In message , Pam Moore
writes
On 01 Jun 2005 20:21:36 GMT, Crag
gansburg-dot-01-at-zen-dot-co-dot-uk wrote:

Evening all,

I've moved into a house that's got a nice, neat, well maintained conifer
hedge at the front of the garden (approx 6ft high). Now I gather that the
area underneath these trees is usually a no go area for other plants, but
is there anything I can plant under them that will grow up through and
provide such much needed colour and flowers?

Thanks,
Crag

The most spectacular thing I've seen growing through a conifer hedge,
is tropaeolum speciosum.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/plant...ages/933.shtml
I saw it growing in a trimmed yew hedge, much taller than yours, at
Misarden Park, in Goucestershire. It is hard to get sestablished. I
never had much luck with it. Maybe others can tell you how, but the
bright red flowers on the surface of the dark green yew looked very
impressive.
It will depend on your soil, which I think needs to be acid,

Pam in Bristol

The garden where I worked in Yorkshire specialised in Tropaeolum
speciosum and mecanopsis selling them to garden centres throughout the
country and it very much seems to be pot luck. Different parts of the
same garden with seemingly identical conditions can vary in its
viability. In that garden it was a weed pulled up by the barrow-load. I
cannot get it to take in this garden even though I have much experience
of growing it. I will continue to try because sometimes it can change
its mind and have a good year. Once you have it, it is yours for life
--
Sue Begg
Remove my clothes to reply

Do not mess in the affairs of dragons - for
you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!