I love ths perenial. Looking forward to these flowering again this year.
As the tumble weed blows across the gardening blog......

Sometimes it feels a bit freaky blogging here as almost no on else can be bothered. Anyway I shall persevere with it any way.
Just to introduce you all to Geranium Madierense.

This is  a beautiful native of Madiera. Although you would be pushed to see one when you are there. It is rare in the wild now and the locals dont grow it. Why I dont know it is spectacular. It wont survive outside here in the borders its just too cold wet and windy. But it does survive in the unheated conservatory when it is -10 outside and doesent complain if it is too hot. But dont let it get above 38 - 40 degrees C. These plants are heavy feeders and like a rich soil. They do not, as is often cited on the TV need a huge pot to flower. This one is only in a 1 foot diameter pot.
They are suposed to be biennial but are not strictly so. They should flower in thier second or third year after which they may go again the following year or they may deteriorate. Best to grow them again from seed. Easy. Nice big leafy attractive foliage.

The flowers are reasonably large for a geranium. I grow these in rich compost and use a pot with a resevoir to avoid the consrvatories indescriminate heat drying the pots out. Which stresses the plants.  Geranuim Madierense lives in rocky places and has a wierd habit of folding its old leaf stems downwards for support. Gardners are often tempted to cut these off. But they are in fact the plants legs. I usually cut off the drying yellow leaves near the stem tip to tidy up but leave the support stems in place.

This is a medium sized shrub from South Africa. Is a good conservatory plant. It will take some heat and reasonable cold.

Flowers nicely most of the year.

what this is called?

Its an outdoor hardy perenial that loves shade. But the name just slips my mind.

Pointyfinger says its an epimedium.
This one below is The Darlingtonia. Strange looking thing isn it?

I also have two fruits set on an apricot tree. Apricots flower very early so I put the tree in the conservatory to save the buds from the frost. It is possibly self fertile though there are some insects gettin in there there. Ive never grown an apricot before.  I did have some wierd cucmbers last year. Called Crstal Lemon. They looked strange. They were not like lemons but more round yellow and with black spines. Anyway hope yall doin OK

Well just when you thought it was safe to come out here is anotther pleiospilos blog. Its finally flowered!
Remember this?
 Then.....

And this...

Then Finally it flowers.

Now isnt that beautiful.

I have been looking for a bamboo plant for ages, ideally I would have liked Bamboo Negra, but they were all so expensive. We are making a screen to disguise the wheelie bin storage area. Yesterday I found a compact variety with bright green leaves (at a price I could cope with). It's label said "Fargesia Mur Simba", when I put this into google, it told me it was a variety popular in Holland and Germany. I wanted bamboo because it waves and makes a sound, we have a seat nearby and it will be nice to sit and have a coffee there.

I have repotted it today into a glazed container that is mauve/purple, this has "set off" the green of the bamboo beautifully. I am pleased with the effect.

Earlier in the week I had bought a "Heavenly or Sacred Bamboo", which has red leaves when they are young, then turning to green, this is in a blue plastic pot, so they both compliment each other. I am happy with my new area, I have combined existing plants with new ones.

Well I havent posted for a while because of the photo drought. Hmm!
Most things seem to be doing well. I have buds on the Khadia and this Hereroa glenensis above. Also Darlingtonia is buding for the first time and a Geranuim Madierense I have in the conservatory.
How do you keep supermarket orchids alive? I know no one who has succeeded.