Horticulture/Landscape design - opportunities in Poland

What are the opportunities like in Poland for Horticulturist/Landscape designers?

Judging by the number of Poles who escape to do such work in England, I have some doubts. Just ask Osioł

Hey man, amazed how quickly u guys reply :o)

A strong landscaping industry goes with a prolific housing market. The more homes that change hands, the more gardens need doing. If many Poles who would do this kind of work have left the country to do similar jobs abroad, and the housing market back home is going somewhere, then things could be on the up for horticulture and landscaping.

But a lot also depends on how much interest there is in gardening amongst the garden-owning population. With more money flowing around, and inspiration from people who have worked in places like England (where we all love our gardens to bits), commercial ornamental growing could be on the increase.

My 'What's in Your Garden?' thread got deleted. It did look as though a few Poles loved their gardens, even Polish Poles in Poland.

osiol , thanks for your and the other replies, we're on the same page, I think, I grow, 6 types of Musa, many Hedychium, Tree ferns, Palms, Puya, Echium, Agaves, Bomaria etc, all outdoors w'out protection and they are spectacular. I am aware of the difference in climate and know that you are hard pressed to use exotics in such extremes you experience in Poland. Gardening etc here was always of interest but since the boom people have been spending silly money on the ugliest of designs.

I studied in The National botanic Gardens here and in London, then moved to the USA and then Canada to work in the industry. Making a move back to Canada shortly.

Kev

I'm struggling to grow one.


Ditto.

I had a Bismarckia nobilis (very nice palm) that died, the same with an Ensete (relative of the Musa) that also snuffed it one winter. But these plants are in my own garden. The ones I work with seem to fair a bit better thankfully.


You're in Ireland? The smaller number of frosts must help you there, but for palms and stuff, I can imagine the wet being more of a problem. It would be nice to see a few interesting new plants hit Poland, but the more continental climate (colder winters, generally drier) and the often acid soils mean many Britohibernonesian (I just made that word up) success stories might not be so easy to replicate over there.

It's a bit like leaving a child alone when on hols. The damp here does not seem to be a problem. Would u like a few fotos? not sure how to do this tho.

I have the red Ensete murialle and it comes thru fine, Musa balbesiana, musella lasiocarpa, and a few from northern India whose names I forget at the mo. Im expecting half a dozen fl heads this year as it is 13 foot at the moment right now.

My Butia capitata is flying and a lady near me has a phoenix which is Huge, 14 foot or so grown from a tiny plant brought back from Tenerife. U in Poland now?

Kev

No, I'm not in Poland. If I had the time, money, inclination, language skills and ability to leap into doing something new, I probably would be.

My ornamental banana was an Ensete ventricosum.
Try using the thing called 'Attach a file'.
Now, people of Poland, take a look at this and tell yourselves you want one despite the climate!

Edit: It takes try after try resizing the ******* before I can get it to work.
2nd edit: Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii' are like buses. You wait for ages, then two come as the same time.

• 
  Almost a banana
  
• 
  A banana almost
  

Fabulous plant, thanks for the pic, I have seen some E. Maurelii that were left out over the last few winters by the local council that were used as dot plants and I really thought them lost to excessive wind and -6 to -8c temps and eureka, they're back with gusto, three to 4 ins already of new red leaf. If you are still in the uk

I could remove a few pups from the M. balbesiana, originally from the nat botanic gdns, Glasnevin. I am a benefactor there so can request bits nd pieces, it's already on the move, 4ft tall nd 9 shoots. I can post to u. Will upload photos when I get a chance, btw no prob loading pics but remember a thread mentioning difficulties uploading more than 2 at once. Is the one in the pic the one you lost?

Apols for bad binomial nomenclature, it's like a parent at home all day with childrens chatter missing adult company,I miss talking to people of the same interest, I've forgotten so many names etc...

Cheers.

Bananas are well adapted to strong winds. It shreds their leaves but they stay in one piece and don't seem to really mind too much.

What's your background?

As I read your thread and see the lists of the plants that you are growing in your gardens I must say that it will be very hard to implement them in Poland...

I never heard of any palm that survived -30 (maby Nanhorrops rithiana but somwhere in the middle of a desert).

The climate is very variable and unpredictable in Poland (For example now we have the period that is called "Cold Gardners" which means that for Wednesday night we will have probaby frost - which means second year in a row without an apple, plum or cherry that are all after blooming and their young fruits will fall down. Also big loss in forestry and gardens can happen becouse young leaves shoots of conifers are very easily destroyed by frost. Such kind ow weather happens nearly every year but if it comes in April beafore leafs and flowers it is ok, but when it comes late it means great loss)

If you want to know something about exotic plants in Poland you can go there:

oleander.pl/index.php?p=showforums

It is forum in polish but you can find there some pictures and names of exotic plants grown in Poland.

I know that some people try growing Trachycarpus species but I am very sceptical about it.
I is the same with Araucaria araucana (maby somwhere o the very coast...)
Some Musa are grown but every year from the ground level.
In the west some fruiting Poncirus trifoliata are also found.

Of course it is a great difference between the east and the west.
For example having some Cedrus species in Szczecin is not a big deal while in Warsaw I know only 3-4 living trees (not in very good condidion exept Turkish C. libani) and further east you will find no Cedrus at all.

It is much easier with for example North American Opuntia species that are quite popular and do well in dry Polish climate

Best regards

£ukasz

Thanks a bunch for that I'm actually amazed that even Poncirus grows there. Could the farmers deal with the frost on the fruit like the citrus farmers in Florida do, by misting during cold nights to keep the temperature on the fruit at a constant allowing for a slow thaw rather than the sudden rise in temp leading to eruption of the cells

Just a thought..

Thanks for the reply.

Kev

For frosts, I have read about an invention from somewhere quite bizarre like Uruguay or Paraguay - a kind of chimney with a fan that draws cold air from just above the ground upwards. I believe they use it in fruit growing in South America (and probably various other places by now if it's effective).


I started working in horticulture by mistake, but I found I really enjoyed it, so I didn't leave and do something else after four months like I had intended. Ten years, some gardening at home, some drudgery with a lawnmower for other people's gardens, a lot of reading and so on later...

Later :oP

Later.

* Donkey performs the secret horticultural handshake, secateurs having previously been carefully put to one side *

There is this thread for further reading:
Horticulture in Poland

This one is for Osioł, there is actually some serious discussion here. I can't contribute much but I see some substance