"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
The message
from Chris Hogg contains these words:

On 2 Jun 2006 14:40:54 -0700, "La Puce" wrote:

I managed to successfully grow proteas from seeds last
year, given to me by a friend who kept them in her shorts pocket for 3
weeks whilst visiting south africa )

You may remember a while ago I mentioned that I planted about a dozen
proteas last year in the garden, many grown from seed, hoping for a
mild winter. I've got three left, despite my best efforts to protect
them, and we only had -2C at the lowest. :-(

But if you don't try these things......

I'm trying grevilleas now!

I don't think protea would survive outdoors here, but grevillea
rosmarinifolia is pretty tough; shrugs off -5 without a shiver. Mine had
raspberry coloured flowers open on Christmas day and is just coming
into full bloom now.

Janet

I like it too, good tough evergreen shrub with a very long season, but it
got itself banned, Liz backed into our bush wearing shorts once too many
times and said it had to go, I keep trying to persuade her several sorts
aren't prickly but they are now all tarred with the same brush.
Shirley Clemo at Pine Lodge has the National collection I would have thought
your climate even more suitable Chris (and you should think yourself lucky
to get away with a -2c, -8c here :~(

--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collection of Clematis viticella (cvs)