Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum

General Subjects => General Forum => Topic started by: meanie on May 09, 2011, 08:24:23 AM

Title: Strongylodon macrobotrys
Post by: meanie on May 09, 2011, 08:24:23 AM
Back in bloom in the Lily house at Oxfords botanic gardens is the Blue Jade Vine.
This is a plant that I lust after - just need a substantial lottery win!
Title: Re: Strongylodon macrobotrys
Post by: meanie on May 09, 2011, 08:27:56 AM
Two more photos of this stunning plant taken yesterday........

Title: Re: Strongylodon macrobotrys
Post by: Gail on May 09, 2011, 10:06:23 AM
Beautiful!  I keep meaning to go and see how the Cambridge Botanic garden one is doing.
Title: Re: Strongylodon macrobotrys
Post by: meanie on May 09, 2011, 10:22:07 AM
This alone is worth the price (£12.50) of a season ticket for me Gail.
Title: Re: Strongylodon macrobotrys
Post by: Maggi Young on May 09, 2011, 11:16:08 AM
Back in bloom in the Lily house at Oxfords botanic gardens is the Blue Jade Vine.
This is a plant that I lust after - just need a substantial lottery win!

I'm a great believer in the 'Glass half full' theory but I think that even with a BIG lottery win, the Cambridge Botanics will not be for sale.......... :-\
Title: Re: Strongylodon macrobotrys
Post by: Anthony Darby on May 09, 2011, 11:21:55 AM
I've seen the same plant at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. It just doesn't look right, sort of other worldly. An amazing colour. Wonder if it grows here?
Title: Re: Strongylodon macrobotrys
Post by: meanie on May 09, 2011, 11:35:23 AM
Maggi - I've seen the plant for sale here in the UK for £40. It would need a proper orangery sized glasshouse to do it justice though....

David - Anthony - I wouldn't dare to encourage you to try (even if you could get it into NZ), but I did see a Puya growing in a garden of an Auckland suburb in '04 when I was last over.

http://www.strangewonderfulthings.com/101.htm
Title: Re: Strongylodon macrobotrys
Post by: Anthony Darby on May 09, 2011, 11:56:04 AM
Wow. That's awesome and a more realistic proposition, so to speak.
Title: Re: Strongylodon macrobotrys
Post by: meanie on May 09, 2011, 12:01:52 PM
I'll ask my cousin if he can remember where it was.......
Title: Re: Strongylodon macrobotrys
Post by: arisaema on May 09, 2011, 12:27:02 PM
It's easy from seeds if you have room for it, no idea how many years you need to wait for flowering, it was a spider mite magnet here in my far-from-ideal conditions, and finally kicked the bucket in a mid-winter power outage.

Barbadine on Reunion has listed seeds in the fast, just drop him a line and he might be able to help you even if it's not currently listed in the catalogue: www.barbadine.com
Title: Re: Strongylodon macrobotrys
Post by: meanie on May 09, 2011, 12:48:02 PM
It's easy from seeds if you have room for it, no idea how many years you need to wait for flowering, it was a spider mite magnet here in my far-from-ideal conditions, and finally kicked the bucket in a mid-winter power outage.

Barbadine on Reunion has listed seeds in the fast, just drop him a line and he might be able to help you even if it's not currently listed in the catalogue: www.barbadine.com

What a great link Arisaema!
Let me get this straight - you were growing Strongylodon in Norway! How did it cope with the light levels?
Title: Re: Strongylodon macrobotrys
Post by: arisaema on May 09, 2011, 02:40:32 PM
What a great link Arisaema!
Let me get this straight - you were growing Strongylodon in Norway! How did it cope with the light levels?

A 400W HPS lamp helps ;) That said I only had the plant for 2-3 years so it never got that big, I had it on a bamboo trellis in a 8 liter pot, and moved it outside in summer.
Title: Re: Strongylodon macrobotrys
Post by: meanie on May 09, 2011, 02:48:11 PM
What a great link Arisaema!
Let me get this straight - you were growing Strongylodon in Norway! How did it cope with the light levels?

A 400W HPS lamp helps ;) That said I only had the plant for 2-3 years so it never got that big, I had it on a bamboo trellis in a 8 liter pot, and moved it outside in summer.

You got it to bloom?
I must admit that I really do not need another spider mite magnet.....
Title: Re: Strongylodon macrobotrys
Post by: Lesley Cox on May 09, 2011, 09:54:03 PM
My Warkwork friend has it growing, only protected by an overhead pergola and I'm pretty sure it's grown in Tauranga (Bill will know) at Nicholl's place. They have a climber nursery.
Title: Re: Strongylodon macrobotrys
Post by: arisaema on May 10, 2011, 08:22:56 AM
What a great link Arisaema!
Let me get this straight - you were growing Strongylodon in Norway! How did it cope with the light levels?

A 400W HPS lamp helps ;) That said I only had the plant for 2-3 years so it never got that big, I had it on a bamboo trellis in a 8 liter pot, and moved it outside in summer.

You got it to bloom?
I must admit that I really do not need another spider mite magnet.....

No, just foliage, I suspect you'd need to grow it for 8-10 years or more to get flowers from seed. Seeds are cheap and easy to germinate when fresh, so it's worth a shot, if it does turn into a spider mite magnet I doubt you'll have any problems giving it away.
Title: Re: Strongylodon macrobotrys
Post by: meanie on May 10, 2011, 08:37:00 AM
Arisaema - I'll stick to the lottery win plan on this one! It would depress me comparing my efforts to the specimen at the botanic gardens. Plus, I'm rapidly running out of space indoors - I joined the SRGC forum to get inspiration for outdoors!
I've just bought a large Tacca (Bat Flower) that was heavily reduced as it's bloom was over - do you have any advice on this? A little cheeky, I know.
Title: Re: Strongylodon macrobotrys
Post by: arisaema on May 10, 2011, 08:52:39 AM
Sadly no, unless you want to know how to kill it quickly? The power outages in my nursery were a blessing in disguise, no more finicky tropicals, although I do wish i hadn't proptly stuffed it to the brim with tenderish perennials...
Title: Re: Strongylodon macrobotrys
Post by: meanie on May 10, 2011, 09:05:34 AM
As a hobby, growing the things that you shouldn't is great fun - not the greatest business plan though.....
Title: Re: Strongylodon macrobotrys
Post by: mark smyth on March 07, 2012, 10:03:50 AM
John Grimshaw is asking on his blog for a source for Myddleton House
Title: Re: Strongylodon macrobotrys
Post by: meanie on March 07, 2012, 03:30:00 PM
This is the only listing that I've seen in the UK................

http://oldwalledgarden.com/climbers/strongylodon/strongylodon-macrobotrys-2/

I'll send him the link.
Title: Re: Strongylodon macrobotrys
Post by: Paul T on March 08, 2012, 12:25:52 PM
Jade Vine is absolutely amazing.  I remember a few years ago going up to Cairns in far north Queensland (Australia) and seeing it a few places there.  My biggest memory is a pergola across a path, where you had to part the racemes of flowers to walk through.  It covered the whole free-standing pergola, with the flowers hanging down below.  It showed it off beautifully.  The colour is just glorious, and very other-worldly as mentioned earlier in the topic.  I may manage to grow Beaugainvillea here in Canberra, but I am doubting that I could even attempt a Jade Vine.  I do grow the Snail Vine here though, which I think many would likely be surprised at.  It's in flower now.... heavenly perfume.

Thanks for starting this topic.  Great to be reminded of this plant.  Brilliant! 8)
Title: Re: Strongylodon macrobotrys
Post by: meanie on March 08, 2012, 12:44:57 PM
Jade Vine is absolutely amazing. 

It's one of those plants where you see photos and think wow, but when you see it in the flesh you are still blown away by it!

I do grow the Snail Vine here though, which I think many would likely be surprised at.  It's in flower now.... heavenly perfume.

Thanks for starting this topic.  Great to be reminded of this plant.  Brilliant! 8)

By Snail vine do you mean Vigna caracalla (Phaseolus caracalla)? I have three that I grew from seed last year which became good sized tubers over the summer. I lifted them in the autumn and put them in pots in the conservatory for the winter, where they are leafing up really nicely now. Hopefully they should bloom this year.
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