Such excitement - the Jade vine flowers at last!

With rain lashing on the glass outside I spent a happy hour alone in the Bristol Botanic Gardens hot houses.  After a long time waiting the gardeners have finally been rewarded by the spectacular flowering of the Strongylodon macrobotrys Jade Vine - a leguminous perennial.  It comes from the Philippines where its stems can grow to 18 metres and its flowerr bunches to 3 metres.  It is closely related to the kidney and runner bean family and is pollinated by bats and birds.

As one who will be required to self isolate for a few months I would like to suggest that places like parks and botanic gardens  close to the general public for advertised periods several times a week to allow us oldies to enter, take exercise, wave and holler to our friends.