I read an article that struck a chord recently, which said that architects should get real about these green skyscrapers that we see drawn so often, that in fact few trees can withstand the strong wind that accompanies elevation. It made me think that citrus are probably just not suited to an exposed balcony either. I have a Tahitian lime (above), a Eureka lemon (below), a kumquat (bottom), and a Kaffir lime. Really only the kumquat does well, and the Kaffir lime does very poorly. Kaffir limes always grew easily…
Read MoreMonth: March 2013
Strelitzia
For toughness and presence, Strelitzias are hard to beat. Mine is in a harsh spot, up against a glass wall in full north sun and lots of wind, but it does well and flowers from late summer. A bonus is that every year it has a couple more flowers so it’s nice to watch it grow. I remember as a kid I used to think that they are messy flowers, and didn’t see the attraction (they are very common in Perth, reflecting their resilience to hot dry weather and wind).…
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