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Identifying my plants
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Posted by jubilado_1994 Red (My Page) on Thu, Sep 11, 08 at 4:51
| My wife and I have recently moved to a penthouse flat in a small town on the Costa del Sol. The previous owner had installed more than fifty large pots with trees and shrubs up to 2m in height. Some of these are unknown to us and we would like to find an internet site that shows photos of mediterranian plants so that we can identify them and learn how to care for them. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Identifying my plants Help sought
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| If anybody can suggest a site where I might find pictures of typical Mediterranean garden plants, I would be most grateful. |
RE: Identifying my plants
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- Posted by amato 8a-northern Greece (My Page) on
Sun, Sep 14, 08 at 16:18
| try this http://www.herbarium.rdg.ac.uk/mediplants/key.asp |
RE: Identifying my plants
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| I don't know how well you speak Spanish but there is a very active Spanish gardening forum (www.infojardin.com) where in the identification section they seem to be able to give names to the most unusual plants from the ends of the earth! Also they are very understanding with people who do not write Spanish (though the replies may not be very grammatical!) Its best if you post photos of the plants in question. If you prefer you can send me an email and I will try to do it for you. |
RE: Identifying my plants
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| Thank you all for the responses. I have spent some time looking at your sites but have the disadvantage that I don't know many plant names and really want to work back from photos. A snag also arises when plants are listed by country of origin - another unknown. Most of my queries have been resolved but one mystery remains. What are the things that look like bananas and grow so well here? We have them up to 2m tall but they can be much bigger. |
RE: Identifying my plants
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- Posted by bahia SF Bay Area (My Page) on
Sat, Oct 11, 08 at 17:28
| Your banana-like plant is most likely the South African Giant Bird of Paradise, Stelitzia nicolai. Heliconia species can also look like bananas, but are not so common in the Costa del Sol area. Traveller's Palm is another banana look alike, but is not hardy enough to be a common year round outdoor plant in the south of Spain. |
RE: Identifying my plants
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| Thank you bahia. It does seem likely that we have Strelitzia Nicolai Heliconia. We must now wait for flowers. Do they have to reach great heights before that happens? The tallest is now 2.25m above pot level and after the winds of last week, I wonder if they would survive if much taller? |
RE: Identifying my plants
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- Posted by bahia SF Bay Area (My Page) on
Mon, Oct 13, 08 at 15:33
| Strelitzia and Heliconia are two different plants. It is unlikely you have Heliconia, as this is much rarer to find in Spain. Strelitzia nicolai can bloom already at this size here in California, and it is more probable that the roots will expand to break the container it is in before the plant gets as tall as it eventually can. They can easily get 10 meters tall at maturity here in California or South Africa, and form multiple clumping trunks. I generally only plant this one in containers that I don't mind getting damaged by the roots, or double pot this plant in an expendable plastic pot and slip inside a more expensive pot with a couple inches of sand as backfill between the two pots. This allows slipping the plant out and either dividing or replacing at some later point. It is nearly impossible to try and get this plant out of its container when well rooted without breaking the pot. You may find that it pays to reduce the amount of foliage on the plant so it doesn't tip the whole pot over in high winds. Feeding the plant in warmer months with a general purpose fertilizer will encourage blooms, and having the plant in a warm spot year round against a south or west facing wall will also encourage earlier blooming. Here is a link to one of the more common Heliconia species, H. schiedeana, for comparison purposes: http://www.agristarts4.com/Tech Sheets/Heliconia Fire & Ice.htm |
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