Re: Arillas herbs & spices

[angiem]

I bought some oregano last week and it actully said on the pack that it was Greek and smelt stronger then most, hope it grows like the pot Dimitris has outside imagen that lovely smell every morning as I go out and then as I get back  home. ove Viv

For that reminder of Arillas, you could also try fennel and mint which we've spotted growing wild around Arillas ( - best put the mint in a pot 'though 'cos it runs riot  otherwise!).
Also, living not far from you Viv, I have found that Camomile, Thyme, Lemon Balm, Angelica, and Rosemary do particularly well here 'up north' - and this coming from someone who can kill a pot plant from 30 paces, so if I can grow them, anyone can! . lol.

 ( I was going to put a smiley face in here, but they seem to have disappeared, I can't find them!!)

Angie

[M n M]

Angie, try this place for smiley faces,

http://www.easyfreesmileys.com/get-free-smiley-code/294.html

Mick.

[MaryH]

Hi Angie
I too live up north and I have grown , Rosemary, Lemon balm and I have an Olive tree that are all thriving in my garden. They are my bit of Arillas at home I just love the scent of the rosemary and Lemon balm.  My Olive tree is growing well, it's only a young tree and withstood the snow of this winter. I  had brought it in the house ,but to my horror a load of snails as well,  so back out it went!
Take Care
Mary

[angiem]

  My Olive tree is growing well, it's only a young tree and withstood the snow of this winter.

Glad to hear that, Mary, as I'm determined to get one myself soon. I planted a fig tree a few years ago which did quit well initially but then the sheep got at it and stripped all the leaves off it!! It seems to be 'coming back'  but it's taking a long time.
Did you need to put any protection 'round your Olive tree, or did you just leave it to cope on its own?

Angie

[angiem]

Angie, try this place for smiley faces,

http://www.easyfreesmileys.com/get-free-smiley-code/294.html

Mick.

Thanks for that Mick - but I've realised it was just me wearing my 'stupid hat'!!

Angie

[justphil]

Angie, you don't have a stupid hat. Part of Corfu is their special blend of herbs and spices. Cinnamon figures a lot but local oregano, mint, wild greens, wild thyme, fennel.... ah the taste of Corfu. Ask Roula who cooks all the fabulous authentic food at Brouklis. Can you wonder why we are staying there in July? We are so glad Dimitris had space for us (and in his heart.) I will put on a whole stone in two weeks... And try Roula's galactboureko. We will be having it for breakfast! (get yer skates on Roula luvver - you have both TerryW and me to eat it in July...)

Just love the way you all grow herbs and olives. Jen and me are death to most plants. Even if we try they die off... but I adore local homegrown vegetables and herbs. My fingers are definitely not green - plants react to me like some do here - what a w****r. But I just love the healthy and tasty food I eat in Arillas. I applaud yous all growing olives and herbs here in UK, But me - I want to eat the real thing out there.

Phil

[MaryH]

Hi Angie
I didn't put protection round my Olive Tree, as the guidence that came with it stated it could withstand frosts, mind mine has withstood the snow, and is looking healthy and started to get some new leaves but  I  think next year I'll get one of those protectors for plants and put it round it and see if it will do even better. Aww those sheep must have loved your poor fig tree.  If you  have an Aldi nearby I noticed they now have Standard Olive Trees in. I got mine from a gardening catalogue called Crocus and  they delivered it complete with a little bag of manure. My poor neighbour who took it in, must have wondered why I was buying such a smelly parcel  and it came in a box that was the height of it. I'm now finding now I need to water it a lot and I've started giving it some miracle grow.
Not quite like seeing the  plants and herbs in the real Arillas, but a lovely reminder of a wonderfull place

Take Care
Mary

[vivian]

Thanks for that info folks. Will try all the herbs soon. Glad to report that our olive tree and the bottle brush have done eally well and the fig looks like it might revive, mind you the shepp didnt get ours. lol Viv

[martin-w]

Hi All!
My fig, olive, two lemon trees, two orange trees and Kiwi vines have all got through the winter and are looking good at the moment! Getting towards my goal of a 'Greek' style patio by the end of this year. Lemons are 'EURICA' and good to minus 10C. the oranges are 'Navelina' which supposed to be OK to minus 15C! My fig is a Brown Turkish and now five years old, the olive was from Lidl and is just a 'Mediterranean' variety. The Kiwi vines are frost hardy, I have them on a south facing wall, they originate from China where snow and frosts are about the same as the U.K. This year I have bought three Golji berry plants, also from China they are easy to grow and frost hardy.
Viv, I got some of that 'Greek' Origano too! added it to my herb garden, seems to be very aromatic.
Yammas,
Martin.

[Eileen]

Martin that's some collection you're gathering, the patio is sure to look lovely!  I'd love to see a photo.

Eileen.

[MaryH]

Martin
I agree with Eileen , I'd love to see a photo of your fruits and herbs  of the world patio and garden, you sound like you know how to care for your plants.  Vivien you reminded me I've  started growing some bottle brush plants from seed, they are now on my window sill and are about 2 inches high. Apparantly when they get about an inch bigger the need to be separated into separate pots and then put into a green house to aclimatise to the outside. So I really hope they turn out as they are a stunning plant. I always thought they were native to the Mediterranean, but the info on the packet says they are originate from Australia. I'm loving this thread as it's interesting to see that we are all having a little piece of Arillas in  our gardens.
Take Care
Mary

[martin-w]

Mary and Eileen,
My patio 'development' has now got to the stage where I have now got established plants, most in large containers on a typical 'back garden' layout. This year I have to do all the really hard work and re-lay lawns/paving to the 'Greek' layout. I have now got ideas having lived with the plants for a while as to how it should finally look. Photos will follow as the work progresses (I hope). My two sons have said they will give me a hand! I have always enjoyed gardening, and I owe most of my knowledge to my grandfather and my dad, who also were great garden fans. In Arillas this May, I will be looking for a 'model' garden to base my final design on, so the camera will be doing overtime again!
Good luck Mary with the bottle brush plants, I always thought they were Mediterranean. As with all plants, the potting compost is of the utmost importance when separating and potting on. My lemons and oranges are lime hating and have to be planted in an acid compost. Hardening off the 'baby' bottle brush plants should become easier now the weather is improving, as long as they are not left out after dark, when the temperature drops.
Yammas,
Martin.

[martin-w]

Just found this Mary,
Bottlebrush

Bottlebrush - Callistemon citrinus Splendens - bears its magnificent red flowers in early summer. It gets its name, of course, from the appearance of these flowers.

The plant hails from Australia, where it thrives in the more temperate / moist parts of the east coast and the south west of the country. It was introduced to Kew Gardens in the UK in 1789.

In its native environment some species of the plant can grow to 15 metres. The plant here more commonly reaches 4 - 8 metres.

The bottlebrush prefers full sun, and moist (lime-free) soil - watering is usually needed during the summer. It also needs frost protection during the winter.

Alternatively the bottlebrush works well as a large container plant.

Bottlebrush - Callistemon citrinus Splendens

As I thought, it needs the same conditions as my citrus trees. Ericacious compost, and water with rain water rather than tap water to avoid the dissolved lime. The same fertiliser as sold for Rhododendrons should be OK as they are also lime hating. Growing them in containers like I have done with my fruit trees also makes the variation in soil types more manageable. A fleece cover can also be placed over the plants when frost is expected.
Hope this helps,
Martin.

[MaryH]

Martin
Thankyou very much for the information on bottlebrush plants.  I will now look after them differently to how I was going to and will collect rainwater for them.  I will plant them on in containers. I only hope  they can survive a north east winter, but I guess I'll have to keep some of them in the house. I've bought a couple of those mini green houses, one of them is nearly two metres high so that will be my bottle brush -Callistemon citrinus Splendens   home. I have got a kumquat tree that I have had for five years and bears fruit every year although not last year , due to my over zealous pruning the year before! But I've had one orange this year and I do put that out in the Summer. I'm going to save your post in  my gardening folder on my computer as it will be a good reference.  My mother was pasionate about gardening and I am too sharing her love of growing plants. It's brilliant, nutruring something from a tiny seedling.
Once Again thanks
Take Care
Mary

[vivian]

OO Mary, I dont know how but I forgot about my Kumquat tree, it looks really healthy but has not borne fruit yet, how old do they have to be?.
I have 2 bottle brush's plants one is planted in the back garden and has survived the winter out, and the other has been in a pot in the greenhouse and there isnt much between the growth they have had. The wind up here on top of one of the highist hills in West Yorkshire is fiece but dosent seem to do any harm. Bobby (Bardis) told me that the easiest way to kill them is to let the roots get waterloged, which I thought they would in the winter but havent so I am really chufted.
Martin I cant wait to see the photo's my camera will be working over time again for the same 2 weeks in May as yours. Viv