On Tue, 8 Mar 2005 17:32:46 -0000, "Charlie Pridham"
wrote:



There are loads of things we have been trying of late many of which have
died this year in the -7c we have had, still I shall try again with most, in
the hope we wont have two cold winters in a row! Some surprises though (must
write it all down before I forget)

-7C! Ouch! The lowest we had was -3C on 28th Feb, although all minimum
temperatures were consistently a couple of degrees lower than the Met
Office predicted.

Like you, I'm struggling to see what tender plants will grow in a
new-to-me garden, and have been disappointed by the last two years'
failures. I lost several young Proteas last year, raised from seed
with much difficulty and angst over several years. Both this year and
last, my Echium fastuosum was setting flower buds nicely, only to have
them frosted off, fleece notwithstanding. With the cold winds we had
at the same time, the fleece was just ballooning like a parachute and
probably not offering much protection. The irritating thing is that
about a quarter of a mile away, and 300 feet lower at the bottom of a
south-west-facing hillside just above the beach, they're untouched!

Fortunately the plants themselves seem to have survived, although they
look pretty ragged ATM. But they come easily from cuttings, which I
take each year just in case, and grow rapidly, typically 2 ft or so in
a season. When they're successful, they're superb. Dozens of 12"
candles of Anchusa-blue flowers. Echium pininana (the very tall one)
seems to have survived OK, but I don't like it as much.

But as you say, some pleasant and encouraging surprises. Compensation
for the disappointments perhaps.


--
Chris

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net