cumtuppence

We Are Moving To Sunny Spain This Year. Can Anyone Tell Me If I Can Bring Houseplants. I Have Nertured Most Of Plants From Babies Or Throw Outs And Hate To Leave Them

La Joconde

As far as I am aware there are no restrictions on bringing over Houseplants, unless there are species that have been illegally brought into the UK.

Depending how they are to be brought, if transport takes only 1 or 2 days, they will easily survive in large sealed packing boxes, lined with heavy duty dustbin liners and well watered, if you have tall plants, you might want to pack them in coats hanging boxes.

You might like to know that house plants here in Spain can attract all sorts of undesirable bugs, although there are always insecticides to remedy such problem.

jdr

Not really worth the bother, there are thousands of cheap Spanish plants that will last much longer and a lot less watering

La Joconde

You are right JDR, there is certainly a great choice of plants here, but it is possible that "Cumtuppence" may still wish to bring nurtured plants just to remind her of home.

We can all be soft at heart, i.e. We moved a kettle that has been with us for over 30 years, not because we use it but because it reminds us of our humble beginnings. Such is life...

jdr

sunnydays

We were told that all plants enterring Spain would need to be "soil free".
I particularly wanted to bring a couple of "Cytisus Battandieri" the pineapple flower because I'd grown them in Uk and admired the shrub very much. Despite doing all we could, the 2 plants are struggling after a year here in Puerto, still alive but struggling! One thing to realise is that there is little rain and all your plants will have to settle for tapwater. I collected 2 dustbins full from my roof over a year.
You can't buy John Innes here and have to make do with forms of other planting media. There is a chemical fertiliser for Acid loving plants that is useful for those plants that prefer "Lime free" water.
You will love the various colours of Bougainvillia, verbenas,Lantanas and these plants will flower in the dry climate we have. I have a lovelly powder blue Plumbago that has taken over my white fence and a honeysuckle that is fighting for a "look-in".
I'm trying some American Irises that were delivered here from a UK supplier and apart from one gorgeous plant, the rest are just in leaf. Despite coming from Florida and its hot sun, they seem reluctant to put buds out.
It may prove beneficial to bring cuttings of your favourite plants and try to root them down here, giving the main plant to friends to look after until you get growth in spain.
Another aspect is costs, remember admiring those beautiful palms in Uk garden centres and gasping at the price, well they are much lower here.
also climbers like Stephanotis are about 6 euros, geraniums 2 euros.
Couldn't find a French Lavender plant around Puerto, only the common one.
Wish you luck.

sibsie

Florida is oppressively humid so you may need to tweak its living conditions to get it to flower.

sunnydays

wow thanks for that, providing humidity will be tricky but I'll give it a try.

sibsie

Try some Tomorite plant food too. It's great in getting plants to flower.

cumtuppence

Many thanks for replies and suggestion. I am bringing mainly house plants but do have some for the garden. We are driving over with caravan so will have to put in bags of compost and plant food. May even buy the chemical that converts tap water for putting in fish ponds.

Mercedes

Well its 25 in my house alone, so hope they like the heat.

sunnydays

Yes, its 29 in ours and outside in the shade its 38.

We used to take out the windows when we first came here last year to let the air in but now have made the discovery that all we are doing is letting the hot air inside!!
Open them at in the evening for the cooler air and then close up before 10am to retain the coolness of the rooms. Shutter against the direct suns rays.

Completely oposite to UK climate...wow we can always learn can't we.

nnbrnt

I've just taken a Wisteria and other plants. I checked with DEFRA first. There are lots of superb garden centres, especially costa blanca/costa azahar but I had sentimental plants I didn't want to leave behind. I used 2 litre water bottles, cut them in half, put rooted cuttings in a very small pot, placed it in one half of the bottle, watered it well and then cellotaped it up and took the whole lot in my hand luggage. No problems. Hope you get the plants safely to spain.

shoo

Thought you might be interested in my story about bringing a plant to spain.

Before coming to Spain we lived near Pontefract, you know, the home of Bassets Liquorice Allsorts and most of you will know of Pontefract Cakes. I thought a liquorice plant would be a nice thing to have out here, so off I went to buy one from the local nursery; I tried all the nurseries including two specialist herb nurseries only to be told they’re not available from the suppliers. Then one day I saw a notice for The Liquorice Fayre, Pontefract’s idea of a fiesta, one of the events on the notice was the auction of 25 locally grown liquorice plants, so, on the day I bid for a small but healthy looking specimen and happily paid £18 for such a rare plant.

On arrival in Spain I planted my little treasure in the best place in the garden, it takes three years before is ready to crop, so I waited, looking forward to chewing that sweet tasty root as we did as children, not even knowing at the time how therapeutic it was for our chest and digestion.

One day I was in the countryside with our Spanish friend, a cross between David Bellamy and Crocodile Dundee, what he doesn’t know about to countryside isn’t worth knowing.
I had told him earlier that my wife had a bit of a cough, so while walking through the fields he stopped and pointed to a very thin twig sticking out of the ground, he smiled at me and then proceeded to dig with his trusty little knife until he managed to uproot the whole plant, he chopped the root into lengths and told me to give to my wife to chew, it will get rid of her cough.

Bloody liquorice only grows wild out here doesn’t it?

When we got home I showed my “special� plant to my friend and told him the story, it’s been a standing joke with all our Spanish neighbours ever since and as for my over priced weed, it’s been relegated to the far corner of the garden!

Chiclanagir

Brilliant story that one Shoo!!!!

I cannot get plants to grow in my garden in Chiclana, the soil is terrible and it doesn't help that both my cat and dog wait until a plant starts to grow a little and then bite it off, they seem to especially like roses which just happen to be my favourite too!! anyone any ideas for plants that animals will not take advantage of - non poisonous please as I am still quite fond of the little buggers....