storms in the Bordelais and the emergence of new diseases. http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/french-wine-climate040909