Sunday, October 28, 2007

Did you remember?

To turn your clocks back? Remember 'Spring forward, Fall back'!! I did!!!

I have had a very enjoyable week with my daughters both home from 'uni' and college!
In between spending time with them I have been bubblewrapping the greenhouse which is looking good, it actually looks like a proper greenhouse! Quite professional I think!!

This is the big greenhouse, I expect most people think its quite empty, but this is my first year and I'm quite worried about packing the plants in, I'm not sure how infections/infestations will occur, thats of course 'IF' they occur, and how effective my heating will be.



in here I have amongst all my brugmansias, my variagated Brugmansia, it is the only one I have not cut back as it is in bud and I want to see what colour the flowers will be, fingers crossed.



I do currently have a problem already in here and its only October!!!!! Condensation, lots and lots of it all running down the inside of the bubble wrap? This puzzles me as I have never experienced this problem in my small greenhouse before and thats been up and running and full to the brim for the last 3 winters!!! I have my Ensete Maurelii in here which needs to have its trunk area kept dry becuase if it freezes it will die, which happened to one of my nanas last year! But the condensation keeps dripping on the leaves and rolling down to fill up the trunk again, so I really have to solve this somehow?

This is the small greenhouse..............



As you can see the Sanguinea is still flowering its little heart out




I have my various 'nanas' in here as I know how the heating works, I'm a bit concerned with one of the leaves and hope its not serious and just probably the cooler time of year, so will cut it off later today!



My baby 'Rex' looking good!



and these are my date palms, remember from the 'Great Pip Challenge'!



Outside my Tree Ferns are still coming along well



haven't been hit by any frosts ........................... yet!!!!

my bananas are still growing away sending up new leaves I still think it is too early to wrap them up but will start preparing during this week so I can wrap quickly, if necessary!

This is my 'plantation' at the top of the garden


and this is my lone one with tiny babies at the bottom.



and to finish for today, remember I dug up the caster oil plant on the patio to make way for the huge water butt? Well its survived after all the beating, digging and chopping that it got its come through



and its flowering too!!!!

6 comments:

RUTH said...

Fabulous, fabulous plants. I hope you get the condensation problem sorted...it can't help much the way the temperature has been fluctuating lately. Yes I did put my clocks back and really enjoyed the earlier daylight...not so keen on how quickly it's getting dark now though....only 4pm and I've had to put the lights on! Thanks for showing the dates; I'd wondered how they were doing.
Rx

Annie said...

Here in the U.S. they have changed the date that savings time takes place. But my automatic clocks didn't realize that the government had, with the stroke of a pen, changed things and so I woke to the wrong time - but to daylight - this morning.

Sheila said...

Our clocks go back next weekend.
Your plants are great. Maybe the moisture problem will sort itself out. It may be just an initial blip while it creates it's own microclimate..?

Anonymous said...

Lovely to see that you are up and running with your big green house.

My Fatsia Japonica is flowering too just the same as yours.

Mine gets neglected - it is just in the ground and gets on with things. It did get hacked, I mean pruned very extensively a couple of years ago - and it had romped away ever since - despite its leaves being cut for my flower arrangements.

It is my favourite flower arranging foliage plant.

Yolanda Elizabet Heuzen said...

Yes, I did remember to put the clocks back an hour.

At this time of year I leave the door of my greenhouse ajar and that helps with the moisture problem. I also have 2 windows in the roof that open automatically when it gets hot inside. I don't know if you have windows that open automatically too but if not you can buy those nifty gadgets that open the windows for you. One drawback: you have to remove them if there's frost, if not, the gadgets get damaged and won't work anymore.

Hope this helps!

Bob said...

Hi Libby, the greenhouse is looking good. I'm glad you managed to hopefully get your condensation problem sorted. I had problems with it in one half of the greenhouse but as yet no problems htis year. I beleive that gas or paraffin heaters make condensation whereas electric help against it. Also if you can try and keep water to a minimum in winter and ventilate during the day if possible. Bob.