25th June

Quite a few passionflowers open today. Our replacement 'Lady Margaret' opened its first flower as did our P. mixta. I don't seem to have a picture of it in the tacsonia section so will get the new camera out later. Our  3 different forms of P. X violacea are all flowering together with amethyst  (OK x kewensis 'amethyst') and any day now the new hardy one ('Jutta') will open its first flower. It seems to be every bit as free flowering as 'amethyst' - seems promising. P x belotii is also flowering today with its wonderful sweetly scented flowers. I read on a nursery website someone selling it describing its 'sweet citrus like scent'. I resisted the temptation to email to say that it is more likely to be P x allardii, just as I have not written  in to The Garden magazine to say that I don't believe that the plant trumpeted by another Devon mursery is the long lost P x caponii 'John Innes'. The plant they describe also seems to be x belotii and the fact that the other 2 passiflora they sell are incorrectly named does not exactly inspire confidence.

We had some serious problems with fungus on the P. alata and P. 'Cary' which we were overwintering. I sprayed them with Roseclear a month ago and they are now sending out some healthy shoots.

All the hedychiums that we had to move in the Autumn to allow the sewage works to take place have survived inspite of being out of the ground for a lot longer than expected. In fact some were in compost bags next to the greenhouse until Easter and are now shooting away on the bank. My new L shaped raised hedychium bed is also going well.

Bananas have been a bit of a problem. The colder than usual Winter (a local allotment holder told me it was the first Winter we have had here in 18 years) has cut back the Sikkhimensis to nearly ground level. Last year it made 20 feet but will be lucky to be half of that this year. My suspicions about 'Burmese Blue' being hardy have been supported. I did think I'd lost it bat a plant in the open ground has started to regrow. Our Musella lasiocarpa has continued to flower for 2 years nonstop. The flower finally fell off a fortnight ago. However there are now 5 small flowers open round the cut off stem. Our Ensete 'Maurellii' has strangled itself which they do tend to so over Winter. I have cut it right back and damaged the growing point to get it to produce new plantlets. This is the way to propagate this beautiful plant. I'll put some pictures up to show how to do it. Ensete 'Montbeliardii' and 'Hiniba' are doing well.