Naxos, Mount Zas, 60-70 large eagles and vultures riding the thermals. 20-30 Griffon vultures, boy are they big. Absolutely gobsmacked! Forgive my appalling video #birdwatching

Cyathea spinulosa quite uncommon in UK but deserves more love I think. Comes from Nepal to China up to about 2000m. Seems hardier than C. Cooperi, leaves stay green all winter even after quick -5c freeze #FernFriday #TropicalGarden

Angiopteris evicta. The leaves have fully opened now and are about 30” long, bit of a way to go to get giant leaves which can get over 10 feet long! #FernFriday on a Tuesday

Excellent day out at the @GreatDixter plant fair yesterday. Very busy, could have spent a lot more but limit to what I can now smuggle into back garden!

Very chuffed, new shoots on the Angiopteris evicta currently living at the side of the pond #FernFriday

First Brugmansia of the year to flower and it’s a stunner. Brugmansia ‘artus’

Iochroma australis is fully hardy for me in Kent. It comes in a few shades but blue is definitely my favourite #TropicalGarden #JungleGarden

Cucumber Spider on a new Schefflera leaf #tropicalgarden #arachnids

Peony ‘Coral Charm’ has to be up there for gorgeous flowers. They change from vibrant pink to pastel coral over blooming period #gardening #GardeningX

Missed it again! #wildflowerhour Anyway had a lovely walk near Tolsford Hill, Kent. Just have to find out what they all are

Love a bookshop find ‘Atlas of the Kent Flora’, a record of all flora of kent with locale maps. Amazing #Wildflowers #WildflowerHour

Cyathea cooperi waking up and back outside until December #FernFriday #TropicalGarden

Trevesia palmata made it through winter in my barely heated greenhouse. Went down to -2C but on a heated sand bed at about 10c. First time it’s flowered too

Botanists, what is the purpose of these leaves on Begonia torsa? They come up away from main stem about 2 months before main stem growth starts #botany

Schefflera macrophylla new growth is gorgeous. My favourite Schefflera by far but only hardy down to about -5C #TropicalGarden #JungleGarden

Chucked all my old and left over seeds into a raised bed 4 weeks ago, didn’t think anything would grow but ta-dah! Some sort of Asian leaf #allotment #vegetablegarden

Phyllostachys bissetti and Ajuga reptans do look good together don’t you think? #JungleGarden #TropicalGarden

Syringa x laciniata grows to about 2m with much finer leaves than normal Lilacs #gardens #gardenhour #Gardening #hardyplants

Tetrapanax papyrifer “Rex” a must for all the jungle/tropical gardens. #JungleGarden

New growth on Koelreuteria paniculata is always a joy in the garden in Spring.