That's bananas!
Staying at my cousin's flat in Perth, WA I was hailed by a neighbour who ushered me through her house to her back garden.

"I bet you haven't seen these growing before!" she said smugly, pointing at a crop of bananas. I politely nodded.

I didn't have the heart to tell her that when I was a child my grandparents had taken me to the Victorian Conservatory in Blackburn's Corporation Park. We'd seen bananas and loads of other tropical plants thriving, even in the weak northern sunshine.

I guess the haven't heard of greenhouses in Australia.
( e.m.m.y. foxtrot uniform charlie kilo india tango, Mon 28 Apr 2014, 12:17, 7 replies)

I used to live in Brazil
when I moved back to the UK, we went to Kew Gardens.

We were looking around the big glasshouse, and saw a palm tree labeled 'The biggest palm tree in the UK'.

Seemed churlish, but I turned to my wife and pointed out we used to have bigger ones than that in our back garden.
(username failed moderation, Mon 28 Apr 2014, 12:32, closed)

You're right,
that does seem churlish.
( monster munch person, man, woman... camera... TV?, Mon 28 Apr 2014, 13:15, closed)

I'm so ashamed.
Apparently they're going broke. Had to lay off 175 people last month.

I sure hope it wasn't my comment, overheard by a travel company boss, that started the whole sorry mess.
(username failed moderation, Mon 28 Apr 2014, 13:49, closed)

We have heard of them
We just prefer to keep our Aboriginees in them
(bad_advice QOTW survivor from the first trollocost!, Mon 28 Apr 2014, 13:40, closed)

I think that you mean glasshouse?
Very edgy
(BeatsWork, Mon 28 Apr 2014, 15:08, closed)

No, greenhouse
Structures made of glass that heat-loving plants are grown in.
There's no such thing as a "glasshouse".
(IHateSprouts is baking a huge pie shaped like an enormous pie, Mon 28 Apr 2014, 22:03, closed)

hth
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasshouse_(British_Army)
(BeatsWork, Mon 28 Apr 2014, 22:13, closed)