Nick wrote ..

In article ,
Bob Hobden wrote:

The gentleman concerned is not a gardener so it would be no good asking
him
which he tried, just Chinese Lanterns as far as he is concerned. If that
one
you mention is the one everyone grew in the old days then that is the one
he
wants.

P. alkekengi is the only one that grows outdoors in the UK.

Never seen even a puddle in his S . facing garden so I don't think poor
drainage is a problem, more likely to be too dry and baked up in summer.

That's not a good indicator. Actual puddles show up only the most
extremely impervious soils. One of the problems with poor drainage
is that it prevents plants putting roots deep down (if they can't
handle waterlogged soil) and then they suffer from dry spells.
Perennials often handle drought better in lighter soils!

Whether P. alkekengi is one of those, I don't know, but P. edulis
is a drought-resistant plant, with fairly deep-ranging roots, and
P. alkekengi is quite likely to be similar.



The soil is over gravel so that has excellent drainage and it's not that far
down as another neighbour dug it out to use when he built his own house. I
hit it when digging my pond at about 1 metre down.
I'll suggest he tries the two you mentioned and see if those work, maybe
some in a shadier spot and some in sun.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK