Tropicanna at a famous landmark

Having made a recent pilgrimage, well pilgrimage for me; I thought I would share the experience – especially since to my surprise I found a previously unknown association between one of our Star Plants and the brightest Star of All

See if you can guess where I was – though it shouldn’t be too hard?

Put on my blue suede shoes

And I boarded the plane

Touched down in the land of the Delta Blues

In the middle of the pouring rain

W.C. Handy, won't you look down over me

Yeah I got a first class ticket

But I'm as blue as a boy can be

Then I'm walking in Memphis

Walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale

Walking in Memphis

But do I really feel the way I feel

Saw the ghost of Elvis

On Union Avenue

Followed him up to the gates of Graceland

Then I watched him walk right through

Now security they did not see him

They just hovered 'round his tomb

But there's a pretty little thing

Waiting for the King

Down in the Jungle Room

Excerpt of Lyrics from Walking in Memphis by Marc Cohn.

Yes you guessed it – Graceland.

It is not often that I get to do the tourist thing; but during my recent travels I found a spare Saturday ahead of a meeting in Tennessee and thought what better thing to do than tick off one of my bucket list items and visit Graceland.

In fact spend some time at other Memphis must see attractions like Sun Records, Beale St and the Gibson Guitar factory.

If you have never had the chance or inclination to visit Graceland / Memphis then I highly recommend it and plan to spend some late nights listening to some great Blues on Beale St; also eating some great Creole Food.

Check out these bands on You Tube to get a feel on who I saw and what you can expect – Brandon Santini, Jake Lear, and the Ghost Town Blues Band.

Anyway back to the key topic and imagine my surprise and I was “All Shook Up” to be touring Graceland and see Tropicanna alongside the King’s pool - we have always recommended this as one of the best uses for Tropicanna and it can be used in pots or in ground as you see in these images.

Unfortunately the plants were still only young as it was early in the season.

But as you can imagine these will look stunning when fully grown and we know the King loved the Tropical look given his concerts from Hawaii and the famed Jungle room at Graceland so I am sure he would have enjoyed these alongside his pool.

Tropicanna Gold was also included in various plantings and we will now have to make an effort to get the recently released Tropicanna Black to the gardeners at Graceland so that we have the full set on display for the King.

Anyway if you do get the chance to visit Graceland make sure to look out for the Tropicanna and be sure to allow plenty of time to see the home of King and Delta Blues.

In case you were wondering if I have a favourite song – well it is a hard choice but down to 2 final contenders “Burning Love” and Suspicious Minds.

Fairy Magnolia Blush

Fairy Magnolia Blush is a startling free flowering evergreen bush or hedge, laden with fragrant flowers at this time of year.

Reaching mature heights of three to four meters and widths of 1.5 – 2 meters it makes a model hedging shrub for both ornamental and screening purposes and looks stunning presented in a single tub.

With blush lilac/pink flowers from March to May and dark green foliage it is a stunning and robust addition to any garden or conservatory.

Bred in New Zealand by the reputed plant breeder, Mark Jury, the shrub’s evergreen, bushy appearance, winter weather tolerance and general resistance to disease ensures it as a garden staple.

Specifications:

· Flower size - 60mm diameter

· Spacing – 1.5m apart for a loose screen or 1m to create a hedge

· Temperature – trialed to -15°C

· Pests – no major issues

· Special care - performs best with good drainage, though needs moisture when establishing

· Pruning - can be trained to single leader or trimmed as a bush, hedge, topiary or espalier

· Soil – suitable for a range of soil types, but prefers well worked friable soils. Avoid heavily waterlogged conditions

· Water - requires moderate moisture levels over summer, but can handle drier conditions once established. Occasional deep watering recommended.

Available April/May 2012, SRSP: £37.00 per 5 litre pot.

Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show

Sustainability, Style and Stunning Seasonal Weather.

Once again I am reminded of why we live in Melbourne (voted one of the world's most liveable cities on multiple occasions) as I enjoy fantastic Autumn weather with sunny days and mild temperatures combined with inspiring atmosphere of the world renowned Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show (entering its 17th year in 2012 and regarded as the largest and most successful horticultural event in the Southern Hemisphere).

The show is staged within the Grand Dame of Melbourne - the world heritage listed Royal Exhibition Building and beautiful surrounding Carlton Gardens (right in the centre of Melbourne City), the Show is well established in the psyche of Australians as a "must see" event with visitors from far and wide (including international tourists) making the trip to see the show .

Featuring the best landscape and floral talent that Australia has to offer the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show is a celebration of Australian lifestyle and our great outdoors and this year's popular themes have been Sustainability and Style; combining both to inspire even the most novice of gardeners to think about how they can improve their garden at home.

Highlights for me from the show in the attached images are:

· The repurposing of tires, old cans and wheelbarrows to make an interesting and entertaining water feature; plus the use of pallets and discarded beds to create raised vegetable beds.

· Inspirational Floral Design with the conventional interpreted in flowers / fruit and root vegetables – I am not sure about the longevity of a wedding dress made of Garlic but it would certainly protect the bride against cold & flu + keep the vampires away.

· Amazing combinations of Australian stone and plants all demonstrating the possibilities for us to use our gardens as an extension of the house i.e. an outside room that just flows.

· Finally a real treat was seeing one of my favourite plants (and one of our own) Tropicanna included throughout the Carlton Gardens looking resplendent with the sun shining through their amazing foliage.

Once again I return home from the show with a thousand ideas of what improvements can be made in my own garden and then spend the rest of the year trying to decide where the design ideas can be replicated in my own surrounds; and how I can start these multiple projects in between the travel around the world required for our business.

If you have a bucket list and you are a gardener then time to make sure that visiting this show is included as one of the key items to be placing a line through / tick against as apart from the Show this time of year also has Melbourne hosting the month long Comedy Festival (of the same ilk as Edinburgh and Toronto), the food and wine festival and multiple other cultural activities such as the launch of our Australian Football season making it an incredible time to be visiting Melbourne.

IPM Essen in Germany

Well they say better late than never..... apart from a few exceptions like receiving a bill.

In any event another year has passed and as usual the team at Tesselaar faced the usual challenge of dragging ourselves off the beach and overcoming the post Christmas wish that our holidays were longer to make our annual pilgrimage to the mecca of Horticulture - IPM Essen in Germany.

This year’s show, like those in the years preceding it, was a source of inspiration that continues to surprise me each year with the innovation, presentation and sheer beauty of the industry I am lucky enough to work in.

Despite the seasonal challenges (it’s cold and snowy and certainly not the best time to be showing plants), working with perishable items and constant changes in fashion and peoples preferences; each year the displays and the presentation of material continue to motivate us to do that little bit more and continually improve our offerings.

Attached are some images that I couldn’t help pick out of the thousands of pictures I took for their creativity, colour and sometimes fun way of presenting plants and how they can be used to brighten our lives.

A few comments about the images chosen:

Clogs on the wall – the ultimate way to make sure discarded items find a second life / use in beautifying surroundings or brightening someone’s day.

Kombi Classic – who said “Flower Power”, had gone after the 60’s; it was just waiting for its chance to be reborn as retro fashion.

Mother in Laws are not all bad - An old favourite used innovatively and I don’t know what goes into braiding or plaiting succulents; (especially as a father who struggles to do his daughters hair and encourages her to wear caps when Mum is away) but these simple succulents have a wow factor.

Blocks of Colour – this was my personal favourite display from IPM. It was simple, cheap to construct and added so much fun and the ability to block colour and cross merchandise for retailers in a way that had instant pick me up appeal. This is something that would even have me buying horticultural products without an industry discount.

Hedge trimmer’s nightmare – As a gardener who has large hedges surrounding my property andEnglish Box hedge borders throughout, I could not begin to contemplate the amount of work that goes into making the beetle and maintaining it.

Not something for everyone but it certainly has its place and carried the galloping horse qualification e.g. you had to stop and admire it. Well that is it for another year and hope you find the inspiration from the images to get gardening and look at ways to brighten your surrounds for the year ahead.

Well that is it for another year and hope you find the inspiration from the images to get gardening and look at ways to brighten your surrounds for the year ahead.

Planting and care tips for Tropicannas

David Epstein tells you how to plant and take care of both the Tropicanna Canna & the Tropicanna Gold.

Have a watch here for some very useful tips http://food.sustainablelivinginhawaii.com/2692/planting-canna-tropicanna-in-containers/

Alstroemeria Rock & Roll® Scoops Silver at Plantarium

AUSTRALIA has produced many fine rock artists from INXS and AC/DC to Jason and Kylie, but now a new musical sensation from Down Under is topping the charts in the Euro horticultural hit parade.

The Alstroemeria Rock & Roll® took its bow to the European horticultural industry at the renowned Plantarium 2011 show in the Netherlands where it hit all the right notes with the judges.

This striking new plant by Tesselaar International based in Victoria, Australia, scooped a silver medal at the 29th staging of the prestigious international trade show for the tree-nursery industry, which featured more than 300 worldwide exhibitors.

A delighted Anthony Tesselaar said: “It is a fantastic achievement. We have received a really strong response from everyone who saw the plant, with plenty of interest shown from consumers wanting to grow the variety. In particular, there was really strong interest from Dutch consumers who normally don’t like variegated plants, but in this instance they clearly did!
“The overall quality of the Plantarium stands was way up on last year, and I think both our stand and theme created some great comments.
“You know when your stand is getting attention because when we went to pick up our show tickets from the stand office and we mentioned Tesselaar, the lady said ‘love your stand’!”

Those comments were music to the ears of the triumphant Tesselaar International team as visitors recognised how Rock & Roll provides a stunning addition to any garden display.

Its yellow variegation matures to white with a green edge, and combines dramatically with dark red flowers which are produced repeatedly through to autumn, making a long-lasting cut bloom.

Rock & Roll’s growth, which reaches an eventual height and spread of 90cm x 60cm, is compact and clump forming.

With a sensational, eye-catching display of flowers and foliage which stand out in any surrounding, the Rock n Roll sits in horticultural harmony either in a garden, a pot or when used as a cut flower.

Alstroemeria Rock n Roll fact file

· Suggested uses - Mass plant in the home garden or in decorative containers. Ideal as a potted gift in spring / summer

· Growth habit - Compact, bushy and clump forming from underground shoots

· Flower size - 60-70mm

· Mature height - 80-100cm

· Mature width - 50-70cm

· Spacing - 50cm spacing

· Hardiness - Frost tender and deciduous in cold climates

· Flowering period - spring right through until early autumn

· Number of flowers - Masses of stems each with 6-12 individual flowers

· Flower Colour - Dark red

· Fragrance - None

· Foliage - Variegated green and yellow, with the yellow ageing to pure white

· Pruning/Pinching - Pull expended flower stems from ground to refresh foliage and promote new growth and flowers

· Light needs - Full sun to part shade

· Soil needs - Free draining friable soil, will perform best with plenty of organic matter incorporated

· Water needs - Average to moist, not boggy or very dry

· Disease tolerance - No specific diseases

· Pest issues - Susceptible to snails and slugs

· Special care - Protect in very cold and hot climates. Monitor shade levels as sun intensifies

· Botanical name – Alstroemeria

· www.tesselaar.com for more information

Fairy Magnolia Blush featured in NZ Woman’s Weekly

It was great to see the Fairy Magnolia Blush appear in New Zealand’s Woman’s Weekly magazine.

See an extract of the article below.

“Fairy Magnolia Blush is another of Mark Jury’s babies and the first release of a new range of compact-growing cultivars with increased flower colour and size.

If left to its own devices, it will grow to about 4m high x 2m wide. It’s fast growing, making it ideal for screening and hedging.

Being amenable to clipping and training, it’s also suited to topiary and espalier.

Fragrant flowers open from pink buds in spring and appear randomly until late autumn.”