Rupert (W.Yorkshire) wrote:

Brilliant just what I needed to know. The problem with leaving the things in
the ground up here is that by the time they have a bit of decent growth the
first frosts are coming.

Yes, that is the main problem with growing exotics in the north. They
need some heat to wake them from dormancy, so the only way around it is
to keep them growing slowly in winter. That way, they respond to
lengthening days quickly and make good headway.

This year has been different-I notice with much glee that the temperatures
here have sometimes been even hotter than your area:-)

Oh really? You've caught me on the wrong day to make such claims Rupe
:-) I've just finished my figs for July's temperatures here (sad git
that I am) and they make impressive reading: The overall average
temperature for the entire month was a hefty 23C some 5 degrees above
normal, with average maximums and minimums of 28C and 18C respectively.
The 30C barrier was exceeded on 9 days with a run of 3 consecutive
days at the start of the month and then 6 consecutive days from the
16th. The maximum temperature was 34.8C and the lowest daytime was
23.1. For 24 days temperatures exceeded 25C and the coolest night was
just 15C. Somehow, I don't think anywhere in Yorkshire quite managed
that.

How are the promiscuous Musa doing?

Depressingly horny - yet another trunk is going phallic on me with a
big thingy poking out of its top. On the bright side, a less dense
canopy of leaves next year will enable other plants to make a bit more
headway. I have a Taiwanese 'Sugar palm' (Arenga micrantha) that is
now well enough established to need more light. That will break
through and at least fill in at the mid-height level. Eventually it
will produce a 5-8m. high clump of leaves and trunks, but it is a tad
slow as a youngster.