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We have monkey puzzle trees in Vancouver too but they aren't the same species as Norfolk Island Pine. Norfolk Island Pine are a lot more tender than Monkey Puzzle trees. However I think you're right that Norfolk Island Pines do grow on Tresco Gardens in the Isles of Scilly. They are too tender for most other areas of the UK and Vancouver though.
Monkey Puzzle trees are certainly not native trees, I think they're Southern hemisphere trees, seems the monkey puzzle trees around here are probably not the same thing as Norfolk Pines exactly then?? Gardens like Tresco or Helligan etc grow flora that isn't native, including citrus trees and bananas etc. Apparently many years ago before gardening was a 'thing' palm seeds from the Caribbean would sometimes travel the Gulf stream and wash ashore on Irish and English coasts and germinate into early palms - a little bit 'native' to the British Isles perhaps! :-D.
Yes and no - NZ certainly has more oceanic moderation, being 1200 miles from the nearest major landmass, but it also has a greater range of extreme temperatures (-26C/43C) compared to the UK (-27C/39C). It has more climates with colder average monthly winter minimums (down to -4C), more climates with warmer summer average maximums (up to 26C), sea level locations with average sub freezing minimums (which the UK lacks), and more places with a greater range between average winter minimums and average summer maximums - even my mild beachside climate has a greater range between the winter min/summer max, than any weather station in the UK, so the idea of being more oceanic isn't as straightforward, as just having less seasonal range .... although NZ also has climates with a greater seasonal range than any in the UK.
Avocados do benefit from higher sunshine and higher average/record lows, but the temperature throughout the rest of the year also play a role - using Easthome's Eastbourne example of somewhere regarded as having subtropical flora, it's record minimum is only 1.5C colder than my climate, it's average winter minimum is 2.5C warmer than my climate, yet it's May maximum is actually colder than my May maximum, so even if avocado trees grow there, it's doubtful that they would ever produce much in the way of fruit with such a long chilly winter and very slow warm up in spring. But I'm just using avos as an easy example that Easty can relate to - there are so many species in a similar category that Easty would likely be unaware of, so I'm just keeping it simple.
Norfolk pines are an easy grow here, and can be seen as far south as Dunedin. Also in the same family are Bunya Bunya and Hoop pines which are reasonably common, with Monkey Puzzle being the uncommon one - it's actually a cold hardy tree and can be seen dotting the slopes at Chilean ski resorts.
There is plenty of sub-tropical plants in Eastbourne, palms and flowers (I'm afraid I don't know what they're called) but yes I agree I don't think advocados or citrus are there (I've never noticed them anyway). There are citrus fruit trees and bananas grown in Cornish gardens, I don't think they are very commercially viable though! They're obviously NOT native and I admit I doubt the climate is exactly ideal for them.
Avocado trees growing in London produce a decent crop most years. I don't see why they couldn't also produce fruit if they were growing in Eastbourne, with milder winters and sunnier summers.
Avocado trees growing in London produce a decent crop most years. I don't see why they couldn't also produce fruit if they were growing in Eastbourne, with milder winters and sunnier summers
I doubt Eastbourne has a milder winter than the urban microclimate of the tree in this photo. I would say Eastbourne has no chance of producing avocados - while they are reasonably tough trees ( they grow in Invercargill with little trouble) they aren't going to produce fruit in a sea side climate where the maximums are below 16C for 8 months of the year like Eastbourne has.
Quote:
Originally Posted by easthome
There is plenty of sub-tropical plants in Eastbourne, palms and flowers (I'm afraid I don't know what they're called) but yes I agree I don't think advocados or citrus are there (I've never noticed them anyway). There are citrus fruit trees and bananas grown in Cornish gardens, I don't think they are very commercially viable though! They're obviously NOT native and I admit I doubt the climate is exactly ideal for them.
Not really imo. While i've seen plenty of photos of bananas and citrus trees in places like Cornwall, on various gardening/subtropical forums, they are pretty much always protected or even supplied with heat. Citrus are very easy to grow and produce a lot of fruit from a young age if in the right climate, and the impression I get of UK citrus and bananas, is that with a lot of work and effort, they might occasionally fruit if all others factors are right - that's not growing plants , but nursing plants along.
I know that there is subtropical plants in Eastbourne and even Edinburgh can support some species. My issue is the implication that Vancouver, the UK and NZ are much the same in their ability to support subtropical flora - this just isn't true at all, with a huge difference of what can be grown and levels of growth in introduced species, and particularly with native species/ecosystems which are fundamentally different in NZ compared to the UK or BC.
I doubt Eastbourne has a milder winter than the urban microclimate of the tree in this photo. I would say Eastbourne has no chance of producing avocados - while they are reasonably tough trees ( they grow in Invercargill with little trouble) they aren't going to produce fruit in a sea side climate where the maximums are below 16C for 8 months of the year like Eastbourne has.
Not really imo. While i've seen plenty of photos of bananas and citrus trees in places like Cornwall, on various gardening/subtropical forums, they are pretty much always protected or even supplied with heat. Citrus are very easy to grow and produce a lot of fruit from a young age if in the right climate, and the impression I get of UK citrus and bananas, is that with a lot of work and effort, they might occasionally fruit if all others factors are right - that's not growing plants , but nursing plants along.
I know that there is subtropical plants in Eastbourne and even Edinburgh can support some species. My issue is the implication that Vancouver, the UK and NZ are much the same in their ability to support subtropical flora - this just isn't true at all, with a huge difference of what can be grown and levels of growth in introduced species, and particularly with native species/ecosystems which are fundamentally different in NZ compared to the UK or BC.
They are not protected or supplied with heat, B87 has shown us that it looks like advocados are happy to grow and fruit in London, Over a year London is not the warmest part of the UK, that position goes to the SW, as places like Helligan and Tresco have shown just because they're not native to this part of the world doesn't mean that they can't be grown.
They are not protected or supplied with heat, B87 has shown us that it looks like advocados are happy to grow and fruit in London, Over a year London is not the warmest part of the UK, that position goes to the SW, as places like Helligan and Tresco have shown just because they're not native to this part of the world doesn't mean that they can't be grown.
Nope, it just shows that avocados can grow and fruit in London in the microclimate provided by an abundance of pavement and brick clad buildings. Show me avocados fruiting out in open paddocks, and that would be different. Pineapples will grow here up against a house, but I wouldn't really say they grow here, as they're unlikely to survive if I'm just plant them out in the open.
Citrus or bananas grown in Cornwall typically are protected during cold spells, and/or supplied with heat - I've spent a fair bit of time on UK garden forums, so am well aware of this.
I know that some subtropical plants can be grown in almost all of the UK, but that doesn't make it comparable to NZ for suitability of subtropical vegetation
Nope, it just shows that avocados can grow and fruit in London in the microclimate provided by an abundance of pavement and brick clad buildings. Show me avocados fruiting out in open paddocks, and that would be different. Pineapples will grow here up against a house, but I wouldn't really say they grow here, as they're unlikely to survive if I'm just plant them out in the open.
Citrus or bananas grown in Cornwall typically are protected during cold spells, and/or supplied with heat - I've spent a fair bit of time on UK garden forums, so am well aware of this.
I know that some subtropical plants can be grown in almost all of the UK, but that doesn't make it comparable to NZ for suitability of subtropical vegetation
Yes B87 has shown us that advocado trees are happy to grow and fruit in London. You do understand that theyre NOT native trees, Advocados are from the new world no? whereever they are planted in the UK or New Zealand they are put there by man. Obviously advocado trees are planted in peoples gardens yes? There is nothing to suggest that the climate of Wellington is any better suited to the climate of London or Plymouth or Southampton or Eastbourne for sub-tropical fauna, the climates are FAR too similar.
Yes B87 has shown us that advocado trees are happy to grow and fruit in London. You do understand that theyre NOT native trees, Advocados are from the new world no? whereever they are planted in the UK or New Zealand they are put there by man. Obviously advocado trees are planted in peoples gardens yes? There is nothing to suggest that the climate of Wellington is any better suited to the climate of London or Plymouth or Southampton or Eastbourne for sub-tropical fauna, the climates are FAR too similar.
Back to your silliness I see.
Yes, I do understand avocados aren't native to the UK or NZ - what's your point?
Wellington is very much better suited to avocados than London or Southampton, that's why there are orchards of them.
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