In article ,
wind'n'stone writes:
|
| Looking for advice about best shrubs for a south west facing slope. The
| garden in very exposed - (live high up on a hill - Scotland) there is
| very little shelter. Additionally the soil is quite shallow and is just
| rock underneath.
| The garden has nothing in it just now bar lawn and a sorry beech hedge.
| Sheep in fields round house so can't have anything poisonous (laurel,
| rhodi, etc) Ideas much appreciated. Thanks
| wind'n'stone

Sheep aren't half as stupid as most people! Provided that they have
something else to eat, they will almost never eat poisonous plants.
What is more, you will need something that they won't eat.

The first question is what the rock is - i.e. is your soil highly
acid, slightly acid or neutral to basic? It probably won't be highly
basic. And that affects which plants will grow.

Regrettably, your choice is very limited. Blackthorn and gorse are
the obvious candidates (plus birch and Scots pine, as trees), and
anything beyond that might struggle a bit. It's worth considering
all of those as windbreaks, and establishing other plants in pockets
of improved soil, somewhat protected from the wind.

I have never gardened in those conditions, so that is second-hand.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.