Thursday 28 January 2016

Medinilla Magnifica.

In 2008 we visited the Royal Greenhouse in Belgium.
 The Belgian Royal Greenhouses are situated just outside Brussels at The Royal Family's Summer residence at Laeken.

 The greenhouses at Laeken are open for 3 weekends only in May and the monies raised go to charity.  The third weekend is for disabled people only.
 Built between 1874 and 1905 by King Leopold 2nd, who had a special love of plants and flowers.
The Winter Garden Dome, 25.6 m high is supported by 36 pillars, constructed between 1874—76, 
it required 651.5 tons of steel.


 There is a Palm greenhouse built between 1892—95 and a Congo greenhouse.  The King was fascinated by the mystery of Central Africa with its exotic fauna and flora and its wealth of ivory, copper, rubber and tropical hardwoods. 
By the time of Leopold's death the royal greenhouses were the largest and housed the most remarkable private botanical garden in the world.
The Belgian Congo was transferred from being a royal possession to a Belgian colony in 1908 and remained so until 1960.


One of the plants that caught our eye was Medinilla Magnifica, seen here inside the Embarcardair 
greenhouse... 


   ...it is a tropical plant from the forests of Java and the Philippines, the large ones in the greenhouses are more than 30 years old.


 The Chinese vases were brought back from the Far East around 1860 by Leopold 2nd.



We had not visited a Garden Centre since well before the Christmas madness. 
Tempted by a 2 for 1 breakfast offer and a voucher of £1.81 (I know, I am easily led!) and telling myself it was too wet to do anything in the garden, we enjoyed a very good breakfast.  The  restaurant was packed and everyone appeared to have the breakfast voucher.
While needing nothing much for the garden? we went in separate directions, me to look for seed potatoes and bird food, Irene to the deli and to admire the orchids where she found...
Medinilla Magnifica plants for sale, well...

one had to come home and take pride of place in the corner of the dinning room.







I know some of my fellow bloggers have taken the pledge not to purchase any plants this year, 
not something I could do!
Have you been tempted?

Please click on any picture to create a slide show.

I have a slide show presentation based on our visit to Belgium.

21 comments:

  1. Oh that looks marvelous! Am I allowed to be very glad you both gave in to the temptations of the day? I doubt I will ever put a year-long embargo on plant-buying, and certainly not during the first few years trying to get a new garden on its feet! Of course, the rest of the story is that I couldn't wait to start the next section of the garden... three new plants already for it, plus a rose on order... ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I look forward to seeing the next section develop Amy.

      Delete
  2. A beautiful plant (the leaves as well as the superb pink flowers) - and it gives a sense of scale when you compare your small example in the house with the big ones in the greenhouse. The greenhouse must be huge!
    I have not been tempted to buy any plants for a while, but my husband can't resist a bargain. In late December he bought a white Kalanchoe for £1 in the local fruit shop. We only realised why it was cheap when the light caught it in a certain way - it's covered in Christmas glitter...
    All the best :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The greenhouses are huge with each area managed to reach its peak during the open weekends. You have your first Christmas decoration ready then?

      Delete
  3. I am always tempted in garden centres. I would certainly be tempted by that plant.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is almost impossible to pop in to a GC for just a coffee!!

      Delete
  4. That is a lovely story Brian.... you were destined to have one of those gorgeous tropical plants! I haven't been tempted to buy any new plants yet, but with the mild weather this week I might just pep up a pot on my front steps. The shops are flirting springtime primulas in all colours of the rainbow...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Cathy, the problem with buying any springtime plants at the moment is if we have a sudden cold period.

      Delete
  5. Oh what a beauty Brian. It's not a plant I've heard of so must find out more. I've only bought snowdrops so far this year. Do they count? :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Beautiful plant, it is easy to be weakened by plants. I could not imagine going a year without buying a plant. The bigger problem is where to put them. Amelia

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a gorgeous plant and nice to have one in your home now Brian. Angie + houseplants = instantaneous death! I hope it does well in your home.
    I am one of those said bloggers taking the plunge - I am afraid to say the pledge got broken today. No will power me!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Irene use to be + houseplants=death, until she was given some orchids, they have done well and the collection has grown. I hope this one will do as well!

      Delete
  8. Wow, what an impressive Greenhouse! It looks a beautiful building, inside and out. Ha-ha, Angie and Irene, me too but funnily enough I have coped ok with orchids for a while at least. I can easily see why Medinilla Magnifica just had to go home with you from the GC (a great talking point in your dining room between courses too) what a beuaty it is too - enjoy :-) Btw... what's this about bloggers not buying plants this year... not possible for me to sign up to that. I love impulse and sentimental buys too much ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are impressive Greenhouses Shirley my blog only shows a small part of it and the planting was fantastic.

      Delete
  9. Maybe you had just recently heard that House Plants are the latest big thing..on the radio last week, but I would have been seduced by this plant without any other inducement!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I actually thought we had enough house plants until I saw this one!

      Delete
  10. the flowers are amazing on that plant! I am an impulse buyer of plants too, like many of your other readers, so no such 'no more plant' pledges here!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I 'try' not to be an impulse plant buyer for the garden, but I am weak!

    ReplyDelete
  12. A beautiful plant (the leaves as well as the superb pink flowers) - and it gives a sense of scale when you compare your small example in the house with the big ones in the greenhouse. The greenhouse must be huge!
    I have not been tempted to buy any plants for a while, but my husband can't resist a bargain. In late December he bought a white Kalanchoe for £1 in the local fruit shop. We only realised why it was cheap when the light caught it in a certain way - it's covered in Christmas glitter...
    All the best :)

    ReplyDelete

To select a comment profile please click on 'Comment as'.You don't need a blog to comment select Name/URL and enter your name. All comments are welcome, they are however modulated for spam.