A bit of timelapse action.

This year I have been experimenting with creating timelapse films in order to observe how plants grow and react with the environment.  So far I have had mixed success.  Some good bits and some so-so bits.  I have been posting everything on my you tube channel.

Here is the best one from spring.

 

 

 

Here is a Eucomis growing and flowering.  Lots out for the Painted Ladies...

 

 

Finally a film about my Tree lilies followed by a timelapse sequence showing the flowers opening up....

 

 

 

Oh almost forgot, here are the best of my summer flowers...

 

 

How many types of trachycarpus? I say just a few....

After a beautiful day yesterday it has been constant rain today,struggling to reach 15 degrees.  The palms don't seem to mind and I took a brief respite in the deluge to snap some various Trachycarpus leaves.  I have many species with only two of any notable size.

• fortunei (plus waggys)
• princeps
• manipur
• oreophilus
• takil
• nanus
• geminisectus
• martianus
• latisectus
• nova
• nova x princeps?

This first image is of a regular fortunei, the mongrel of the family.  It was bought as a half dead, battered plant found at the back of a garden centre.  It only had three leaves and I felt sorry for it.  Five years later and it looks half decent with a nice blue cast to the undersides of the new leaves.

 

This next image is of an oreophilus, mountain trachycarpus from Thailand.  Not really hardy in my location but I'm going to give it a good go.  Very fine leaflets.

 

 

This is a latisectus, apparently survived -10 in the UK but with some protection.  Broad leaflets and a lighter green leaf.

 

 

This is an emerging princeps leaf and in my opinion the most beautiful Trachycarpus known to man.  Again proved hardy in the UK to minus 10 and perhaps even lower with protection?

 

 

Here is geminisectus, a pretty rare type of trachycarpus with wide leaflets.  My specimens are only seedlings but already have wide leaflets and very, very green leaves!

 

 

Next is manipur which for me is a very slow grower!  Only one new leaf this year.  The leaves cover an area of less than 100 degrees (ish) and quite distinctive with long floppy leaflets.

 

 

Finally here is another fortunei but looks a bit like a nova with pale whitish  undersides to the newest leaves and a tapering trunk and long petioles.  This is the newest leaf, they quickly become very floppy and susceptible to wind damage.

 

 

 

Some would argue all the above are distinct species whilst others would argue they are all variations of a couple of real species:  distinct populations with defining characteristics but can produce viable young with other types (and hence the same species).    Whatever is the truth they are an interesting and vital group of plants for the hardy, exotic garden and I for one wouldn't be without them. 

 

 

 

Quick update of main border through the summer.

Hi all,  well it's been  quite some time since I last posted and the garden has come on leaps and bounds!  I have a lot of good stuff to post but very little time to blog!
So in the mean time here are some photos of my main border from April right up to today.  As you can see, despite the poor summer the plants have grown fairly well.
So here is April

Mid June

Early July

 

Late July

Today (late August)

 

Well it's been wet, cold and lets face it, miserable recently!  The ferns and Gunnera has loved it but the arids and summer bedding have just sulked.  Even the Colocasias, gingers, and bananas have not liked it that much because the weather has been so cool that all the moisture has not been put to much use.  Palms have seen the dreaded "spotting" especially on Chammys and butias but also trachy seedlings.  Anyway enough of this gloom, toay has been the longest day of the year and it managed exactly 10 minutes of nice sunny weather! (so I quickly took this images!!)  The ret of the daty was cold, wet and FOGGY!

Anyway here are some quick snaps from various angles.  Still have quite a bit to plant out......

The Shady corner perking up....

Well it's been a very poor start to the year and now we are pretty much half way through it!  March had a brief nice warm spell but April and May have been very cold and very wet.  The shady area of my garden has not minded one bit as its a mixture of ferns, fatsias,  gunnera and some natives.  As its been a quiet time so far in the garden I have been trying to film plants growing by creating timelapse films. (more of this later).  But now the weather is showing signs of warming up its goings to get very very busy with hardening off plants and planting out annual bedding etc.   I digress, back to the shady corner.  Here I have plonked lots of potted plants in between the planted ones to give a new look for ths season.

Main view of the shady corner with timelapse camera in the centre.

Here we have a close up view of the Gunnera whch is flowering for the first time and a Dracunculus vulgaris

Ferns flushing under the apple tree but still awaintng movement on the Tree ferns.

Shuttlecock ferns and fatsias.

The Fatsia variegata and Polycarpa are in pots.

Fatsia Spiders Web, Dicksonia australis and Gunnera

Astelia nervosa, Farfugium, Brunnera Jack Frost, Acer palmatum and Fatsia japonica.

Slug resistant Hosta and native fern.

Lush greenery and Timelapse camera ready to capture the moment when the Tree Ferns wake up.

So overall I am happy with this area of the garden is looking. I manages to film a couple of ferns unfurling as shown here.

Thats all for now.  Plenty of exciting things to come.  Check out my Facebook page Yorkshire Kris for (almost) daily update.

 

Oh,  did anyone spot the shady loving palm tree??

Yorkshire Kris

Getting high in Eden...

Many of you will not know that I am an excellent climber.  Putting this skill to good use I scaled the Tropical Biome to take these photos.  They were taken from 50m above ground level (thats 150ish feet in old money)  The temperature in the Biome ranges from 18-30 degrees C and as hot ar rises I can assure you it was at least 30 degrees where I was! 

Anyway enjoy the views looking down on 20metre tall trees!