Spanish Garden

Lady of the Night or Cestrum Nocturnum

2011-07-06T21:04:00.001+02:00

cestrum nocturnum in flower

By far my favourite plant for my Spanish garden is the Lady of the Night, otherwise known as Dama de Noche or Galan de Noche. The people of North America and Canada know it as Night Blooming Jasmine. It's correct botanical name is cestrum nocturnum (please check out the link, its one of my new sites).

Lady of the Night is that plant that scents the summer evening air with a perfume to die for!

ou may have thought you were actually smelling jasmine, and maybe you were, but if the Lady of the Night is in flower, its scent is powerful enough to drown out all other scents.

Well, almost...it doesn't quite disguise the smell of the overloaded sewers in the heat of summer in parts of Benidorm, but it makes a good attempt!

It's flowers are nothing to look at during the day. Lady of the Night is a bush/shrub that reaches up to 15' tall, with bunches of small greenish-white tubular flowers that are closed and droopy during the day.

As soon as darkness falls, the flowers lift up and open wide, revealing a beautiful star-shaped opening on the bells. They then emit the most wonderful perfume that simply fills the night air and can be smelled from a distance away.

Sadly the flowering period only lasts a few days, so enjoy it while you can. It is reputed to discourage mosquitoes too, and that could be correct because the Night Blooming Jasmine is highly scented to attract some of the bigger insects like moths, that can effectively pollinate the flowers.

I don't know if moths also eat mosquitoes, and so mosquitoes stay away? Perhaps.

Cestrum nocturnum flowers up to 4 times a year.

Best Selling Books UK [del.icio.us]

2011-06-14T08:40:04-07:00

a list of the best selling books in the UK today

Simple SEO Techniques [del.icio.us]

2011-06-14T08:39:42-07:00

Learn how to optimize a Blogger Blog to attract search engine traffic with a few simple techniques

Orange Trees

2011-05-23T12:49:00.000+02:00

I have two orange trees in my garden, planted 7 years ago.

orange blossom

Both are pathetic stunted creatures, and only one has ever produced fruit, and it was of such poor quality that I was sorely disappointed.

Note to self: in future, check the orange variety when buying orange trees!

The one at the end of the garden has flowered before, only a handful of flowers at a time that seemingly never pollinated as fruit never appeared.

baby oranges

This year, however, both trees were absolutely covered in blossom, and now in May have loads of tiny green fruit.

Last year we had an abundancy of grapes, most of which were left to the wasps, but this year seems to be the year of the orange.

That is, assuming the tree shown here is in fact an orange tree.

Considering it has never fruited before, it could well turn out to be a mandarin or even another lemon tree.

Orange tree

Sad to say, my citrus fruit trees never get fed, although in their formative years I did supply then with some citrus fertilizer.

The soil here is rocky, hard, alkaline, free-draining although lacking earthworms. It desperately needs mulch added to moisten and protect plants from the hot sun.

My fruit trees are mostly planted in the north side of the house where they get protection from the sun at least part of the day.

I also have a plum tree and a loquat tree, each of which will be talked about in other posts.

Foxglove from Seed

2011-05-23T12:30:00.001+02:00

I love Foxgloves, especially the colorful garden varieties.

Two years ago, I scattered seed from the foxgloves in my dad's garden in Scotland over my Spanish garden, and was disappointed when none came up.

Foxglove among the Love-in-a-Mist, Costa Blanca, Spain

But hey, surprise, surprise, one has come up and is flowering beautifully this year.

It seems to be of a lower height than it's parents, but that could be growth stunt due to lack of rain during its dormancy period, or something.

Hopefully in future years I will have many more as foxgloves tend to self-seed profusely.

The Love-in-a-Mist is flowering wonderfully again.

Every year they spread and put on a superb display here in the land of a heat, sun, drought and poor alkaline soils.

Special Valentines Day Gifts for Her [del.icio.us]

2011-02-05T06:02:30-08:00

This Valentines Day, buy her some really special gifts that you have put some thought into. Show her how much you love her by buying her gifts she can use again and again. Drop some hints now to find out what it is she really wants and make it happen. Make Valentines Day really special for her this year.

Romantic Valentines Day Gift Ideas for Her [del.icio.us]

2011-02-05T05:30:44-08:00

Here are some romantic Valentines Day gift ideas for her needn’t cost a fortune. You don’t have to spend loads of dosh to prove your love for her. With a little thought, you can present her with the most adorable gifts that she will treasure forever.

Best Selling Romance Books [del.icio.us]

2011-01-09T12:02:59-08:00

Take some time out of your busy life to relax with a good book from the best selling list of romance books. Curl your feet up and settle back in your favorite armchair with a good old romance novel to help yourself relax and draw a second breath. Among the current best selling romance books are some real gems that you might have missed otherwise.

Top 10 Best Selling Cookbooks [del.icio.us]

2011-01-09T06:10:17-08:00

Have a leak at the top 10 best selling cookbooks. These books are the one that that the nation find most useful at any given time. There are so many new cookbooks hitting our shelves every day, it can be difficult to choose which ones will be of most use to you and your family.

Best Selling Breakfast Cereals [del.icio.us]

2011-01-08T13:04:41-08:00

The best selling breakfast cereals of today are kick-starting America. Get your day going with a swing with one of the top best selling breakfast cereal brands. Full of sunshiny goodness, your breakfast cereal is not only the most important meal of the day, it is the one that will boost your energy levels all morning helping you achieve great results, no matter what you do.

White Wicker Headboards [del.icio.us]

2011-01-08T13:03:13-08:00

Add a touch of class to your bedrooms with white wicker headboards. They add a young and fresh look while remaining timeless and classic. White wicker headboards can completely change how you view your bedroom. You’ll never want to leave.

Best Scottish Bagpipe Music [del.icio.us]

2011-01-07T15:19:30-08:00

If you are looking for music for a wedding or a funeral, then consider Scottish bagpipe music which has haunting music fit for any occasion. Even better if can hire your own piper, but in case you can’t, you can always buy bagpipe music to play over a public sound system. Nothing stirs the heart strings more than Scottish bagpipe music, especially among those of us descended from the celts.

Money for Living [del.icio.us]

2011-01-07T15:12:25-08:00

Money for living is what we are supposed to live on, but many of us are living outwith our means. Take stock today before it is too late. If you were to suddenly find yourself unable to work, could you make all the monthly payments you are committed to? Cut up those credit cards. Obtain debit cards instead that you can still use for shops and services but without getting into debt.

Growing Catnip Grass

2010-08-11T01:14:00.002+02:00

Nepeta cataria is the botanical name for catnip, the herb-like plant from the mint family that drives cats wild.
I bought a packet of seeds from the plant man in the market. The seeds say 'Hierba de Gato' which translates as cat grass, not cat herb as you might think it says.
It is clearly marked nepeta cataria which is the correct name for catnip, and the front of the packet shows a happy cat among a some greens.

However, down the bottom of the packet, underneath the growing instructions, is a seed composition box explaining that the seeds are 80% Lolium perenne Belida, and 20% Lolium perenne Verna, both of which are varieties of ryegrass.

What grew in my pots this year has a strong resemblance to grass and look nothing like the nettle-like plant I was expecting.

I have yet to trying letting my cat near it, as this grass is struggling to grow as it is.

I did read on another site that this is a common mix for cat grass which although they call it nepeta cataria in't strictly speaking the catnip we have come to know, but there is supposed to be some nepeta cataria in the mix, even though my particular seed packet isn't telling you about it.

The idea with cat grass is that you only sow a few seeds at a time, and offer the whole pot to your cat beside his food dish when it grows, on the assumption that he will eat all the grass (as well as his dinner presumably), and you then simply sow a few more seeds for the next time.

Now seeing as nepeta cataria is considered to be a brilliant insecticide, I can see the point of using such a seed mix to sow a lawn seeing as the plant is perennial and will keep regrowing.

In countries such as Spain the insects in the grass are enough to put you off having a lawn, that and the watering they require. A catnip grass lawn sounds like an ideal solution!

Biting Insect Identified!

2010-08-10T17:18:00.003+02:00

Thanks to Jan over at Mud, Gorse and Pines, I now know what the insect is that I am allergic to. It is called the mosca negra or in English, black fly.

The mosca negra is a recent introduction into Spain from Africa (10 - 15 years) and the two specific types that have been causing havoc are simulium intermedium and simulium ornatum.

In recent years, over 2000 people have been hospitalised due to suffering severe allergic reactions to the bite of the mosca negra in Catalunya alone.

Their breeding ground is in flowing clean water, unlike the mosquito which prefers stagnant water.
After the larvae have hatched, they can spread out as far as up to 50 kms from the site they were born. There is a river in this village which I have not inspected as in recent years it has been re-routed away from the mills they used to feed. However, it is safe to say that my house is not more than 2/3 kms from the river.

In Catalunya is the River Ebro which scientists have now treated with Bacillin Thuringiensis which grows to produce spores that attack and kill the larvae of the simulium.

The Black Fly

The black fly is 2-3 mm across, much smaller than the mosquito and when they bite they draw blood. It is not uncommon to suffer extreme inflammation in the area of the bite, as well as a tremendous itch which can be relieved with a costi-steroid topical application.

mosca negra

They are diurnal and bite during the day, and like the mosquito, it is only the female of the species who needs a blood host.

Their danger cannot be underestimated - a swarm of them killed a calf in Switzerland in 2005.

Bite Prevention

It is recommended to wear light coloured clothes with long sleeves if you suspect they may be in your area, and to wear an insect repellent. There is some suggestion that DEET-based sprays do not deter them, and that wearing permethrin-soaked clothes might be a better alternative.

From reading several Spanish websites and blogs, it seems that the Spanish insecticide Autun (which contains icaridine) works well, as does a product called "locion hydratante de Natural Honey" which is a Honey Hydrating Lotion.

In America

The black fly is known to live in the US and Canada too, where it is known under various names including buffalo gnat, turkey gnat or white socks. There are very many different species of black fly under the umbrella of the giant Simulium family. They are a serious problem because they spread disease.

The Blandford Fly in England is actually a black fly named Simulium posticatum and the New Zealand Sandfly is actually a black fly fom the Simulium family.

Olé!

2010-05-26T17:53:00.002+02:00

Thanks to the article I wrote over on Hubpages, BardofEly was able to point out to me that this is in fact, called fasciation.
Fasciation in plants is quite rare and its cause is unknown. It could be due to an insect attack at a crucial stage in growth but scientists as yet have not pinned down an exact cause. The other suspected causes are mite attack, bacterial infection, chemical or mechanical damage, or just cell damage caused by a mutant gene so it will get passed on through the species.

It will be interesting to see whether or not the seed of this plant will show the same strange and abnormal growth. I've added to few photgraphs of other plants showing FASCIATION so that you will recognise this strange growth should any of your plants develop it.
It is strange that 2 of my 4 echiums developed this. Hmm...could be something in the soil.

Kiwi plants

2010-05-16T01:07:00.003+02:00

Lasy year I grew a lot of baby kiwi plants, most of which were lost to either the frost or the dogs who took to playing with the plant pots, knocking the compost out, and seeing how far they could spread it, which was extremely unfortunate for the plant contained within.

However, the ones on the upstairs terrace survived as they had a certain level of protection - i.e. the dogs are not allowed to go there - and I'm including a photograph of them with their new leaves of Spring.

I have noticed that kiwi plants show red leaves when they are exposed to the elements and sun.

These are the babies that did not 'take off' last year, and so are stil very small at this stage. I have one or two that reached 12" or more, one still hasn't grown its new leaves but is still alive, and the other I planted next to a chain link fence in the garden, but which my other half pulled out because he thought it was a weed! Then he tells me that he knows nothing about plants! I am sick of telling him to LEAVE THE GARDEN ALONE! This is the same one that pulled the leeks out in the autumn and told me "Look, your onions didn't grow too well!"

Oh and if you are interesting in trying to grow kiwis from a shop bought fruit, check out my Growing Kiwis post.

Love-in-a-Mist, Nasturtiums and French Marigolds

2010-05-16T00:53:00.000+02:00

If you have a garden in Spain and are wondering what you could plant to brighten everything up, consider planting some seeds of Love-in-a-Mist, Nasturtiums and French Marigolds. I have a garden full of them as they happily self seed and seem to like the harsh conditions and poor soil.

In this picture you can see the Nasturtiums in the distance, the Marigolds then some Love-in-a-Mist intermixed in the foreground. Not the best picture I've ever taken but not bad for a phone camera!

Just for interest, it's been 4 years since I planted the Love-in-a-Mist, 2 years since I planted the Nasturtiums and I planted the Marigolds just over a year ago.

Echium Pininanas Growing Strangely

2010-05-16T00:36:00.001+02:00

We've had a pretty severe winter here on the Costa Blanca. Several times we had snow on the lower levels and one night the snow actually lay here! We had frost, and rain and cold winds, and now that summer is almost here not much has changed. This has been an especially wet year so far. Most days it seems, it either starts off cloudy and wet, or it ends cloudy and wet. And cold. We've had a few days of nice weather in between, but not much.
My biggest echium pininana got blown over in a winter storm, but it's still growing, but just have a LOOK at it. Look at its stem, which is normally circular, polar, perpendicular, round, just like any tree trunk or big plant trunk.

I have never seen anyting so strange in my life! Two of the echiums are like this, a third has gone into flower in only its second year, and its well less than three feet tall. My dad's grow to 15' or more.

Several of mine have elongated width-ways. They are not tall - maybe two to three feet, but look at the strange wiggly line on the top of this one. That is the shape of the stem! This is the one that fell over but it's being supported by the wall now.

It is strarting to flower too, I will take soe pics when it is in full flower because its going to look even stranger than it does now.

If anyone else has grown these plants out here in Spain, zone 10, please tell me if you have had similar results. They had plenty water all last year (read my other blog About Relleu to see the water bill I apparently ran up, just watering plants), but the soil here is poor and very alkaline. My dad grows nonsters echiums in his garden in south west Scotland, which I've worked out is a zone 9 as they only get light frosts and are permanently warmed by the Gulf Stream.

Insects and Especially BITING Insects

2010-05-08T11:50:00.003+02:00

It was two weeks ago today that I was badly bitten in the garden. I'd been out to plant some seeds - I know it's a bit late to be planting seeds, but honestly the weather has been atrocious this year - loads of really cold miserable days!

Anyway, it was sunny and I was planting seeds. I actually planted Ipomea - a nice multi-colored variety - and they've all come through already. Unfortunately the snails have eaten nearly all of them at the nice juicy two-leaf stage. Hmmm...

A stray seed fell on the back of my hand. Even at the time, I was wondering "How on Earth did that happen?"

Without another thought I brushed it off - and it bit me!!!

Now we all know seeds don't bite. This was an insect - small, black or dark in colour - about the same size as the seeds - and by the way these Ipomea seeds I've got a tiny - not like the usual bigger Morning Glory seeds. Before I'd left the house in the kitchen, I'd atempted to score the seeds with a knife as you do wtih Morning Glory, but I gave up. They were too small.

Immediately, blood welled up and out of the tiny wound which actaully hurt really badly too, so whatever bit had serrated teeth - ok I know little biting insects don;t have teeth - they have a proboscus which is a needle-like projection especially designed to insert under the skin of animals to suck blood.

Just Starting to Swell

A lot of small insects from the family diptera (this includes mosquitoes) suck blood. It is always the female who does it and Mother Nature built them that way - whether we like it or not -they need a special protein which is in blood in order to produce eggs.

Isn't nature wonderful? If God or whoever designed all creatures on Earth, why on Earth did these poor buggers get lumbered with this difficulty? Can you imagine if humans had to do the same thing? Might put an end to all those teenage pregnancies - just keep the girls away from the blood and they'll be fine :)

Anyhow, I digress.

I have some interesting photos of the wound as it started to swell. Did I mention that I get a really bad reaction from insect bites? Not a hospital emergency-type reaction like some people get with bees and wasps - but a horrible local skin reaction.

Can it Swell Any More?

That night I woke up scratching like mad. Mosquitoes bites are itchy but this one is ridiculous! Worse than the itch was the swelling which quickly spread from a localised area on the back of my hand, down to my fingertips, round the palm and all the way up my arm to my elbow.

And I didn't like the big red streaks that appeared on my skin on the inside of my arm just under the elbow.

That was on the Saturday/night. On the Sunday, I couldn't move my hand at all. I could wiggle my fingertips a little and that was it, so of course I couldn't get dressed. Patiently I waited all day for the swelling to start going down. I obviously couldn't type. One-handed only works until you need to capitalise a letter. Yeah I know I could use caps lock, then unlock it again, but no I can honestly say Sunday was a day of not writing online.

Can't Move it Now

I debated going to emergency care, especially as my fingers kept turning blue. It really felt like the blood supply had been cut off - my hand was so swolen and tight.

Chose not to, because I was convinced the swelling would start to go down at some stage, and that it was just a matter of waiting.

Oh and yes, if you ever find yourself in the same position as me, keep your hand raised as much as possible. The theory behind that is to try and drain off the fluid in the tissues. I did. And all that night, which was a long night as I couldn't sleep with one hand stuck in the air. The pain by this time was horrendous. It was painful/itchy, if you know what I mean. I couldn't stand anything to touch it, like the bed clothes, so sleeping wasn't really an option.

I also didn't feel too well.

Both hands for comparison. Couln't type :(

Monday morning saw me at thelocal doctor's surgery, where I got a steroid injection, a prescription for antihistamines, antibiotics and a steroid cream to soothe the itch,and a severe warning that the next time I get bitten to go straight for emergency care as it is obvious I have an allergy.

Despite that, it still took two days to start to subside, and now two weeks later I'm still getting headaches, which I suppose is a residual effect of whatever toxins the beastie injected into me.

In conclusion, always wear insect sprays like Autan if you are allergic to insect bites, while working in a Spanish garden.

Spring is just around the corner

2010-03-16T00:47:00.000+01:00

My, its been nearly 3 months since I've last posted. That means it has been 3 months since I've done anything remotely to do with gardening to post about.
Normally, I'd have all my seeds started off by now, but this has been a particularly cold winter, and I've not started anything off, because there was no warmth inside my house anymore than there was outside.
However the grass and the weeds are starting to grow again, and the daffodils are coming into flower. When I stop shivering I'll be able to cut grass and get some general tidying up done.

Weather

2009-12-25T04:41:00.001+01:00

Weather has been dreadful this past while, so I haven't done anything in the garden. Wish I had a greenhouse, then I could work away with my plants even though it's cold! Anyway, no greenhouse, no way am I working outside until the weather warms up again. I have loads of seeds to get planted, and cuttings to pot up, but I can't seem to get warm enough to go and sort them out.
The sad thing is, it's actually been warmer outside than it's been inside my house this past few days!

Storm

2009-12-15T21:21:00.000+01:00

I shouldn't have mentioned the 'no-rain' thing! Winter arrived with a vengeance yesterday. What a wild day it was! Sleet or snow, driven horizontaly inthe high winds, for hour and hours and hours. Course it seemed even longer when the powerfinally went off and stayed off. Thankfully we have a gas fire.

Today, damage-wise, the little cypress tree in the front garden is leaning at 45 degrees. The echium pininana is on it's side, and my lovely big cestrum nocturnum is at a precarious angle.
Upstairs on the terrace, I have lot a few palms that have been blown over and chucked out of their pots, but that should be repairable.

The little late tomato plants are OK. Well they are not dead yet, but the windchill factor yesterday must have been pretty unbearable for them, so I'll have to wait and see if they recover. Likewise the papaya. I'm sure tropical fruit would have hated the weather yesterday, and of course I didn't take them in for the winter.

Of course, it has to be said, that if they can't survive the odd freak weather day here, then they can't be grown here, except indoors. Need to find out which it is to be.

Slow gardening

2009-12-11T23:51:00.000+01:00

I really haven't kept this blog up to date much, but then again I haven't done much in the garden. I'm still having to water the plants, but once every 4-5 days is stopping them from dying now that the heat of the summer is gone. It has only rained ONCE since September, when we had more or less three weeks of rain.
The grass hasn't grown any, yet most years at this time, I have to cut it every two weeks or so. I transplanted some of the herbs in pots into the garden, but they are not doing much without rainwater; this time last year the were growing great and I was cutting down bunches to dry and store for the winter.
My solitary chili pepper plant is still producing, but I've discovered I don't actually like chili peppers and rarely have a use for them in the kitchen.
I planted 12 babies in the spring, that I grew in pots from seed.
That very first night,the snails ate three. the next night they ate another six. By the time I found a shop selling snail-killer, all but one were gone.

Hubnuggets Award

2009-12-10T20:41:00.000+01:00

This isn't anything to do with gardening, I just wanted to announce to the world that one of hubs over on Hubpages has been nominated for a Hubnugget Award, but I now need everyone to read it and all the other contenders and VOTE! There are 10 hubs in the running and one of them is mine, but of course you can vote for anyone you want to.
Scroll to the near the bottom of the Hubnuggets link above, mine in the one entitled West Coast of Kintyre, Scotland

Seeds

2009-12-04T01:29:00.001+01:00

Rubber Tree 'Cone' and seeds

I've been given some great seeds to try. How about the seeds from the rubber plant? I didn't even know they produced seed!
I've also collected a few seeds from the Jacaranda trees that grow in the nearby village. I'm ready to start them off too, plus seeds from pandorea jasminoides, which a neighbour gave me. I'm already seedlings from the pepper tree.
Fascinating stuff!

I've got a couple of baby pandorea seedlings which I will upload photos of soon.

The rubber tree and the Jacaranda seeds haven't germinated to date.

Autumn

2009-11-26T18:57:00.000+01:00

I'm sure there must be loads of things to do in the garden just now, but I'm not finding anything at all. The veg patch is turned, ready for new plantings. The compost heap continues to break down. The new replanted tomato plants continue to grow. And the grass has not needed cut since last time as there has been no rain since September.
I've only had to throw some water on the plant pots every other day.
I do have new seedlings coming up - two different types of tree, the names of which I can't remember, have young seedlings in pots, but they are still only at the first leaf stage.
I have some lovely Christmas cactus in flower, but the shortened daylight hours is sending almost everything else off to sleep for the Winter. Growth has slowed down, leaves have changed colour and dropped.
I've just obtained some seed pods from the Pandorea jasminoides climbing bush that grows over a neighbour's fence, and they will require planted soon.

New Compost Heap

2009-11-04T02:18:00.000+01:00

Making your own compost is so important here in Spain, because the soil is terrible. It's cloggy and lumpy and full and stones, and CAL which I think is limestone but I could be wrong. The water is full of CAL too. Really hard and horrible tasting - though the addition of chlorine may be responsible for the taste, I'm not too sure.

I've got little heaps going all over the garden, but there is never enough rain to break it down. My best success so far is the stuff I had in old household bins, with circulation holes drilled in the sides, and water added by hose every other day.

I did at first try digging holes in the ground, but it made it really hard work to get to later.

The other day, I nailed three wooden pallets together, lined them with cardboard, and put chicken wire and black plastic over the front area. I'm sure this is going to be a great composter, and it has loads more space than the bins ever did.

I've also got earthworms in the garden. Not many, and I'm not sure where they came from, but I'm hoping they will move into my new compost heap and multiply, because they are great for breaking up and improving soil, and their casts alone make great fertiliser.

Winter Tomatoes?

2009-11-04T02:12:00.000+01:00

I had started a new compost heap in an old palm tree tub. Then I threw some used compost on top of the remains from the kitchen, to stop the dogs getting to it. Then early September we got some rain, and next thing I knew I had melons and tomatoes growing in the tub. The other day, I lifted 6 of the tomato plants out and replanted them in a sheltered part of the garden. They seemed a bit big for transplanting, being at least 1 foot tall, and it is now early November which has just GOT to be too late for them. Or is it?
I'll let you know.....

Seed Tip

2009-10-12T16:43:00.002+02:00

I grow a lot of things from seed, and not just from shop-bought seed.
When I store unused seed, I store it in the vegetable box at the bottom of the fridge where it will keep forever it seems. Also, a lot of fresh seed prefer a period of 'coldness' before planting, imitating winter, after which I have learned that they grow much quicker than they would normally and the germination rate is higher.
So, don't throw out that unused seed, store it!

Zingiber officinale

2009-10-12T15:59:00.000+02:00

Ginger is also very easy to grow from shop bought produce. Simply plant a piece of it in compost in a large pot in a sheltered and shaded part of the garden, and in a few weeks you should be rewarded with the green tip of a new shoot coming up.

This area is subtropical and ginger is commercially grown in tropical areas which are not only hot and sunny, but wet.

Ginger needs a lot of water especially during its growing period.

Plant a shop bought rhizome with 'eyes' in early spring, and when the foliage dies down in autumn, dig the plant up and you have fresh ginger to dry and use during the following year.

Punica granatum

2009-10-12T15:40:00.002+02:00

Pomegranates grow in the wild locally, though I believe the fruit is pretty sour. They are easy to grow from seed which is obtainable through the fruit, simply rinse or suck off the juice surrounding the seed, dry for a few days, and plant in a pot filled with compost to the depth of the seed. Germination takes from a few days to a few weeks, just be patient and keep the soil moist (I find it easier to just bung the seeds into damp compost in a plastic bag, seal and keep in a light place but out of direct sunlight).
I have a LOT of plants now, because I was unaware of the phenonemol germination rate. It must be near 100%.
I have some I grew last year that are about 3 feet tall now. They grow into tall bushes but can be trained into single stemmed trees, although you will have to spent a lot of time removing all the suckers they throw up from around the base.
They are self fertile so one plant is enough for fruit.
Plants grown from seed do not grow 'true', so there is every chance the plant will not be like the parent. It may have inferior fruit. Or it may have superior fruit. If the latter is the case, they can then be propagated by cuttings.
Inferior fruiting varieties can be used as rootstock onto which a cutting from superior stock can be grafted.
The pomegranate is deciduous and can also be grown as an ornamental as it's leaves vary in colour from deep red to green, to yellow, changing as the age of the leaf changes. It has spikes so can be used as hedging to keep out unwanted intruders. Just trim it into shape. It is drought-tolerant, likes alkaline soil and most can tolerate light frost. Some have been known to survive temperatures of -10C.
My two year old pomegranates are throwing out their first flowers which are a very attractive deep orangey/red. I wonder why no-one told them the normal time of year to flower is early spring, not autumn!
Perhaps they are confused because they are not from local produce, their parent having been bought in Tesco.

Animals!

2009-10-06T15:03:00.000+02:00

Thanks dogs and cats! One of you has eaten and ripped up the one papaya plant that was growing directly in the garden. Of course, I really blame your male owner who obviously can't keep you under control when you enter the garden to shit everywhere.

More Grass

2009-10-06T14:50:00.001+02:00

Hmmm.. we've had rain for weeks and his excuse for not cutting the grass was that it was too wet. Now that it hasn't rained for a few days his excuse is wearing thin. Truth is, some of the grass has grown too long for the mower to cope with.
As you know, I got some of it under control one day but the incident with the centipede has well and truly put me off trying again. Everytime I do some work in the garden I have to spray all exposed skin with Autun or a similar insecticide, because there is some as yet unidentified insect that bites and causes an allergic reaction that lays me up for days.

Passiflora edulis

2009-09-26T19:04:00.000+02:00

Another seed I have been growing is those of the passion fruit.

Again, they are normally grown from seed, although they can be grown from cuttings (clones).

Passionfruit are self-pollinating climbers, fast-growing and have the most gorgeous flowers. A lot of them suffered from sunburn while in pots in the garden, but the one plant I put in the soil next to a chain link fence is looking really healthy and green.

The one in this photo is recovering from its sunburn in the safety of the house.

Read more about growing passionfruit