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News about gardening, exotic plants, strange plants…

Subtropical Climate

Canarius | Tuesday May 11th, 2010 |
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Subtropical climates are non tropical climates with cool winters with little or no frosts. In subtropical climates, Winter is a noticeably cooler season. It is relatively warm, but never as hot as the summer season. These climates rarely, if ever, see frost or snow. Subtropical belts exist in both hemispheres and they are located just North and South of the tropics.

Rainfall patterns vary widely throughout the subtropics including hot deserts, savannas, monsoon forests, humid forests and the warmer parts of the Mediterranean climate zone. Subtropical regions include:

Typical House in Tenerife, with a Subtropical Kentia Palm and Potted Cacti

Northern Hemisphere: California, Texas, Florida, Canary Islands and Madeira, parts of the Mediterranean, northern India, southeast China, Southern Japan

Southern Hemisphere:  So. Brazil, N. Argentina, Parts of Chile, Uruguay, large parts of Australia and coastal South Africa (Mostly Natal)

Subtropical Climate in Europe

Europe has some Subtropical spots too in warmer, coastal areas within the mediterranean climate area. The climate in the Southern Mediterranean, with little or no frost , can be defined as Subtropical climate. This is the case of the coastal areas of Southern Portugal (Algarve), Southern Spain (Andalucia, Almeria, Murcia), Southern Italy (Sicilia, Calabria) and Southern Greece. Even cooler Subtropical areas can be found in Southern France (Cote d’Azur). Warmer spots are also found in the United Kingdom, precisely in the Isles of Scilly with 6 °C (42.8 °F) average in the coldest month. Of course there is a lot of difference between the Isles of Scilly and a typically hot subtropical climate like Florida. The English islands have a cooler, even climate reminiscent of the mountain climate in the warmer Subtropics.

The Canary Islands are located in the Subtropical belt too, very close to the tropics. The climate is frost-free on the coast, but it less hot than in many Subtropical areas because of the trade winds and the cold ocean. The Canaries are the only territory of Europe located straight into the subtropical belt.  Even here we do not have a typical subtropical climate, because our climate is also Mediterranean, because of the rainfall pattern and also Oceanic, because of the cooling effect of the sea.

Fruiting papaya in the Canary Islands

Exotic Gardens and Crops in Subtropical Climates

Many tropical species will tolerate the winter in the Subtropics and will grow outdoors. More than 500 palm species can live in Subtropical areas with little or no frost, exotic flowers such as Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia) or (Heliconia) and many Cycad species. The beautiful Bromeliad Family is a must in any garden. Hundreds of species of Succulent Plants from dry areas can grow and bloom as long as they are kept dry in winter. The dry subtropics include many of the world desert, so here is where most desert gardens are developed. Also the tropical succulent species will do fine, like Melocactus or Adenium and Pachypodium if kept well drained. Palm-like desert plants, such as Yucca and Dasylirion, thrive to perfection.

Melocactus conoideus grows outdoors on the Subtropical coast of Tenerife

Fully tropical species can grow in the Subtropics. They may slow down or stop in winter but most will grow reasonably well. Many tropical fruit trees grow freely. Mango, Papaya, Sugar Cane and Avocados are produced commercially in various subtropical regions of the world. Occasional frosts or short summers limit the spread of tropical horticulture in the Subtropics.

A blue leaved Cycad from the subtropical coast of South Africa, Encephalartos arenarius.

An impressive number of Palms and Cycads is kept by collectors. Many tropical flowers will winter outdoors. Bromeliads can be used freely as garden plants, as well as Heliconias. In lower latitudes, Cacti and Succulents are simply part of the landscape. Different species of Agave, mostly from Mexico, grow wild on the hillsides of Mediterranean Europe and Aloes flourish in pots and gardens. Large specimens will often enhance the garden of the villa, in the ground or in large pots. Southern Spain and Portugal are even sunnier, almost as Northern Africa so Cuban Royal Palms (Roystonea regia) and Royal Poincianas (Delonix regia) thrive in many coastal location, papayas will fruit with little effort.

With some protection and some effort you can grow subtropical plants in colder climates. Visit our blog section about Tropical Gardening in Northern Climates.

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Come to our shop and buy the best subtropical plants of all kinds. We ship to anywhere in Europe.

Neoregelia chlorosticta blooming with yellow and red leaves

Fabulous colours on the bromeliad Neoregelia chlorosticta, blooming with yellow and red leaves

Jardín Félix – A private home garden in the mountains of Tenerife

Canarius | Friday April 30th, 2010 |
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This garden is named Jardín Félix was started on a plot of wasteland in Igueste, a village in the Anaga mountains in Tenerife. Created by Phil Inkelberghe in 2005-2006 and wonderfully maintained by Thierry Jacoby.

The video shows how the garden was started from abandoned land, invaded by wild Opuntia cactus. Stone walls and rockeries were built and now a beautiful garden flourishes. There are palms, succulent plants, tropical fruit trees, and native canarian species.

Some plant species shown in this video of this home garden in the Canary Islands:

  • Euphorbia
  • Yucca
  • Aeonium
  • Kleinia nerifolia
  • Phoenix canariensis (Canary Island
  • Aloe vera in bloom
  • Monadenium
  • Aloe ferox
  • Coccoloba uvifera (Seagrape)
  • Musa (Banana)
  • Mangifera (Mango)
  • Dracaena draco

Parque Botánico Maspalomas en Gran Canaria

Canarius | Tuesday February 16th, 2010 |
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Parque Botánico Maspalomas en Gran Canaria

Nice botanical park of 12.000 m2, located Maspalomas, right at the bottom of the hill which takes you to Playa del Ingles, at the end of the golf area. It is open from 10:00-18:00h except from Sundays and holidays. There is no entrance fee.

Jardin Botanico Puerto de la Cruz en Tenerife

Canarius | Thursday February 11th, 2010 |
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Jardin Botanico Puerto de la Cruz en Tenerife

Still pictures of the Botanical Gardens in Puerto de la Cruz (Tenerife), with lots of close ups of exotic species. It is the oldest botanical garden in the archipelago, known all over the world for its beauty and diversity.

CITES Species

Canarius | Tuesday January 5th, 2010 |
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C.I.T.E.S. is the “Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora”; an international agreement between governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. Living pandas, elephant tusks and rare orchids are all under this shield with many more species. Widespread information nowadays about the endangered status of many prominent species, such as the tiger and elephants, might make the need for such a convention seem obvious. But at the time when the ideas for CITES were first formed, in the 1960s, international discussion of the regulation of wildlife trade for conservation purposes was something relatively new. Many years have passed and illegal trade goes on. Europe has a flourishing black market and sudden inspections of producers, traders and collectors increased. The list of protected species is regularly revised every few years and you can find the latest on the CITES page of your government.

Encephalartos arenarius

Encephalartos arenarius is one of the many cycads protected by CITES I

Canarius at times offers plant species protected by CITES, in our sections of Cycads and Succulent Plants. These are all legal specimens, reproduced sustainably, with official papers available.

Our Nurseries

Canarius | Tuesday January 5th, 2010 |
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Our plants are produced in certified nurseries located on the island of Tenerife, in the Canary Islands. We enjoy an even subtropical climate, where nurseries are not heated and the use of chemicals is kept to a minimum. Cacti and succulents are chiefly grown in full sun, while other plants are produced under shade cloths. The winter in the Canary Islands is much cooler than in the tropics, so we can grow robust plants, better adapted to  live  in Northern latitudes.

Agave shoji-rajin

Agave shoji-rajin grown in clean volcanic cinder

  • We sprout our seeds and we root our cuttings. We don’t import and re-sell plants. Our plants have no stress from a past importation from a remote county with a different climate.
  • We are not in a tropical climate.  Plants like cacti and cycads will stop in winter and grow in the right way thanks to this rest.
  • We use no greenhouses, except for seed sprouting and rooting.
  • Our plants are grown from cultivated stock, never collected in habitat.
  • Propagating material are obtained from reliable sources, chiefly from a number of mother plants existing on the island.
  • Our Fruit trees belong to selected cultivars and most of them are hand-grafted trees, one by one over the stronger rootstocks.
  • Our plants are all LEGAL. Protected species are started from seeds with official CITES papers.
Grafting mango trees of different varieties

Grafting mango trees of different varieties

What to do when you get the box?

Canarius | Tuesday January 5th, 2010 |
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You bought some unique plants from Canarius. The box took some days to reach you and all plants now need attention. Some are potted, some are bare rooted.

Here is a list of tips you might want to follow when you get your package, in order to give them the right care.

1) Unpack the box

Plants should be unpacked as soon as possible. Carefully unfold all wrappings. Some are potted, some are bare-root and different species can be differently wrapped. Be sure to keep each plant with its label. Please recycle the packing material and the box.

2) Expose them to light

Mangifera indica

Mango trees in tall pots

Put all plants standing upright and expose them to light. Avoid direct sunlight for a few days, because they have been in total darkness for a while. Potted plants will often need some water. Bromeliads will need some water within the funnel. Consider where to place your plants: if it is spring or summer, outdoor conditions will be the best. During the colder months, the house, greenhouse or conservatory might be a better choice.

3) Planting and transplanting to pots or larger pots

- POTTED PLANTS -

Archontophoenix cunningamiana

Young potted Archontophoenix palm

Our palms, cycads, yuccas, fruit trees and others are grown in small pots to reduce shipping costs and handling problems. You will need to transplant them to larger pots shortly after you receive the package, within a few weeks. You will often need to double the original pot size. A palm received in a 12 cm pot needs a 24 cm pot, etc. Canarius will ship only the strongest seedlings, with strong roots ready to occupy new soil. Most species will enjoy a layer of bottom drainage. Some of our plants are large enough to be planted directly in the ground, if your climate is good for them. This is the case of larger palms and cycads, and most of out fruit trees, which are grown in tall pots.

- BARE ROOT PLANTS -

Bare root Cacti and Succulents

Echinopsis aurea

Echinopsis aurea on the packing desk

There is no rush to plant them. Most succulent plants can wait for weeks or even months, bare-rooted, until weather warms up. Planting should be done when temperatures are warm enough. Pot size suggested is usually 1,5 times the size of the plant. Succulents should not be watered until 3 or more days after planting. If you are going to plant out hardy species in the garden, chose spring or early summer, so they will have a long growing season ahead.

Bare root Bromeliads and Heliconias

Aechmea nudicaulis

Bare root bromeliad pups ready for packing

They need to be planted as soon as possible. Bromeliads are shipped as bare root pups. Pups should be planted by lightly burying the base in the pot just 1-3 cm. Pups are often heavy and sometimes will need to be staked in order to stay in place and permit rooting. The center of each plant (funnel) must be filled with water.

Heliconias are sent as rhizomes. They are large, field-grown rhizomeswith at least two active growing points. Plant them out in large, shallow pots with good drainage, about 30 cm wide, or directly in the garden.

4) Planting outdoors in the garden: Tropical plants and cold winters

If you are growing tropical plants in northern climates, please be careful. Young plants are often less resistant to cold than adults. An adult hardy plant can take -20 C, but a young plant of the same variety should not stay outdoors in January during a storm. If you are purchasing young plants that are “marginal” in your climate, protect them in winter during a few years. Even if you are going to plant out fully hardy species in the garden, chose spring or early summer, so they will have a long growing season ahead.

5) Learn more about their needs, write back and enjoy

Be prepared to give them the best. Learn as much as you can about the plants you purchased. Different growers suggest different growing conditions. Some people prefer clay or plastic pots, different soil mixes Some of them can take snow, some can live indoors or in pots, and some are very tropical and tender and do need a greenhouse. Canarius offers a blog with abundant information. Check our pages about Tropical Gardening up North . Browse plant-related websites to find more information about the plants you are growing.

Plants are living beings – be responsible.

Ravenala madagascariensis

Many Ravenala plants ready to be shipped

Mediterranean Climate

Canarius | Tuesday January 5th, 2010 |
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Mediterranean climate is characterized by hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. This climate is found in the Mediterranean Basin, as well as in SW California, SW Australia, SW South Africa and Central Chile. All share the same rainfall pattern with a peak in the cooler season.

The Mediterranean Basin, between Southern Europe and Northern Africa is surely the best example of a typical mediterranean climate. There is a big termical difference between the North and the South. Northern latitudes are much cooler. Southern France is the Northernmost extension of the Mediterranean. It is not as hot as other areas but there is a very good climate, because of the protection of the Alps, that block the cold fronts from the North and keeps the cimate very Mediterranean. In the lower latitudes, on the Northern African coast, winters are much shorter and sunnier while frost is absent or very uncommon.

Exotic Gardens and Crops in Mediterranean Climates

Many subtropical species grow outdoors with minimal effort in coastal gardens of Mediterranean countries, in Southern Europe and Northern Africa. More than 50 palm species can take regular light frosts, exotic flowers such as Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia) and many Cycad species. Hundred of species of Cacti and Succulents can grow and bloom as long as they are kept dry in winter. Palm-like desert plants, such as Yucca and Dasylirion, thrive to perfection. Some tropical fruit trees can produce outdoors, such as avocado (Persea) and Feijoa sellowiana. Occasional frosts limit the spread of tropical horticulture in the Northern side of the Mediterranean Basin.

Aloe arborescens

Aloes from South Africa are used as garden plants in Mediterranean Climates

A warmer Mediterranean climate is found in the Southern Mediterranean, where winters are shorter and sunnier and frosts seldom occur. Some writers state these are Subtropical climates. Even some fully tropical species can grow in the better, warmer spots of Southern Spain and Portugal, the Balearic Islands, Sardinia and Sicily, the Greek Islands and the whole coast of Northern Africa have eccelent climates to grow exotics. Tropical fruits grow freely, as Mango, Annona and Avocado are produced commercially in various regions.

Persea Hass Cut

Avocado fruits regularly in many coastal areas

An impressive number of Palms and Cycads is kept by collectors. Many tropical flowers will winter outdoors. Bromeliads and Plumeria hybrids can be used freely as garden plants and Plumeria is the official flower of the city of Palermo, in Sicily. In lower latitudes, Cacti and Succulents are simply part of the landscape. Different species of Agave, mostly from Mexico, grow wild on the hillsides of Mediterranean Europe and Aloes flourish in pots and gardens. Large specimens will often enhance the garden of the villa, in the ground or in large pots. Southern Spain and Portugal are even sunnier, almost as Northern Africa so Cuban Royal Palms (Roystonea regia) and Royal Poincianas (Delonix regia) thrive in many coastal location, papayas will fruit with little effort.

Agave attenuata

Mexican Agaves thrive in Mediterranean Climates. These Agave attenuata are grown in Tenerife as ornamental plants.