Thursday 30 July 2009

How Many People Does It Take To Repot A Plant?

well if it is one the oldest known pot plants in the world 9, plus a crane and a lifting frame to complete the job, the repot took place at Kew Gardens, a few newspapers are calling the cycad real name Encephalartos altensteninii the oldest pot plant in the world, but where does that leave hundreds of Bonsai plants which are over 200 years old? I guess though they are trees and not plants, anyway this specimen was collected on Cook's second voyage in the early 1770s from the Eastern Cape in South Africa by Kew's first plant hunter, Frances Masson, it was one of 500 species gathered for the botanical gardens during the voyage around the globe, if you have never visited Kew give it a try, I have been there many times and always found it interesting, although I should not say this, bring a bit of extra bread in your sandwiches to feed the fish in the pool near the main greenhouse, also this year Kew is 250 years old, Happy Birthday Kew!

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