A New Garden in Nanning Guangxi China

A New Roof Garden in Nanning
Gardening in Nanning is both a challenge and a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
A challenge because finding good suppliers for plants and sundries is not made any easier with the inherent language issues (my wife, Nana has been a godsend, ever patient in helping me). Locating the suppliers in the first instance was never going to be easy, not knowing the area or the local trade.
Discovering the impact the seasons (and trying to work out if there are any) will have on any acquisitions and trying to establish the plants quickly in order to avoid to many failures.
Also roof gardening in containers is a first for me. A bit of trial and error is called for. Getting containers, soil, plants and the like up to the roof did not come without a hitch or three...

The enjoyment comes from the actual gardening and the sense of achievement when we find 'the supplier' and manage to get our purchase home and up to the roof whether it be plant, compost, pot or gardening book.
Nana has once again been brilliant at both translations and locations.
Not being from a horticultural background herself she has been on a very steep learning curve both in terms of plant identification and supplier sourcing.
Not to mention navigating me through the streets of Nanning to various destinations in our quest on the new Electric bike…

We have now managed to track down an area about an hour's bus ride away where most of the ornamental plant growing takes place. I can only describe it as a bit like Boskoop in Holland (those that are of the horticultural mind will know what I mean) but on a much smaller scale. Lots of plant nurseries all together some also selling pots, rocks, compost and other bits and pieces to the trade. We now know where the plants come from that we have seen on many of the public markets.
Everything from Bonsai to bedding begonia's.

I wonder how long it will be before we see the first western style Garden Centre in Nanning Guangxi China?..Mmmmm, that's a thought!