Gardening in Fuerteventura

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

Banana update:
The support is in place, fingers crossed it does its job.


Some more of the lower petals curled back and have revealed some rows of tiny male fruit/flowers. They dry up and fall off 

[Can the Man]

Congratulations Tamara, looking brilliant

[Emmi Smith]

well done Tamara x  brilliant photos too

[windermeregolfer]

I can see a new Market Stall selling Bananas and Banana Bread, they look wonderful Tamara.

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

Driving through Villaverde yesterday I saw the most enormous spike on an agave. The plant itself was variegated and the spike albino. I estimate the spike to be about 8-10m tall.

 

on my next drive past the spike/plant had gone! Not sure if intentional or the wind - but I'm guessing it was taken out to prevent it blowing over and damaging people or property!

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

Today I decided that a couple of plants in pots were long overdue being split and planted in the garden. I had placed the original plants in their pots under a tree and forgotten them for a couple of years. They are both varieties of Dracaena trifasciata, previously known as  [i]Sansevieria trifasciata, the taller varieties are commonly known as Mother in law's tongue. [/i]
 the pot was absolutely rammed, I had to cut the pot off in strips.

 I gently pulled off all the outer sections leaving just the central core 5 pieces which didn't want to budge. The outer pieces broke away surprisingly easily.

 17 brand new plants!

 and a few oddments of rhizome (or possibly prawns??).

 then on to the second pot which yielded almost as many new plants.

A productive couple of hours! 

These plants grow really easily here, shade or sun, and only need a a drop of water very occasionally - happy to go months without any. They open their pores to breathe at night, saving excess evaporation during the hot hours of the day. Form lovely clumps if planted in the ground as well. There are loads of different colours/variegations available.

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

A friend called me in to see a succulent that had come into bloom, very strange but interesting buds and flowers!
Stapelia gigantea:

  

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

If you've been following this thread you'll know I have a thing for Jacaranda trees 
To my delight a friend donated me a ripe seed pod that she had 'acquired'. It took some effort to open and contained 65 seeds. I've planted a few up in a pot after soaking overnight and have crossed my fingers!

  

Whilst the tree I purchased and planted a few months ago is doing very well and has lots of fresh growth at the base as well as the top.

 

[Jason W]

Not quite gardening, however I would like to add some plants to my apartment outdoor terraces. I need something that can survive without regular watering, maybe as long as a month or so at a time. Something that can survive in pots. Am I wasting my time, is it possible? A splash of colour too?

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

Hello Jason - this is definitely gardening! My garden is basically a series of holes (so much like large pots but sunk in the ground) that is basically all you can do on a bare rock island!

Succulents and cacti will suit your purposes well. They do much better with a good water occasionally rather than little and often. Good drainage in the pots and a proper substrate is essential - get Happy Plants Happy Mix or Cactus Mix, don't use cheap cr*p from Chinese shops etc as it holds too much water and then when it eventually dries out is difficult to wet again.

Personally I steer clear of cacti having fallen foul of the spikes a few times and the ones with almost invisible fine prickles are the worst!

There is a wide range of succulents available and some of these have spectacular flowers although as with all plants they have their flowering season (and that might be while you're not here!).

Think about where you want to place them. Will they get full sun all day? will that change in Winter? will they be subject to strong winds? Armed with that knowledge take yourself to Happy Plants and ask for their advice.

A few pics from HP taken recently:
 

  😊

or plants like these that have thick rhizomes and therefore don't need watering often:


Good luck and let us know what you get!