"Dave Poole" wrote

Cobaea roots pretty easily and grows thuggishly.........
Dave Poole

How frost hardy are Cobaea David?
I've cut mine down, but left the roots in place.
Jenny

I did try to order from the Nursery but have had an email to say they
are now closed and won't resume selling till they are safely in France
and settled, next year!

Janet
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

On 16/11/05 9:42, in article ,
"Charlie Pridham" wrote:

snip
Thanks for the prop tips re Lonicera David (I will do them next year with
the clematis as they do not like mist either)
Sacha I will remind you next year about the Akebia, I know Ray has problems
with the cuttings like me (very frustrating for such an easy to grow plant)
And yes I do have the perennial climbing Dicentra, I call it scandens
although there seems some dispute over the name!
I can recommend the white Cobea still flowering after the frost :-)

I'm really looking forward to planting that and Ray says he's seen the
purple one used as ground cover on a large but otherwise bare and
uninteresting patch. As to the Akebia, I'll let you know how he gets on.
Rhamnus is his real bugbear but then it's everyone's, I think. However, he
did manage to get a few to root this year. I enjoy it when he 'sets fire'
to the Romneya seeds!
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

On 16/11/05 9:43, in article ,
"Dave Poole" wrote:

Sacha wrote:

David - for heaven's sake - we have some potted up right now! We could
only get 5 off the baby that we were given but.......and by next year, there
will be more!

Oh, thanks, well it does save me having trays and pots all over the
place. There's not a lot of room now the seedling palms and bromeliad
offsets have been brought in to join the dozen or so hybrid Clivias,
which have bulked up over the past year. I'm determined not to have
plants on every windowsill as in the past - not exactly fitting with
Edwardian style Cobaea roots pretty easily and grows thuggishly,
so you should have masses in no time. It easily equates with Ipomoea
indica in 'rootability', but is rather more willing to grow earlier in
the year.

On the subject of the Ipomoea, my neighbours bought one from you last
year and it has raced through their garden, smothering it with blue
for most of the summer and was still looking pretty good when I looked
over the other day. It didn't re-appear where it was originally
planted, but that's what it does in this part of the world - runs
about, finds a more comfortable spot and then settles in.

I love it. Ray used some in pots over the front hoops of that new Laburnum
path we've made on the big lawn. It looked absolutely wonderful and
flowered very well.

I'm suggesting to Ray that we plant the white and purple
together to take the place of a Wisteria that the house shingle tiles don't
much appreciate! I'd like to see what happens.

In that Dev'n redsoil they'll go berserk and look impressive. Cobaea
gets quite untidy part way through the season, which is a small minus
point. It also rejuvenates quickly and easily if chopped back hard at
almost any time, which is a much bigger plus point. As with almost
any fast growing climber, it will try to find its way under tiles and
shingles, but is easily removed and constrained without any fear of
losing flowering growth. The tendrils are so fine, numerous and
effective that they can hold onto brickwork without the need for
support. The trouble is that if there's a bit of windy weather when
the plant is at its bulkiest, the whole lot comes down - usually the
day before visitors arrive!

I'm afraid ours will always be in danger from the wind when it gets up.
That's why those sides of the house were covered in shingle tiles in the
first place - the rain comes in horizontally from that direction! The
Fremontodendron on that wall gets tied up at least two or three times every
year, too. I'm much happier about having Cobea there than the Wisteria,
yes.

I will have a tangle (I do love me tangles) of white Cobaea and
Ipomoea indica for next year. I rather fancy the soft greenish-white
of the Cobaea with the intense blue, ageing to purplish of the
Ipomoea. Lord knows how I'll keep it under control, maybe I won't and
have to force my way through a curtain of leaves, stems and flowers
whenever I go outside.

I don't think you would *like* it under control, knowing you! The jungle
effect works brilliantly with your planting and your garden.

One condition and not a very strict one - a few photos of your garden for
the urg web ring. ;-)

No problems. I'm working on a pretty lavish web-site (well very
lavish compared to what I've done in the past) and will be including
several hundred pics of plants, views etc. plus a few of the patch
here. I'm a bit miffed that I missed photographing a large group of
Furcraeas in flower earlier this year. They were down on the sea
front and produced about 5, 15 - 20ft. flower spikes. Still, I've got
a pic of them carrying masses of offsets and plenty more of stuff in
the bay.

That's another plant I'm not madly keen on, though I know it's a curiosity.
Ours had babies all over the small double floor at one time!

When the site is eventually finished (probably a couple of hundred
pages!) I'll link it in to the urg web ring. However, although I've
got a fair number of pages completed from a previous, unfinished site,
they all need updating to match the new format. Its a massively
daunting task and I need to motivate myself more, but it will keep me
occupied during the long dark nights of winter. Its a bit of a new
direction for me since I've always avoided using Javascript and Flash
in the past. But, now so many have broadband, the coding doesn't need
to be quite so parsimonious.

And that climbing Dicentra you gave us is going great guns up the front of
the house, BTW. Charlie, do you have that?

I didn't give you a climbing Dicentra, haven't grown that for many
years. Could it have been something else? Though I can't think of
any climbers I've brought over recently, but the memory ain't quite
what it was either.

I'll have to check with Ray but I thought it was you - about three or four
years ago?

Oops, rambling yet again!

But to great purpose and interest.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

On 16/11/05 12:08, in article ,
"Dave Poole" wrote:

snip
Years ago, I had one against the wall of my old house and it raced
right up to the eaves, hanging in great swags from the guttering.
Unfortunately the flowers are sour-scented particularly at night in
very hot weather. The summer was 1989 - a real scorcher here and
leaving the bedroom windows open at night was... well let's just say
that nights weren't always very fragrant :|

Speaking of swags, I love the Muehlenbeckia in the Abbey Gardens on Tresco
and we have a much younger one growing up the front right hand corner of the
house. It's not a spectacular plant in any sense but I find its leaves
extremely attractive and like the swags that forms as it gets older and
bigger. Some friends of ours have a garden right on the sea at Salcombe -
literally on top of a cliff opposite Overbecks - and they have enormous
rolls of Muehlenbeckia hanging from the rail of a stairway. It looks
absolutely fantastic grown like that.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

Dave Poole wrote:
JennyC wrote:

How frost hardy are Cobaea David?
I've cut mine down, but left the roots in place.

It is fully hardy down to around minus 3C.

How curious. I always thought they were half hardy, being a mexican
full sun loving plant and all that. Is it the scandens you are
referring to or is there another one? I ask you that because when Mr
Forthegills once called it an half hardy annual on its packet, my
father in law just took the whole lot out in november.

On 16/11/05 12:20, in article , "Janet
Tweedy" wrote:

I did try to order from the Nursery but have had an email to say they
are now closed and won't resume selling till they are safely in France
and settled, next year!

Janet

Oh, shame. I hadn't realised he'd stopped trading altogether. What is it
you're after, Janet because he's coming in here before he leaves - I hope! I
wonder if I can act as a go-between if we haven't got whatever-it-is and of
course, if it's not too huge. We're not geared up to do mail order, as you
know.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

"Dave Poole" wrote in message
...
JennyC wrote:

How frost hardy are Cobaea David?
I've cut mine down, but left the roots in place.

It is fully hardy down to around minus 3C. retaining all but the
thinnest of stems and some of the foliage at those temperatures.
However, this is a vine that you don't really want to have hanging
over from one year to the next in its entirety, since it is
exceptionally rampant and can become very untidy if not controlled.
Much better to cut it back to around 60 - 100cms. and mulch the roots
thickly.

With a good mulch it will withstand short periods at minus 5C,

Oh dear, then it will probably not survive. It can get a lot colder than that
here, and the forecast is for a 'hard' winter. Perhaps I should dig up the
rootball and bring into the GH........

re-appearing from below the mulch when the weather improves. Growth
may not resume until May or even early June in colder localities, but
it will rapidly scramble up to 5 - 6 metres or even more. In very
mild regions of the UK it can easily hit 12m. in a good summer and
will gently sow itself about in most years - Eccremocarpus fashion.

Mine was RAMPANT - at least 10mt in one year from seed :~))

Jenny

"martin" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 16 Nov 2005 15:30:28 +0000, Sacha
wrote:

On 16/11/05 12:20, in article , "Janet
Tweedy" wrote:

I did try to order from the Nursery but have had an email to say they
are now closed and won't resume selling till they are safely in France
and settled, next year!

Janet

Oh, shame. I hadn't realised he'd stopped trading altogether. What is
it
you're after, Janet because he's coming in here before he leaves - I
hope! I
wonder if I can act as a go-between if we haven't got whatever-it-is and
of
course, if it's not too huge. We're not geared up to do mail order, as
you
know.

Will his postal charges drop for those on the continent and increase
for the UK?
--
Martin
We wondered that, it costs me £50 to send to France but only £9 for the UK

--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collection of Clematis viticella (cvs)

Dave Poole wrote:

It is scandens, Cobaea is a monotypic genus.
(snip)

Ha! You're great Dave. Don't go too far now. I think I won't survive
without you.

Fothergills were always leaders in classifying perennials as annuals.
It saved them answering difficult questions when customers demanded to
know why their seed raised plants failed to make it through the
winter!

The cheek. Really. But then again, they didn't have urg )

On 16/11/05 20:19, in article
, "Charlie Pridham"
wrote:


"martin" wrote in message
...
snip

Will his postal charges drop for those on the continent and increase
for the UK?
--
Martin
We wondered that, it costs me £50 to send to France but only £9 for the UK

Good heavens, Charlie! It would almost be worth taking a cheapie fare from
Plymouth to Roscoff and posting it there, enjoying a 'booze cruise' as well!
;-)
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

On Wed, 16 Nov 2005 13:11:35 +0000, Dave Poole
wrote:

Sacha wrote:

Speaking of swags, I love the Muehlenbeckia in the Abbey Gardens on Tresco
and we have a much younger one growing up the front right hand corner of the
house. It's not a spectacular plant in any sense but I find its leaves
extremely attractive and like the swags that forms as it gets older and
bigger.

Yes, its a nice thing - I like its common name - 'Maidenhair Vine' -
very appropriate. There's a vast one that has taken over part of the
cliff face down on the sea front. It must cover well over 30 sq.
metres and hangs from the highest part almost to the base of the
cliff. In spring when the new growth is brightest, you can make it
out from across the bay some three quarters of a mile away.
Considering it is so delicate in appearance, its ability to withstand
searing east winds and salt spray in winter is truly remarkable.

Dave Poole
Torquay, Coastal South Devon UK
Winter min -2°C. Summer max 34°C.
Growing season: March - November

I started to grow one thinking it would bridge the gaps of a SW-facing
hedge exposed to salt gales. Then I saw the one on Tresco and promptly
took it out. Didn't fancy my whole garden taken over by a 70ft twining
climber!


--
Chris

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net

On 17/11/05 18:05, in article ,
"Chris Hogg" wrote:

On Wed, 16 Nov 2005 13:11:35 +0000, Dave Poole
wrote:

Sacha wrote:

Speaking of swags, I love the Muehlenbeckia in the Abbey Gardens on Tresco
and we have a much younger one growing up the front right hand corner of the
house. It's not a spectacular plant in any sense but I find its leaves
extremely attractive and like the swags that forms as it gets older and
bigger.

Yes, its a nice thing - I like its common name - 'Maidenhair Vine' -
very appropriate. There's a vast one that has taken over part of the
cliff face down on the sea front. It must cover well over 30 sq.
metres and hangs from the highest part almost to the base of the
cliff. In spring when the new growth is brightest, you can make it
out from across the bay some three quarters of a mile away.
Considering it is so delicate in appearance, its ability to withstand
searing east winds and salt spray in winter is truly remarkable.

Dave Poole
Torquay, Coastal South Devon UK
Winter min -2°C. Summer max 34°C.
Growing season: March - November

I started to grow one thinking it would bridge the gaps of a SW-facing
hedge exposed to salt gales. Then I saw the one on Tresco and promptly
took it out. Didn't fancy my whole garden taken over by a 70ft twining
climber!


Ummm. Try again - Tresco does have absolutely ideal conditions and can
leave outside all kinds of things that won't over-winter on the mainland.
You must have seen the wall full of Aeoniums and the Puyas, too? They're
there all year around, sink or swim.
Maybe your home climate will act as a sort of natural brake on your Muehle
plant. Ours has been going up the wall for three years or so and so far,
the chimneys seem quite safe. ;-) Besides, it's fun to try. Before I
married Ray and when I used to come here as a customer, I lived in a village
that was a bit of a frost pocket. Ray used to give me all kinds of plants
as experiments in survival, telling me that I was at the 'cutting edge' of
gardening. (When we married, Andy Mabbet said "some women will do anything
to get cheap plants" ;- ) We rather like people having a plant or two
from us of some reputedly tender thing or other, just to see how it survives
or how it grows in their particular environment.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

On Thu, 17 Nov 2005 18:20:19 +0000, Sacha
wrote:

On 17/11/05 18:05, in article ,
"Chris Hogg" wrote:

On Wed, 16 Nov 2005 13:11:35 +0000, Dave Poole
wrote:

Sacha wrote:

Speaking of swags, I love the Muehlenbeckia in the Abbey Gardens on Tresco
and we have a much younger one growing up the front right hand corner of the
house. It's not a spectacular plant in any sense but I find its leaves
extremely attractive and like the swags that forms as it gets older and
bigger.

Yes, its a nice thing - I like its common name - 'Maidenhair Vine' -
very appropriate. There's a vast one that has taken over part of the
cliff face down on the sea front. It must cover well over 30 sq.
metres and hangs from the highest part almost to the base of the
cliff. In spring when the new growth is brightest, you can make it
out from across the bay some three quarters of a mile away.
Considering it is so delicate in appearance, its ability to withstand
searing east winds and salt spray in winter is truly remarkable.

Dave Poole
Torquay, Coastal South Devon UK
Winter min -2°C. Summer max 34°C.
Growing season: March - November

I started to grow one thinking it would bridge the gaps of a SW-facing
hedge exposed to salt gales. Then I saw the one on Tresco and promptly
took it out. Didn't fancy my whole garden taken over by a 70ft twining
climber!


Ummm. Try again - Tresco does have absolutely ideal conditions and can
leave outside all kinds of things that won't over-winter on the mainland.
You must have seen the wall full of Aeoniums and the Puyas, too? They're
there all year around, sink or swim.
Maybe your home climate will act as a sort of natural brake on your Muehle
plant. Ours has been going up the wall for three years or so and so far,
the chimneys seem quite safe. ;-) Besides, it's fun to try. Before I
married Ray and when I used to come here as a customer, I lived in a village
that was a bit of a frost pocket. Ray used to give me all kinds of plants
as experiments in survival, telling me that I was at the 'cutting edge' of
gardening. (When we married, Andy Mabbet said "some women will do anything
to get cheap plants" ;- ) We rather like people having a plant or two
from us of some reputedly tender thing or other, just to see how it survives
or how it grows in their particular environment.

I passed it on to my SIL, who lives in mid-Cornwall and where the
climate is a little more hostile. She's planted it her back hedge
where it can do what it likes. Down here, I've also seen it used as a
hedge, trained over an ordinary chain-link fence and hiding it very
effectively. But it had 'escaped' and completely overwhelmed a ?30ft
conifer, blanketing it and killing almost all the green growth. The
owners have now felled it. I didn't want that in my garden!


--
Chris

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net

On 17/11/05 20:43, in article ,
"Chris Hogg" wrote:

Down here, I've also seen it used as a
hedge, trained over an ordinary chain-link fence and hiding it very
effectively. But it had 'escaped' and completely overwhelmed a ?30ft
conifer, blanketing it and killing almost all the green growth. The
owners have now felled it. I didn't want that in my garden!


You should have saved and patented that - sounds like a killer strain!
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)