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17 May '07 5:49 am

One of the great joys of gardening is the sharing involved. I have some great friends living nearby and we are forever swapping ideas and plants. They are struggling with creating a new garden and once in a while I have surplus stock I'm only too happy to be rid of. Another garden joy of mine is the somewhat quirky way things tend to come together in the garden from a variety of mysterious sources. This post is a story of how both these gardening joys came together.

For some months I've had something of an under-employed greenhouse as a result of its content being permanently planted out in the garden, and throughout the spring as my plants have been moved to pastures new, I've been wondering what to do with the space. It is after all like any other bare spot of ground in the garden. - A space to be filled!

This spring I potted up my Bougainvillea and moved into my near-empty greenhouse in order to fill the space a bit. Well yesterday, some visitors remarked about my lonesome-looking Bougainvillea and asked about my plans for the greenhouse. Then they spoke enthusiastically about the Bougainvillea nursery they went to several years back and one memorable greenhouse filled with climbing Bougainvillea.

'The penny dropped' and all of a sudden I just 'knew' what my future greenhouse intentions would be! On Friday morning I'm off to get some Bougainvillea. Very Happy

17 May '07 1:37 pm

Lovely idea. But will things (I mean temperatures, really, to be precise) get too hot in there during your fantastic, much publicised English summer? Will try and get over in June to check them out, so get planting! Think of the colours!

18 May '07 6:38 am

What a wonderful idea! The jewel colours alone will be stunning..

Here is a pix of a garden in Bali. We stayed here quite a few years ago (before digital Wink

), not very clear I'm afraid but you can see the beautiful soft apricot bougainvillea growing up a palm trunk. The palm was one of a few growing in little 'islands' in the swimming pool Very Happy

, bougainvillea dripped from everywhere!

I wonder if you would be able to source the colour range available in the tropical areas, if so you will certainly have the best greenhouse around Wink

Hmm...they would probably survive the heat but you may have to introduce humidity?

Perhaps Jacqueline could advise, having an awesome garden in a tropical climate Very Happy

19 May '07 6:11 pm

You're right Pumpkin. Ordinarily humidity might be a problem in a modern structure where the ratio of 'vent opening to volume' is comparative small, but those Victorians really knew their stuff. I've also got two large water tanks which can be used to douse the tiled floor as required - as intended by the Victorian designers.

Purchased eight new plants on my 400-mile round trip, and yesterday afternoon they breathed a communal sigh of relief when the were potted into 30litre pots on my return. So this morning I have the 'orrible job Wink

of removing the short nursery canes and adding larger ones to enable them to grow into my Victorian wire roof lattice.

Currently we've got 100% cloud cover but a pic will follow.

'Just happened' to pass by a Passiflora nursery on my way home and five plants slipped on to the front seat. Now I wonder how that happened! Very Happy

20 May '07 2:56 am

Hi muddywellies, long time no see. Dancing

I must say that your Victorian greenhouse sounds like a dream to me. I'll bet it's real nice to be around. I know I love my own little greenhouse that is only 10' by 10'. I would be interested in knowing some specs of your greenhouse. As I recall, didn't you refurbish it not too long ago?

Christopher

20 May '07 6:40 pm

Such a fantastic plan, Michael! The amazing diversity of awesome colors itself will draw crowds to your place! Wink

Rather than share the little bougainvillea knowledge I have, I'd prefer to invite you to peruse this superb Bougainvillea Info Page http://www.southeasttexasgardening.info/bouginfo.htm by Gordon Braswell, to absorb all there are to know about this remarkable flowering plant! All the best in your greenhouse endeavors, Michael! Smile

20 May '07 6:47 pm

I have only seen two varieties of bouganvillea -Scarlett O'Hara is very common-a brilliant red/cerise .I tried to grow an orangey/apricoty one ,but though I covered it,the frosts here were too much.I would think they would be growing everywhere around your way,Jacqueline,with your warm climate.
PS-I have just gone to the site you suggested-it is amazing with great information and so many cultivars !
Dixie.

20 May '07 7:03 pm

You're so right, Dixie! Bougainvilleas are found everywhere, throughout our country - in home gardens, parks, along the roadsides and highways, slopes, coastal regions, etc. They thrive so well in our hot/sunny and wet/humid weather!

20 May '07 7:32 pm

When I first read your post I thought 'he can't be serious'! The greenhouses are all up there. I then re-checked. But alas, although the pages were there, they had no images and I do apologise for the oversight. So I've corrected my error and uploaded a few images to show the development of, and the final results of my greenhouse restorations. If you go to the 'Garden Development' section on

http://www.winsfordwalledgarden.com/development.aspx?Group=development&Page=winsford_%20walled_garden_development

you will find separate pages on both my improved pages for the 'tropical' and 'temperate' greenhouses.

The reason for my apparent confusion and unwillingness to divulge too much is explained on

http://www.winsfordwalledgarden.com/restoration.aspx?Group=restoration&Page=introduction

21 May '07 4:27 pm

Muddywellies - my worry is that bougainvilleas are hopelessly to rampant to put into the structure of an antique greenhouse. Especially the species and early hybrids grow like wildfire and are armed with pernicious thorns that WILL cause festering if they * you. It is more banned than any weed from my brother's garden in Johannesburg...

That said, I guess you are unlikely to plant it and forget about it for 10 years, by which time it's grown into an aggressive monster! But it is interesting how our desire for plants is affected by their ease or scarcity. Bougainvillea is possibly the most ubiquitous flowering 'shrub' in SA, often found on dusty and totally neglected sites, covered in pucey purple or greyish white flowers - and as such is to me one of the most depressing of plants!

Yet I must find my photos of huge red and amber ones in full forte bloom, climbing the full forte lavender jacaranda trees that form a tunnel overhead in my parents' street in Johannesburg, photographed on my return from six months in Europe. I was gobsmacked!

Share and share alike

Share and share alike

Hi Pumpkin

Greenhouse-a-go go!

Bougainvilleas!

Bouganvillea

A grateful 'thank you' GardenGnome

Putting on a damper