Hi

I want to buy some plants suitable for containers that are in a sheldered spot near the back door of a terraced house.

I love hostas but snails get them. I was thinking of planting a variety of bulbs but the pots look ugly when the plants die back. Can anyone offer suggestions?

Thanks

"Jackie D" wrote via Gardenbanter, not direct...

I want to buy some plants suitable for containers that are in a
sheldered spot near the back door of a terraced house.

I love hostas but snails get them. I was thinking of planting a variety
of bulbs but the pots look ugly when the plants die back. Can anyone
offer suggestions?


Sorry to be a pain but by sheltered what do you mean?
Sheltered from the sun? the wind? the rain? the North?
Please explain and we will be able to make an informed suggestion.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
17mls W. of London.UK

"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
...

"Jackie D" wrote via Gardenbanter, not direct...

I want to buy some plants suitable for containers that are in a
sheldered spot near the back door of a terraced house.

I love hostas but snails get them. I was thinking of planting a variety
of bulbs but the pots look ugly when the plants die back. Can anyone
offer suggestions?


Sorry to be a pain but by sheltered what do you mean?
Sheltered from the sun? the wind? the rain? the North?
Please explain and we will be able to make an informed suggestion.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
17mls W. of London.UK


Have you tried putting vaseleine around the tops of your pots? The slugs
should slide right off

Jackie

Jackie D wrote:
I want to buy some plants suitable for containers that are in a
sheldered spot near the back door of a terraced house.
I love hostas but snails get them. I was thinking of planting a variety
of bulbs but the pots look ugly when the plants die back. Can anyone
offer suggestions?

As Bob said, knowing what kind of shelter you have in mind would be of
help. However, you can have anything in pots, provided it is well
drained and the compost ph is according to what plant you want. I have
pots surrounding my house, different plants for different situation.
The bonus is that you can move them about. The down side is that they
dry quickly. I have from hortensia to ribes, maples to rhodos, grasses
to lavenders, hebes to ceonothus etc. Right now you could do annuals,
vegs, herbs, sweet peas (just done them today in a large pot with a
home made wigwam and made another pot of self seeded digitalis), and
the bulbs you move to a corner out of sight during the summer until
spring, like cowslip, tulips, daffs, muscaris, hyacinths etc. Or you
dig them out the pots, let them dry, put them in a shoe box till
october and pot them back.

Looks like hard work at first but you soon get the hang of it )

In article ,
Jackie D wrote:


I want to buy some plants suitable for containers that are in a
sheldered spot near the back door of a terraced house.

I love hostas but snails get them. I was thinking of planting a variety
of bulbs but the pots look ugly when the plants die back. Can anyone
offer suggestions?

As other people say, more information is needed. You need very
different plants for south and north facing locations, and warm
and cold areas of the UK.

One container plant that I am very chuffed with is Feijoa
sellowiana - it seems to be a lot hardier than is made out, and
it is evergreen and drought resistant. I shall see (later) if
my pomegranate came through the winter. But you would need to grow
both from seed, I think.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Nick Maclaren wrote:
As other people say, more information is needed. You need very
different plants for south and north facing locations, and warm
and cold areas of the UK.
One container plant that I am very chuffed with is Feijoa
sellowiana - it seems to be a lot hardier than is made out, and
it is evergreen and drought resistant. I shall see (later) if
my pomegranate came through the winter. But you would need to grow
both from seed, I think.

Had to check Feijoa ... beautiful flowers. How long have you had yours?
My proteas haven't moved much. I suspect they're waiting for some warm
sunshine to get going. I was in the SW France last week and we had a
barbecue ... Today, the hail was as big as my fist. What a contrast (

Jackie D wrote:
Hi

I want to buy some plants suitable for containers that are in a
sheldered spot near the back door of a terraced house.

I love hostas but snails get them. I was thinking of planting a variety
of bulbs but the pots look ugly when the plants die back. Can anyone
offer suggestions?

Some ideas - Double up the number of pots you own, or maybe treble
them. Plant spring bulbs, summer flowering bulbs and autumn flowering
plants or corms such as Cyclamen coum in the various pots. Move them
around accordingly. If you want Hostas, plant them in the pots, stand
the pots in LARGE saucers full of gravel (this will help you to water
the Hostas, too) and make sure none of the Hosta leaves ever touch the
gravel because that will give the slugs a purchase. Smear pots and
saucers with e.g. vaseline round the lower perimeter.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon

Hosta is still the best choice. Easy enough to deal with the slugs.
BAYER makes a good slug bait, SLUGGO, and others.
Joe T
Houston TX.

jtill wrote:
Hosta is still the best choice. Easy enough to deal with the slugs.
BAYER makes a good slug bait, SLUGGO, and others.
Joe T
Houston TX.

This group is about gardening in UK, in the main. Products you have in
USA may not be sold here under that name or any other and EU
regulations may mean they can't be sold at all! And a lot of people
don't like to use chemicals so are looking for other, greener answers
to such problems. We don't get raccoons, either........... (old urg
joke)
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery
South Devon

Hi Joe

Hosta it is then. Thanks for the help.

Jackie D