In message , Janet
Baraclough.. writes
snip
I've got another dragon-plant..I mention this because I know Susie
Thompson, and Cormaic's missus Karen, are dragon fans. It's persicaria
vaccinifolium Red Dragon, which in sun produces dark red/purple leaves
on viperish zig zag stems. In shade, they are overcast with a beautiful
greenish bloom V-shape like a dragon's tongue. In my last, cold garden
on the Scottish mainland, it had to be cajoled, cosseted and given
winter cover etc. Here on Arran, it has found it's feet and is ramping
away like a fiery beast.

Janet, I wonder if your dragon plant would survive the wild and woolly
climate of the western side of Arran ;-) It'd be an interesting
experiment when we have our garden better organised. At the moment it's
still pretty well in the development stage and we've moved the final
position of our lawn-to-be at least twice already.

I believe that your (eastern) side of the island gets around forty
percent more rain than we do over here, while we tend to get higher
winds and the occasional fall of snow in winter. You're right, of
course, about me and dragons. I used to have a lovely geranium called
Firedragon, which I thought was very appropriate to ceramics and kilns,
but it was fairly tender and I lost it a couple of years back when we
were still in West Cornwall. I'm off to Brodick Hall on Friday morning
with dragons, mice, birds, flowers, cats et al to what should be a
really good craft fair.
--
Susie Thompson
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