Subtropicals in London (UK)

[iko.]

It's refreshing to talk about winter when most of Europe has been hitting 30ºC / 86ºF or more in the last days. It's indeed depressing to post pictures of frozen plants during winter. So now, practically summer in the Northern Hemisphere, I'm sharing some pictures (some in their most unflattering moments) of subtropical plants growing in a terrace in central London (UK). Most of the plants have been growing in this spot since 2016. Sometimes, I did cover some plants with a protection fleece briefly. Other times, it was too late, I wasn't around or they were gone with the wind. They have survived Beast from the East, Beast from the East II, and the cold episodes of December'22 and January'23. In December'22, water was frozen for days and snow lasted well over a week. Lowest temperature last winter was close to -4ºC / 24.8ºF and London's climate is not that easily compared to those Florida USDA hardiness zones, where one cold spell lowers you to zone 9 even if coconuts grow in your garden.

I hope these pictures serve as inspiration from someone who is still dubious between planting a conifer or a Kentia.

ORCHIDS

- I didn't tried as much as I'd like with orchids but Cymbidium are the best and flower right during the coldest months. See pictures in a normal winter and after being covered in snow. Flowers got killed at -2ºC approx. One pot was covered in snow for a week and didn't killed the plant at all. 

- I had some Dendrobium in the past but they didn't last for more than a year. I'm not good with these plants, neither indoors.

- Some Coelogyne, like C. flaccida do quite well. 

- I have left two Phalaenopsis outside until mid November and with all the rain they looked better than when inside the house. Biggest problem are the snails. 

MUSACEAE

- One of my favourites is the Strelitzia reginae. Usually, it would flower during winter. In London the flowers emerge in autumn, grow during winter and open in June. This plant has seen everything: heavy snow, strong winds, hail,... and even me chopping the roots with a knife. It flowers reliably, with 8 to 9 flowers a year. Pictures are in June last year and during winter. Some winters leaves get more yellow than others.

- Last winter I used to walk past a Strelitzia nicolai in Covent Garden. It did pretty well with the cold but got battered by winds in late winter and it has disappeared since. 

- There are several bananas all over London, some winters keep the leaves, others get burnt with the cold. 

- I also had Ensete maurelii for some years but one winter got destroyed by the cold and rain. 

 

PROTEACEAE

- Protea does very well in London, or at least for me. Whereas maples get burnt easily in summer, proteas doesn't get affected. Plenty of water or drought, both are fine. I have some Protea that had their tips wrapped in ice for several days with no harm. In pictures, a protea on a snow day and another one partially covered in ice.

- For Telopea, the hardest is to get the soil right I think. 

- Same goes for Banksia coccinea, which is in flower right now, and a winner with strong winds despite of the tall and untidy branching. 

OTHER PLANTS

- I use to have Dipladenia which got kill to the soil after Beast from the East. Then, it tried to grow but didn't last another winter.

- I have a couple of Bougainvillea. I know they grow in Tokyo and some part of France where gets cold in winter, but mine doesn't grow as quick as I would expect. 

- Jacaranda 'Bonsai Blue' looses the leaves and grows back at this time of the year. This second winter got hard on the plant and now is growing from below the grafted part. See pictures with chocolate coloured leaves after some days barely passing 2ºC.

- Citrus Yuzu on a Poncirus Trifoliata rootstock does great despite of the small pot. Not more than 3 or 4 fruits though.

- Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer' and other varieties keep flowering all winter, also the ones of the neighbours. See picture with snow.

- Petunia Surfinia grows to huge sizes by spring if planted right before winter. Calibrachoa is a perennial which has proven indestructible to me and the same plant can last many years. See pictures in flower and with some snow.

- I don't know why the Gloriosa lily is not more popular in the UK. It can easily become a weed as it multiplicates quick. Flowers have turned to an all dark red despite the first years had the common red and yellow lines.

- Cannas are known to be easy. Mines got frosted on the first cold day. There is one that have passed the winter with all the leaves untouched next to Bank station (Central London), see picture from February.

- I could also talk about palms but there're far too many topics in this website just for that 😄

 

Hoping to hear from other sub/tropical plants thriving in not ideal climates. I'll try to find some extra space in the terrace in the meantime. 

Edited June 13, 2023 by iko.

[Foxpalms]

I also saw a few cannas in Bank this winter, still completely green right after the December freeze. Though it's not really that surprising considering that part of central London only had a low of -1c.

[Foxpalms]

Kentia palms in the city of London and city of Westminster. Depending on the location these palms only saw -1c to -2c this winter.

[Foxpalms]

An Ensete survived in central London but with damage this winter.

Edited June 13, 2023 by Foxpalms

[Foxpalms]

Cordyline fruticosa 

 

Edited June 13, 2023 by Foxpalms

[Axel Amsterdam]

Hi Iko, my bougainvillea in the ground was only protected during a frosty period of around 10 days in december. It defoliated but is coming back nicely and is capable of growing branches of 1 meter per season. It blooms later in the season, end of July. 

[Axel Amsterdam]

summer

[Axel Amsterdam]

[Axel Amsterdam]

[iko.]

3 hours ago, Foxpalms said:

Cordyline fruticosa 

Good spotting, there are some mature ones in London too. For a few years there was one with big red leaves growing in a pot in a council state near Farringdon. Another one with much smaller leaves was growing in Lambeth, South London, but disappeared all of a sudden in the summer of 2018. In the chronology of Google Maps the plant can be seen how it grew first in the corner of the house to a bigger specimen moved right next to the door.

 

3 hours ago, Axel Amsterdam said:

Hi Iko, my bougainvillea in the ground was only protected during a frosty period of around 10 days in december. It defoliated but is coming back nicely and is capable of growing branches of 1 meter per season. It blooms later in the season, end of July. 

Your bougainvillea looks great and the heat of these days should be doing good with the plant. I have seen a big one in London thanks to this forum but it doesn't work that well for me. It's painfully slow, maybe is the soil. I had a wisteria dying recently so I may replace it with a bougainvillea instead. 

[Foxpalms]

59 minutes ago, iko. said:

Good spotting, there are some mature ones in London too. For a few years there was one with big red leaves growing in a pot in a council state near Farringdon. Another one with much smaller leaves was growing in Lambeth, South London, but disappeared all of a sudden in the summer of 2018. In the chronology of Google Maps the plant can be seen how it grew first in the corner of the house to a bigger specimen moved right next to the door.

 

Your bougainvillea looks great and the heat of these days should be doing good with the plant. I have seen a big one in London thanks to this forum but it doesn't work that well for me. It's painfully slow, maybe is the soil. I had a wisteria dying recently so I may replace it with a bougainvillea instead. 

I could be wrong but it looks like it started growing back from the ground of the pot in 2019. In 2020 it disappeared, however so did the other plants which makes me think maybe they moved house as that winter was mild. 

Edited June 13, 2023 by Foxpalms

[Foxpalms]

Monstera deliciosa. One in a pot taken on the last day of the December freeze not far from covent garden and one of mine.