Banana and Lemon

We've been tidying up the terrace ahead of sweetheart's visit. It's a bit warmer now and I've managed to sit up there with my tapestry a couple of afternoons. You may think us nesh blathering about the cold but it has been this year, with the King giving out aid to some hamlets and , at the end of January,  Zagora, which is practically in the Sahara, had snow for the first time in living memory.

We wanted to replace the dead marguarite and vacillated at the pepiniere's. Eventually we got a banana plant

 which at £40 was rather expensive, particularly as it's a bit of a gamble whether it will survive the summer.

The last gamble was on the lemon tree. 

Whilst is is not dead I wanted it to add height. When we bought it it was over the height of the wall. It didn't get enough water over the summer and the top died. Our waterer cut it back "to make it bushy" but that is not what I want, something the same height as everything else. I'm hoping to find a new leader which can be trained up.

 We also got 2 more foliage plants. 

We potted them up with water retaining gel but in the case of the banana Beloved did it to the instructions on the packet. I thought this insufficient for the climate so the others got loads.

The rescue cacti are doing well although one 

more spectacularly than the other.

The cacti are doing well. 

I am particularly pleased with this one

The white geraniums are in flower but the red ones which were in fower when we arrived have finished.

I think it's getting better but we are off to Marrakesh tomorrow to see Tom Stuart Smith's new garden. The difficulty with the terrace is it has to be pots, they, the plants and the earth have to be carried up 2 floors and  there is no regular watering through summer.  I don't care what Great Dixter do with pots,when you can't rotate them the possibilities are limited.