Well, that answered a burning question I had about the effect of sun on seedlings before true leaves appeared! :D I am sorry about the loss of your greenhouse!
The rest of the question, I have no idea, but I'd TRY... gradually... accustom them to some daylight. :D

Yes, I have decided I am going to give them a chance, I feel they deserve it! Although they did catch me out in germinating within a week.
As a back-up though I have just couldn't resist ordering some more seeds from eBayUK today. I will have to remember to check them daily this time, haha!
Anyone got a pot grown Royal Poinciana? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I realise it will be an absolute miracle if it flowers, not that I ever expect it to as I believe they have to be very large and our UK climate, although getting warmer, is definately not tropical! I am just growing it for the sheer challenge and the lovely fresh green ferny foliage.
Here's a pic last summer in the greenhouse that blew away, you can see the RP on the right hand side. The g'h disaster happened in mid January and poor little RP got chilled to the bone, it had already dropped its leaves in the autumn, but the bone numbing wind was it's demise I think. More like R.I.P.

Wow... that's a GORGEOUS picture! Very clean and tidy... how'd you manage that? :o) And very nice to with the background as I have never been to the UK. thanks!
Oh, also, very nice on the plumeria too, I've never gotten a short plumie stick to bloom that well till it's older.

I send you my utmost condolences over the loss of you greenhouse, it looks like it was a really nice one, and your plants look fabulous in that photo. Any plans to rebuild?

There are pics on the plumie forum of gills wind whiped greenhouse and the start to the new one. Check it out! Just thumb through the threads you'll find them. They are doing a great job rebuilding. It is just awfull what happened to them.
Valerie

Hi all, (nice to see you here too Valerie!)
Yep, we are/have rebuilt, it's almost complete, just needs a proper door and windows, but other things have taken priority now I have been able to place my plants from inside every room to back in the g/h.
Here's the 'old' one (which was only 2yrs old BTW!!)

{{gwi:1123480}}

...and here's the new one which we hope will be secure!

{{gwi:1123481}}

The plumie was the result of a couple of sticks I was sent following our trip to Oz in March 2005. It took it till spring of 2006 to leaf and to my sheer delight it also flowered. It was only around 5inches long so I guess it was already programmed to flower before it was cut from the main plant. It's a Celadine I am told, it smells lovely and had over 100 buds, only a few opened though, perhaps as it was such a small and newly rooted plant? I am hoping for better things this year!! Have got 5 seedlings on the go....must get a BIGGER greenhouse!!.....but don't tell my d/h I said that! ; ¬ )
Cheers!, Gill.

Gill,

Very sorry to hear about your greenhouse. The new one looks considerably more substantial. I am currently living in Florida in a 1950's home built with cement block. As I recall everything in England was built of brick, is the block popular because of cost? Where in England do you live?

I'll swop you the daffodils for a Royal Poinciana cutting! What do they say, "the grass is always greener..."!

Your new greenhouse is gorgeous! Nice choice of wood. The pergola look is extremely attractive.

Hi, thanks for the comments and the encouragement!
Kew tip....you a Londoner then with a name like that??
You're correct, houses here in the UK are usually brick built, or stone blocks like in the older houses in our village. The concrete blocks you see are actually the rear wall of the garages that we didn't get round to rendering and pebbledashing to match the rest and the house....will it get done now do you think? The list of jobs grows daily, it was more important to get a house for all my plants first. A door and opening windows come first I guess.
I live in the Staffordshire Moorlands, 5 miles from Alton Towers Theme Park across the fields and valley at the back. (it's around 150mls NW of London, a similar latitude to Edmonton, Alberta according to my map for those who are not too familiar with these parts) We are just south of the Peak District Nat Park, it's a small rural hill-top village...and very windy!
We managed to salvage most of the glass as it was toughened so that was a great help and we already had the wood, so all it cost was many man-hours...and woman-hours too!
It's already filling up with all kinds of plant life....palms, agaves, dragon trees, alocasia, fuchsias, pelargoniums, passion flower, strelitzia, hoya, callistemmon, plumeria and not forgetting the Royal Poincianas!!! Things are really warm here for the time of year, we are having an amazing April with temps of mid 20's, I am having to open the g/h before work as it reaches 100+. Usually this time of year is cold and wet still..global warming??
Happy growing! Gill.

Oh sigh... what gorgeous eye candy! :o) The ole BF keeps PROMISING to build me a room like that. I will have to show him the pictures so that he will get the idea! :D See? This is what they look like :D I hope that you don't lose this one, though if you do, it looks like it would only be the glass... maybe you could build something like a removeable airplane wing that you can put up during storms that would funnel the wind around the greenhouse. :o)

If I remember the tale of the three pigs correctly, your next greenhouse will need to be built of brick. But the current one is beautiful!

Nice one Holedigger! You made me laugh!! At least the base is sorta brick isn't it?
Gill

God love ya for trying to grow the tropicals !

If it is any consolation , it is much easier to protect plants from the cold, than putting them in a cooler . I am in zone 10 a Florida . It is almost imposable for me to grow anything zone 8 and lower . In fact........ my zone 9 plants usually croaks in the August rains and heat............. :( I would love to be able to grow fuchsia , forsythia, and peonies!
~~~D`Ann~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Greenclaws,

I notice that you are down to 2 delonix seeds I can let you have as many as you like as they grow like weeds here.
Other plants that may interest you are Cassia fistula, cassia javanica of which I can probably obtain the seeds from local trees. Please let me know if you want some. Sometimes you can see frangipanni seeds on the plants but they are not so common. driscoll@idx.com.au.