Sacha wrote:
Our Gunnera is planted near our soakaway in a sort of wooded bit of the
garden, known to its original owner as The Rhododendron Walk. It's a bit of
a mix of soil and shale there, so I don't think they're over-fussy. But
perhaps Charlie's idea of judiciously chosen bamboos and then some lovely
ferns would do it. Perhaps you could have a sort of stone 'folly' ruin and
plant ferns among the crevices. ;-)

Thanks, Sacha. It's amazing what people hide when they're selling a
property, and amazing too what one fails to detect no matter how closely
you scrutinise a property before you buy it. We visited this place SIX
times before buying it, just to check it out thoroughly. Maybe we
should have smelt a bit of a rat because on each occasion we noticed our
beautifully and closely the lawn had obviously just been cut! We just
put it down to the owner being manic about his lawn. Of course it
turned out that with the "richness" flowing beneath it, it needs cutting
every seven days except in winter!

Anyway, as to how to turn it into a trouble-free zone, I'm grateful for
everybodys' help. As a result I have stumbled upon the following very
helpful page - tailored just for this situation. Just a case of
googling each species now and looking for the right combination, and,
for me, some which are reasonably tall!

from:
http://www.clallam.net/EnvHealth/ass...s.pdf#cooliris

Drainfield Landscaping Suggestions

SHALLOW ROOTED PLANTS

Following are just some examples of plants with shallow roots,
ideal for creating either a solid mix or a lovely variety that will be
pleasing to the eye.

Herbaceous annuals:
Ageratum (Ageratum housetonianum)
Wax Begonia (Begonia semperflorens)
Coleus (Coleus species)
Lobella (Lobella ertinus)
Sween Alysum (Lobularia maritima)
Geranium (Pelargonium x hortorum)
Penunia (Petunia x hybrida)
Salvia (Salvia species)
Marigold (Tagetes patula)
Zinnia (Zinnia alegans)
Herbaceous perennials:
Amaria, Seathrift (Amariac maritima)
Astlibe (Astlime x arendsu)
Basket of Gold (Aurinia saxatius) – can also be used as a ground cover
Campanuia (Campanuis species)
Snow in Summer (Cerastium tomentosum)
Lily of the Valley (Convailaris majalis)
Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus)
Cottage (and other) Pinks (Dianthus species)
Coral Bell (Haucheria sanguinia)
Candytuft (Iberis sempervirens)
Lavender (Lavenduia angustifolia) – evergreen
Moss Pink (Phoix subutata)
Ground covers (all perennial)
Carpet Bugie (Ajuga raptans)
Kennickinnick (Arctostaphylos uvi-ursa)
Irish Moss (Arenaria verns)
Bunchberry (Comus canadansis)
Blue Fescue (Fastuca ovina glauca)
Wintergreen (Gauitheria procumbens)
Salal (Gaultheria shallon)
Lydia Broom (Genista lydia)
Pachysandra (Pachysandra terminalis) – shaded areas only
Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum)
Stone Crop (Sedum species)
Hens and Chicks (Sempervirum tectorum)
Periwinkle (Vinca Minor)
Thyme (Thymus species)

Thanks,
Eddy.