On Sat, 25 Jun 2011 21:58:55 +0000, iliveinazoo wrote:

Hello Everybody,
Is there a list of common UK Native garden plants around?

http://www.thewildflowersociety.com/ has a list of several thousand
native wild species, but that probably doesn't help.



I'll soon be moving into a new house with a half decent sized garden and
I'd like to landscape it with species native to the UK but I've really
got no idea where to start, I'll be needing short trees or shrubs less
than 3 metres tall and flowering plants.

Our local wildlife trust has some datasheets, and will help with local
habitats if you ring them up (http://www.lincstrust.org.uk/) - try
yours. Some district councils have conservation officers who will
cheerfully help. Ring them quick before the cuts bite.

If you live in 'ampshire, you could do a lot worse than reading Gilbert
White's classic books (http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1408)(http://
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Illustrated-.../dp/0500284784) etc.
There will be authors for your area, perhaps not quite as famous. (e.g.
The Flora and Vegetation of County Durham, G. Graham, 1988)



The RHS have lots of info, try http://www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening/
Sustainable-gardening for a start. http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/
has a 'native plant' tickbox.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/
organic_nativehedge1.shtml is intersting, but research the plants well.
Some of the trees can get very big, and some are fussy about soil types.

http://www.treeforall.org.uk/GetDigging/OurNativeTrees/ and http://
www.british-trees.com/ (both the woodland trust) will keep you busy.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/garden...ing/index.aspx & onwards
might give you some ideas


Preferably I'd like the garden
to flower throughout the year without having to plant annuals year after
year.

....and the holy grail is in the potting shed over there!






--
Bob Harvey

In message , Robert E A Harvey
writes
On Sat, 25 Jun 2011 21:58:55 +0000, iliveinazoo wrote:

Hello Everybody,
Is there a list of common UK Native garden plants around?

http://www.thewildflowersociety.com/ has a list of several thousand
native wild species, but that probably doesn't help.

It doesn't help. It's a copy of the BSBI list, which includes not only
naturalised plants like Japanese knotweed, Himalayan balsam,
rhododendron and ground elder, but also exotics which occur as casuals.
At a guess about half of those are native (including lots of brambles,
hawkweeds and dandelions).

Some floras (e.g. Stace) say which plants are native. Note that opinion
can differ on whether a species is native; for example, it's been
recently concluded that English (renamed Atinian) elm is a Roman import
from Italy.
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

Hi, My moto, is if looks nice,stays simple...it suits me.
Some plants in my garden (I dont care where they came from),
bleeding heart,
fuschia(hardy,bush),
geranium (wild, so many different varieties),
fox gloves,
primroses,
snow drop and daffodil bulbs dotted about the borders,
clamatis,
ivy,climbing rose,
hosta,
forsythia,
lilies,pansies. I have 3 others,dont know what they are, all above plants survived the winter,so its a thumbs up

In message ,
Janet writes
In article , iliveinazoo.87c5176
says...

Hello Everybody,
Is there a list of common UK Native garden plants around?

Bear in mind that "native" means, plants that grow in the wild. Many
wild plants are worthy of garden use.

Preferably I'd like the garden
to flower throughout the year without having to plant annuals year after
year.

Rememeber that wild plants are closely linked to the climate, latitude,
pollinating wildlife etc; and Britain is a long way north with relatively
short dark cool winter days. To get flowers every winter month in Britain,
you will almost certainly have to include some introductions like
snowdrops.

They do say that kissing is out of fashion when the gorse is out of
bloom; but I don't suppose that you'd get year round flowering from
gorse in a garden.

Janet

--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

Again thanks everyone for your suggestions, I will definately be trying to pick proper natives and not introduced "natives" because that's where my state of mind is at the moment. I think it stems form the fact that I've got 2 planted fish tanks and over the years have read many stories about accidental introductions from irresponsible people which push out the native species.

Good point on the fish tank PH tester, the fact that water down here is hard as nails means that I would most definately get a false reading. Using rain water might help but I think if the soil testers are only a couple of quid then I'll just go out and get one.

It's only an aspiration to get sections of the garden flowering all year so if it doesn't prove possible then I'll not be too worried I'll just have to try for the longest flowering period that I can.

I think you can grow that great majority of introduced garden plants which we know are not a problem without a stain on your conscience. Thousands of non-native plant species are grown in Britain, the great majority do not even naturalise, and of the few hundred that are naturalised and only a handful are seriously invasive. And even then, tend not to be much of a threat to native plants, though might cause problems in other ways. Though in general introduced water plants do tend to be a problem. And introduced animals are also often a problem.