A Bit Of The Tropics In The UK (climate, snow, warm)

[tom77falcons]

The Scilly Isles are amazing if you think about the latitude and what can be grown there. Also, very interesting is the lack of any real cold air and that latitude, and the power of the gulfstream to alter the climate so much. Their coldest low so far this year (41F),according to the other thread, rivals Florida and California.

I was reading about Tresco Island (Scilly Isles) and the Abbey Gardens.

It even looks tropical as I'm sure it is lush green all winter:




And they grow plants there that will now start flowering in December and bloom all winter. They are true tropical plants from Columbia, Brazil, etc.

Here is the winter garden blog from December 2011: Under Gaia’s gaze – View of the Abbey Garden by Brenda Bracken

And here a couple of the plants blooming:

[flamingGalah!]

Yes the Scilly Isles are the mildest part of the UK, though even they are not totally frost free & do on the rare occassion get snow too. Most winters will be frost free but over the last few cold winters in the UK temperatures dropped to around -1C/30F there & during the record breaking cold winter of 1987 temperatures dropped to -7C/19F. That winter killed Norfolk Island Pine's & mature palms that were over 100 years old (as well as many other tender plants). Many palms did survive however, including Phoenix canariensis, Butia capitata, Jubaea chinensis & Washingtonia robusta, as well as self seeded Rhopalostylis sapida (the mature ones were killed) which are now of trunking size once again...

Summers are not what I would call warm there though

[Joe90]

Looks very nice - a good spot for some diving perhaps?

The Brugmansia looks similar to Datura. Probably not too many junkies on The Scilly Isles, to be ripping off plants though.

Banana Passionfruit is a major pest here and the fruit isn't as tasty as Black Passionfruit. Pretty flowers though.

It would be a great place to visit some time.

[P London]

I bet it doesn't feel all that warm in that picture with the onshore seabreezes.

Maybe it's just me but that picture looks like a caribbean island lost in the North Atlantic!

[Mac15]

The water gives the illusion that it is warm. It is like that here off the North Coast in the summer and the water temperature is no more than 14c!

[P London]

That's the effect of the gulf stream for you.

[SophieLL]

Nice place and comfortable temps, but hardly tropical

[tom77falcons]

Originally Posted by SophieLL

Nice place and comfortable temps, but hardly tropical

You are correct, not tropical, but notice the tropical plants that grow there.
I'm amazed at the temps vs the latitude of the place.
The Gulf Stream is very powerful as a warm current.

[SophieLL]

Originally Posted by tom77falcons

You are correct, not tropical, but notice the tropical plants that grow there.
I'm amazed at the temps vs the latitude of the place.
The Gulf Stream is very powerful as a warm current.

Yeah, those plants are amazing!
and you are right about the gulf stream

[P London]

Those pictures kinda makes me sick in a weird way. It really looks like someone has just picked up a subtropical island maybe from the azores and dumped it in the southwest of England.

Thank god the whole of great britain doesn't look like that because i'd definately be sickened!