BlackBeardie

Just pop a cutting in your suitcase and there shouldn't be a fuss. I think officially, it is still a no-no to bring any old plant into the country. So I suggest you keep your planned import low key.

liveaboard

Yes, we had land lust coming here; it makes no sense at all, but it seems a fairly common affliction.

The land surrounding the house is lovely to have [half of it would be fine], but the other two fields are pretty much just a burden. I love them, but that's the truth of it. Anyway, the big machine does most of the work now.

Bow saw? Isn't that a HAND TOOL??? [gasp, shudder]

There has been some talk of forcing people to keep their land clear of dry brush and grass, due to fire risk. It seems imposable to me, but it was in the papers a few months ago.
Anyway, I find if I don't cut it, foreign acacia takes over the place.
And cane of course.

Kath Las Colinas

Thanks Blackbeard, that's what I thought. Trouble is that I usually travel just with hand luggage and I suspect that anything like that would be picked up; you should have seen the trouble I had recently when I had a wooden elephant in the case: I shudder to think what they will say when I bring out the metal peacock!!!!!

Ah well, I will just have to wait until next time I put some luggage in the hold.

Kath

EMR

Where we re anyone with land that borders residential areas has to keep land clear to reduce fire risks.
Our neighbour ploughs a 10 mtr strip clearing any grass etc. This year he removed a lot of dead branches from trees .
Our local council has been known to clear plots and bill the owners.
Having stood on our terrace and seen the affects of scrub fire, helicopters etc involved in putting them out I can understand why the law is being enforced .

Realme

I have never had any problems brining anything in and out of the UK, it is allowed within Europe. But don't bring potatoes, because of Colorado beetle.

http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=435

Kath Las Colinas

Thanks. That is very useful. I will put a cutting in my hand luggage and see what happens and will try to fit the mother plant in the car if/when we decide to come that way (it is too big to bring otherwise).

Kath

BlackBeardie

Yeah, the bow saw is a hand tool. It cuts branches upto 4 inches diameter without any fuss. I have found sawing through the base of a bush level with the ground quick and effective.

liveaboard

You're a better man than I; if it's thicker than my thumb, I go get the chainsaw!
I love the smell of oil burning in the morning...

liveaboard

You're a better man than I; if it's thicker than my thumb, I go get the chainsaw!
I love the smell of oil burning in the morning...

BlackBeardie

Not as keen on the smell of oil as you but I probably will have to invest in a chain saw down the line. Carob and olive trees tend to get pretty massive.

Kath Las Colinas

Well, I put a cutting about 8" long into my hand luggage going through East Midlands airport. Held my breath and waited for the fuss ... Nothing said at all. Baby plant now happily sitting in a pot on my terrace in Spain (although it is looking out over the river at Portugal too) and waiting for mummy to join him.

Thanks for your help.

Kath

BlackBeardie

I've managed to grow my willow successfully in containers. I lost have the lot which I planted directly in the ground. It was just to hot for them in July and August. But in a container with water under some shade they do rather well. If any one wants a cutting to remind them of home, let me know.

Realme, you are quite right. I can verify that the high tempertures of summer puts plant growth to sleep. Despite giving them all the water in the world , I found they simply will not grown in such intense insolation. Teh only thing that worked well was seed germination under these conditions. I think the colonialists in Kenya at the turn of the 20th century knew this when the appropriated the highlands for themselves. These regions have the ideal growing temperature year round (18-25ºC). Books later claimed it was done because these areas had fertile soil. This may have been the case, but soil fertility is easier to build then trying to control environmental temperature on a large scale. Lord Delamere and co. were smart fellows and ahead of the curve ).

BlackBeardie

Acacia! That would be like being back in Kenya, minus the giraffes. ). Haven't seen any in my neck of the woods. So cane is problematic. I was thinking about planting some. In a container of´course. So waiting for a container of suitable size and build to show up next to a skip near me

Realme

hi Blackbeardie, sorry about your willows I haven't got enough water for them, even to remind me of home! :0( Actually watering some plants in the summer even kills them from fungal diseases. But if we watch what happens on the mata where everything springs to live again at the first rains, we can grow a great deal. I have been using a gravel mulch with native plants and it's doing very well with very little water after the plants are established. I stop watering altogether from the start of July, as there's no point and in fact, it damages the plants. I am sure you have read Filipi's book on dry gardening? I learnt a lot from this. it is very hard not to water plants when it is scorching hot, but I am getting more confident lol

GeniB

Hi Realme...Just posted on your lovely Blog...Not so sure I would like to find the Iberian Worm Lizard in my garden..altho not generally squeamish..Did find big golden coloured spider!! Quite the coincidence as OH had diagnosed my (then ) two spots on chest as from the Brown Recluse Spider (errrm NO It was shingles)...Not seen ANY spiders up to that point

How about you?..what else lurks under the Jasmine ?

Adding a bit about my garden (12yrs old..well established..facing sea..but badly neglected)..W e immediately built two raised beds (Baks in the Netherlands where we lived previously) with wooden plank sides,lined with breathable fabric...Filled initially with horse manure and compost from the great Farmers supplies in Calicas..ran some of our irrigation pipes in..We have grown very good crops of tomatoes,courgettes,lettuce,cabbage
and even sweet potatoes every yr since..We bought four large green plastic compost bins ..and have recycled all our kitchen waste through them..moving the waste from one to the other and using 'Gloria' our big shredder to help with the process..After 3yrs the bare rock that was our 'garden' is flourishing with barely an open space to be seen..In our case mulching has cut down on the watering ..Facing south east on a sloping hill..we fry!However everything in out garden has to 'earn its biscuits'If it can't stand the heat its bye bye...