On 18/1/07 19:41, in article
ws.net, "Sue"
wrote:


"Sacha" wrote
"Sue" wrote:
Re natives for wild areas, blue Meadow Cranesbill (Geranium pratense)
and tall, yellow Dark Mullein (Verbascum nigrum) make a colourful
addition in sunnier areas, together with Toadflax (Linaria vulgaris)
which is good for it's later flowering.

Some of my favourites and so I must admit to a bias when I say I think
those would look wonderful together. The OP could also go to the
library and get out the book on Highgrove because IIRC, it describes
Miriam Rothschild's planting of the wild flower meadow there.

I read about her once saying she'd like to get native wild roses growing
the length and breadth of the country alongside all the motorways and
main roads. Wouldn't that be a splendid sight?
It's good to see Councils and contractors are now making more effort to
get wild flowers added to the embankments when new roads are made.

We see great sheets of primroses alongside the A38 in our immediate area as
we drive towards Exeter. I remember that when I moved over here in 1997 I
was just overcome by them. To this day I look out for the first which are
usually on a different and more local lane and they just lift my heart.
We see huge numbers of ox eye daisies and very rarely (sadly) wild orchids.
I can think of many things to grumble at our councils about but care of
banks and hedgerows isn't one of them - so far! And in fact, I must make a
mental note to write to our local town hall and say so! If I send brickbats,
I should also send bouquets.

In a shadier place I'd also try Helleborus foetidus as I like the
greenish flowers and distinctive foliage, and native foxgloves
practically go without saying. Snowdrops I believe are thought not to
be genuine original Brits but they do look the part and are so widely
naturalised that I've put those in for the Spring under the shade of
our birch trees.

And the real British bluebells would be a good idea, to offset the
Spanish takeover bid!

One of the abiding memories of a holiday at the end of May in Cornwall a
couple of years ago, is of verges along little country lanes being awash
with real English bluebells, all mixed in with Red Campion. Gorgeous! It
was like going through one long winding garden. :-) I hadn't really
realised until then how much of a deeper blue and more graceful the
genuine things are. All Spanish invaders in my border are now in the
process of being repelled!

Our lanes here - well, I do hope you see them one day in late spring. Ray
always says that if you could cut a chunk out of them and take it to Chelsea
Flower Show you'd get a Gold, hands down. They're glorious, a miracle of
nature.

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/
(remove weeds from address)