On 2009-09-05 22:53:05 +0100, beccabunga
said:


Phil C;863683 Wrote:
Hello,

We're not good gardeners. We have a courtyard/town garden which we
recently
had block paved (with full drainage).

We're planning on putting in a large wooden planter (2.5m long, 40cm
wide
and 50cm deep.

I went on one site and it said we would need 1 ton of topsoil to fill
it!

Can we put stuff at the bottom of it so we need less soil? Does it
need to
be top soil or is multipurpose compost ok?

We are thinking of having a couple of lavenders in it and a hardy
perennial
(?) and perhaps something else ... but nothing that grows more than
say
...... 75cm wide and 75cm high.

We want things that are low/zero maintenance, provide all year round
colour
and flower sometime in the year.

Ideally we'd like to do it in the next month or so .... but is it
something
we should leave to do next spring??

Your expert advice appreciated.

Phil


I had charge of a similar sized planter, built in brick. The bottom
third was filled with rubble to provide good drainage. A drainage
outlet is essential. The remainder was filled with a mixture of John
Innes no 3 soil based compost, composted wood bark, and a little
composted manure. It was allowed to settle, then topped up with more
John Innes before final planting.

It was planted with a prostrate rosemary, a Temple bamboo, a small
black phormium, Bergenia, and bulbs to come up through the other things
in the spring. The owner subsequently also planted a shrubby
convulvulus. Until last year, when the house was sold, everything
survived and flourished.

Watering was only carried out when there had been more than three
consecutive days of dry,hot weather.

Is Temple bamboo Nandinia domestica, aka Heavenly bamboo?
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon