Re: Crinodendron & Winter

Einion wrote:

>What I 
>*did* find a problem was that it is deeply unhappy in a windy situation, and 
>it needs protection from prevailing winds, otherwise the foliage always looks 
>terminally untidy. 

Now I've found it does OK here as a cliff top plant, provided it does
want for root moisture.  The danger is when there are drying winds
coupled with dry warm weather when new growths are being produced.
Then the young leaves can become a bit tatty.  If they are rased as
soon as wet weather returns, , you get another 'push', hopefully this
time without   you can get away with doing this before early June, but
if you wait much later, the plant will not regrow that much until the
ensuing spring.

>where Coronilla glauca is currently nearly halfway through its 9-month 
>flowering, and temperatures are in the high 40's/low 50's. It will all end in 
>tears if we have a halfway decent frost, and we will, we will...

I prefer not to think about it.  Common sense tells me that we need a
frost (at least the massive proliferation of scale insects, aphids and
tortrix caterpillar suggest that) , but I've got Brugmansias still in
flower (albeit somewhat wind ragged) and all of the Cannas &
Hedychiums are shooting like there's no tomorrow.  If there's a choice
between having to get the sprayer out or watching the devastation even
the slightest frost might bring, I'm in favour of the sprayer!

Even the Musas which I defoliated to reduce wind-damage are leafing up
again while the 'dwarfs such as Musa mannii and M. laterita, plus
related Musella lasiocarpa are in near perfect leaf.  The fence out
back is a cloud of white Jasminum polyanthum and red and white
Passifloras are still opening the occasional flower.  Old faithful
Pandorea jasminoides now in its 6th. year is smothered with flowers
and buds - it is now at that stage where it is virtually
ever-blooming.

As with you, naturalised Coronilla glauca which tumbles about
everywhere is a mass of golden yellow, the first Acacias are open -
mainly A. dealbata, but baileyana is following rapidly and in my
garden, clumps of Clivia are showing lots of big fat spikes.  With
current night time lows of around 50F and a coldest so far since last
February of 39F I'm in no hurry to see things deteriorate.
Unfortunately, like you, I fear it will end.  I suspect that once this
current chain of Atlantic lows runs through, we will have the return
of biting continental easterlies which will make things feel pretty
grim.  My only consolation is that whatever happens, there is only
about another 4 weeks of true winter left here.  And then its uphill
all the way!

Dave Poole
TORQUAY  UK
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