Snow and Rainforests!

What a week! Snow everyday, frost every night, country's running out of grit - and England is still populated with almost 70 million people! OK, this Winter has been pretty harsh and unusual compared to the slightly milder Winter's of the past decade or two that we've been getting used to, but I'm still determined to move away to somewhere warm later in life - and it's especially at this time of year that I crave those places most!!! While I must admit, waking up to have views like these just down the road, and getting two days off, is very nice, I'd much rather be sat by the poolside surrounded by my own piece of tropical paradise year round without having a glass roof over my head!Although we did have a rather nice sunset last night - not a patch compared to those to be had in warmer places of course, but pretty good for this time of year;Anyway, did I mention I loved warm places? Well I was watching an episode of 'Natural World' earlier that we recorded a month or two ago, and I was absolutely fascinated by the variety of life that occurs in the rainforest, both plant and animal. I mean, come on, where else would you find the worlds largest single flower, the Rafflesia, growing naturally [wish I'd have been there taking this photo!]?

Amorphophallus Titanum - the worlds largest unbranched inflorescence. Although popular in many Botanical Gardens these days, it is still only indigenous to the tropical forests of Sumatra [this picture was taken at a Botanical Garden, once again not by me, but one day I will see one in the flesh!];
And these final three pictures, although all taken in the Eden Project, Cornwall [actually by me this time!], represent another couple of plants found in tropical rainforest - Etlingera and Heliconia - the latter of which I actually own one (Heliconia Schiediana), although it's in its second Winter in the frost free greenhouse and looking a little exhausted!
While many of the plants found growing indigenously in tropical rainforests cannot be growing here in England unless you have a year round warm greenhouse, similar plants can be used to similar effect in temperate climates, so the lush tropical effect can be acheived even in England! And while the Orangutans, Gorillas and Toucans may be substituted with Blackbirds, Pigeons and Crows, I'm still trying to acheive a similar atmosphere to the rainforest.

And one way in which I am aiming for this is through adding sounds that instantly evoke images of lush canopies and a huge array of brilliantly coloured birds hiding in amongst the foliage. One website I find very useful and helpful in this is Andrew and Sarah Skeoch's 'Listening Earth'. Through this website, they make available recording they have done in real rainforests, and many other exotic locations. I got a couple of their CDs for Christmas, and love listening to them when I'm thinking of creating ideas for the garden, or even just relaxing. I can't wait to get the garden speakers out and start blasting tropical birdsong out this Summer, to add to the rainforest atmosphere I'm trying to recreate! I would highly reccomend their recordings - whether they're for playing in your garden or just listening to while relaxing, they're very good quality and not overly expensive either.

Anyway, back down to Earth now!!! Still not much to report on the seed germinating front - 3 Canna 'Crozy's Hybrids' are now up, 1 Karchesky Canna Hybrid is up, 2 Brugmansia Sanguinea are up and 1 B. Arborea seedling is adventurously peeping its head out of the compost! Hopefully the weather will improve over the week so that I can get out in the garden and continue the seed sowing and start moving plants around - the garden plant for this season is almost complete, although whether I'll stick to it or not is another matter!!!