Kitchen Garden Forum

It's the 'Secret Gardens of Ilsington' this weekend(only £5 per ticket all proceeds to the local school)-we have pottered around 12/15 and managed to miss the drizzle and bought a few pots of plants very reasonably
The penultimate garden I went to (lily fell asleep so DH stayed in the car with her-we went in the car for those further afield as Lily couldn't walk that far!)had what the lady said was a Chilean Firecracker-I've looked them up but can only find tiny plants-this was a huge tree
I would really like one and wondered if anyone had one and how easy it was to look after?
Many thanks-any info would be much appreciated

Hi Jopsy

Would 30 feet suit you

Embothrium coccineum is the thing to look up - otherwise known as Chilean Firebush/Firetree.

Funny how people change names to sound better/more exciting. We never had asparagus when I was young - but we did have plenty of Sparrowgrass.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embothrium

Alan

yes thats it!
thanks ever so much-most kind
ill bet i couldve asked her for seeds but it would take years to get as big as hers!

Hi Jopsy,
If you grow the seeds today you would be a very old lady by the time you would reach anything approaching a tree.
I saw one in the grounds of the nurses home in Bristol when visiting my daughter many years ago it was massive. I have seen many others but nothing to touch this one.
They are magnificent and there is no other word to describe them.
JB.

jb perhaps i could grow it for lily
it really was stunning
you could see it from a long way away

Hi Jopsy,
The gardens around the nurses home would have been planted around the time the building was built.
It is a very old house probably built about 1800.
I will say that once you have seen the tree in bloom you will never ever forget it!
JB.

Jopsy

Embothriums are tricky to 'keep' growing in a pot - they tend to deteriorate when containerised for any length of time. They are protea family and need a low phosphate level which is unusual compared with most hardy nursery stock. You will be unlikely to find anything larger than a 3litre pot. Best thing to do is get one asap and plant it. Choose one which is securely rooted out with nice dark green wholesome looking leaves - don't worry how small it is - that is a common mistake when choosing woody plants - quality and health is the key for sucess. Prepare the ground well over an area rather than just a hole - i'e cultivate a 'bed' for it - no fertiliser. If you do want to grow it on, you will need to make up a compost with no P in the mix.

Once established, should be no problem - I know many big specimens. Some are on clay/shillet in South Devon some on Dartmoor like the one you saw, and a big one just down the road from me on what was sandy heath - relatively dry.



Mole

many thanks mole
im going to purchase one when we move-all being well in the next year!
i may now have to choose the garden to suit the tree

Hi Jopsy,
The propagation information that I have gathered over the years says sow the seeds of Embothriums Feb-April under heat or take root cuttings Dec-January.
Probably best to buy a plant as Mole suggests if you are hell bent on having one.
I remember now seeing another very large tree in the Barnstable area which is much more your sort of country.
JB.