GARDENING EXERIENCES - FEBRUARY 2009

SOME GARDENING EXPERIENCES ON THE COSTA TROPICAL.   Written by Mike Spencer


trudy_on_terrace_resized.jpgWhat we put into the pots and what we learnt.......As the pots became my responsibility I have to hold my hands up and acknowledge that I made some dreadful mistakes at the beginning with bad plant choice, bad locations, diluting compost with our very dusty earth for economy, over or under watering, etc. If I write about all my errors then these monthly articles will run for 10 years! Therefore I have summarised for this month and next the knowledge we acquired from the mistakes rather than the mistakes themselves.

Bougainvillea:  We are not really sure why we ever chose to put these in pots but it has turned out to be an inspired idea – with one minor exception that is. Bougainvillea have a small root ball so they can be planted in modest sized pots. They do not require large amounts of water and in fact are very tolerant of near drought for quite long periods. In a pot they do need to be supported so are best grown up a post of some sort. Just like roses unwanted suckers need removing.
They are extremely colourful  - red is best as it is their ‘original’ colour and seems to produce more blooms than the hybrids. They produce flower almost continuously through spring, summer and autumn. In the winter they need to be cut back viciously if you want plenty of blooms rather than more wood the following year – beware their thorns!
Our one problem?  ...... we located too many too near to our swimming pool and they shed petals for a pastime ...... you can guess where most end up!

mike_and_flowers_resized.jpgStephanosis:  These are just brilliant for pots but they do need good support. Beautiful dark green leaves, lovely white flowers and a fantastic smell that seems to have aphrodisiac properties! They do need good watering and will not tolerate even a short period without it. They prefer medium to large size pots and from these will grow up posts and then trail along overhead wires or beams.

From our point of view though, having a fairly exposed cortijo some 200 metres above sea level and being susceptible to both regular sea breezes and very strong winds in the winter storms, they are superb.  This is because they are extremely tolerant of whatever winds are thrown at them, provided they are well supported of course. Their leaves will go a paler yellowy green colour during the winter but soon return to their luxuriant deep green in the early summer. The only work they need during the winter is some general tidying up.

Mandevilla (or Dipladenia to give it’s Latin name):  We have two types of these and both have turned out to be very colourful and easy to maintain pot plants. The smaller variety grows no more than 1 metre high but produces a continuous array of flowers, basically red but with pink and white hues – ours have so many blooms they almost seem to be top heavy. They do need the support of a small stake.

The climbing variety has larger leaves and some very beautiful flowers similar to its smaller cousin but much larger. It does need plenty of support but will then grow up posts and trail along overhead wires and beams just like Stephanosis.  This plant too is extremely tolerant of sea breezes and very strong winds. Unlike Stephanosis both types have turned out to be very relaxed about watering and can survive a blocked irrigation dripper for some while.Both smaller and climbing types need very little winter attention – just some general tidying up.