On Thu, 14 May 2009, K wrote
Kate Brown writes
On Thu, 14 May 2009, K wrote
Kate Brown writes

There's a well-established Kerria at the top end - and I can't get
anything else nice to grow there at all! Thistles, grasses, wild
clematis, and ivy grow with abandon.

So have you tried ornamental grasses, thistles, eryngium based on
what already grows there)?

There's a lot of grass around the garden already,so no - I was looking
for flowers, really, something a bit colourful.

Some of the grasses are quite colourful ;-)
(red, orange, steely blue)
But not point having anything that you won't enjoy in that spot.


I've tried canna, which grow like weeds elsewhere in the village,
but the snails ate all the leaves and they haven't come up at all
this year. I sow nasturtiums, which sprouted one year but not the
year I divided up a choked iris bed and put in some rhizomes, but
snails like eating their leaves too, so I don't hope for much. I
also put in some spare daffodil bulbs, but we're rarely there early
enjoy them.

Probably not damp enough in winter for daffs.

What about the various succulents? Livingsotne daisies, sedums
(spectabile doesn't get eaten by snails, I don't know about the others)


Livingstone daisies are annuals, so too late for this year, but I
could sow some next spring. Sedums are a good idea, though, thank
you. Will look for some in June - you don't happen to know if there
are any tricky local French words for it, do you?

No sorry.

Pelargoniums are tolerant of neglect (in this case, a soil that is well
drained to the point of drought), at least the scented leaved ones. But
they do like *some* water in the autumn. Take cuttings before the
winter and grow fresh each year.

Or you could try the aloes, agaves, haworthias - some with bright
orange flowers. Probably have to bring them in over winter.

The problem is that we haven't got anywhere to bring them in - there's a
dark room under the house where we store garden furniture, but although
it's damp, there's no way to water anything, and our visits in spring
are either too early to bring things out - Easter - or too late - May,
and we pack up in September or October - we often do try and preserve
things, but it rarely works...


--
Kate B

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