Tropic of Dulwich

[louisiana]

There's a monkey puzzle tree on Crystal Palace Road. And palms in Peckham. The current issue of Living South reports a vineyard.

What's the most exotic thing in your garden? On your road? Has anyone spotted bougainvilla? Varieties of citrus? Some young olive trees?

Louisiana

[dulwichmum]

The most exotic thing in my garden? My new Brazilian gardner...

[Ant]

The most exotic thing in my garden is most likely a rare species of slime.

[SimonM]

>>>The most exotic thing in my garden? My new Brazilian gardner...<<<

I know I shall regret asking this, but how do you know your gardener had has a Brazilian? B)

[Chartwell]

I have an olive tree in my garden - perhaps one day ED will begin to rival the great olive oil makers of the world. I won't be letting EDD stock it though...

[dulwichmum]

Dear SimonM,

You are dreadful!

DM

X

[MadWorld74]

Brazilian gardener??....blimey is this straight out of Desperate (not saying that you are) Housewives!....Do you have dark secrets, drink like a fish, have fabulous hair and twitch your curtains regularly...like them ladies on the TV?

[Nero]

Although I fear repeating myself (see post on palm trees in Peckham), a house on Dunstans Rd near to Forest Hill Rd has huge cacti in a somewhat ramshackle greenhouse in the front garden. It's worth a look. In the summer he takes the glass away. Very savannah-like. Nero

[SimonM]

Yes, I have passed it many times and marvelled - I wonder how old it is??

[dulwichmum]

Dear Madworld 74,

Clearly!

DM

[spymum]

I have been looking at that cactus for years (almost crashing into parked cars as I drive by!).

I think it is really wonderful how he takes care of it and packs it up for the winter in its little 'house' - a real sign that autumn is nearly here. it is now almost too big, the owner needs to make a bigger one!

spymum

(Blog: Posh Mum)

[louisiana]

That cactus has taken over. It'll be bigger than the house soon.

Louisiana

[AcedOut]

I have a Brazilian cleaner. She's hot!

[Amelie]

I used to live in Thorpewood Avenue in Upper Sydenham and we had a fig tree in our garden, sadly the weather was never quite hot enough for the tree to fruit.

[Michael Palaeologus]

As I wandered to the CPT last night I did note a remarkable cluster of outdoor exotic plants in a few gardens at the Goose Green end of Crystal Palace Road. Hadnt spotted them before.

There you go.

[Huguenot]

There's a fabulous monkey puzzle there that must date back to the Victorian era.

[Keef]

When my sister and I were little, and probably annoying our poor mother, she used to tell us that it was bad luck to talk when you were passing the monkey tree. Stupid thing is, I still don't to this day! :-S

[bagpuss78]

We used to duck and have to stay silent whilst passing it to avoid the bad luck!

[Michael Palaeologus]

Tis' witch-craft I tell you - WITCH CRAFT !!!!

[clare]

My friend on Crystal Palace Road gave us 3 boxes of kiwi fruit from her kiwi last summer.

They tasted fabulous.

[Michael Palaeologus]

Kiwi Fruit are the Plums of the Devil I tell you!!

[chuff]

keef - we used to stay quiet walking past the monkey tree and yes I still do it too!

there was one down our road when growing up, it might still be there.

I wonder where that came from, it's a very odd superstition.

[clare]

We always hold our breath when we pass the monkey puzzle tree on CPR. If you don't you grow a monkey tail!

[Ko]

DulwichMum - I agree, Brazilian workman are fab!

We have a fig tree (that produces figs I have never done anything with), a grapevine, a couple of palms.

My friend's sister lives in the monkey puzzle house on CP Rd - I'll ask if they know about the superstition.

In Victorian times, the front of the house was a way to indicate to the world how prosperous you were. I've read that a monkey puzzle tree was considered to be indicative of being very wealthy.

[eccentric]

Keef Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> When my sister and I were little, and probably

> annoying our poor mother, she used to tell us that

> it was bad luck to talk when you were passing the

> monkey tree. Stupid thing is, I still don't to

> this day! :-S

We lived on Upland road from 1981 and there used to be a Monkey Puzzle tree in the front garden of I think 137 or 139. Both my children did the same thing every morning walking them to St Johns & St Clements on North Cross Road.