In article ,
says...

On 09/05/2012 13:36, Janet wrote:
In ,
says...

Red valerian, centranthus ruber is even more of a thug but I let a fair
amount of it grow because of the butterflies its flowers bring in.

I love valerian and would welcome that thug, but for some reason it just
won't grow here (mild, wet, coastal). Maybe too acid.

Fascinating. It is always a surprise to me how plants which are noxious
weeds for some can be hard to grow elsewhere.

I have heucheras growing as volunteer seedlings all over on heavy clay
too. For some reason they grow easily for me but not for my neighbours.

Janet (Isle of Arran)

I'd suggest you try a pot with some spent JI No3 or last years tomato
compost in it. I have them growing out of the garden walls which isn't
good as it breaks up the mortar as the root gets thicker. But they bring
in hummingbird hawkmoths and lots of other butterflies with their
enormous number of tiny pink flowers on large heads.

envy envy :-) It's not just me.. I've not seen them round the island
either.
Will try the wall, and a starvation pot as you suggest.

Janet

On Wed, 9 May 2012 13:36:02 +0100, Janet wrote:

In article ,
says...

Red valerian, centranthus ruber is even more of a thug but I let a fair
amount of it grow because of the butterflies its flowers bring in.

I love valerian and would welcome that thug, but for some reason it just
won't grow here (mild, wet, coastal). Maybe too acid.

Janet (Isle of Arran)

My next door neighbours got one plant. Within 2 years it was growing
everywhere in their garden. It took them another 5 years to get rid of
it all. I have tried repeatedly to grow it but as soon as I plant some
in my garden it dies! Somewhat weird, no?

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling from the asylum formerly known as the
dry end of Swansea Bay.

On 09/05/2012 18:28, Jake wrote:
On Wed, 9 May 2012 13:36:02 +0100, wrote:

In ,
says...

Red valerian, centranthus ruber is even more of a thug but I let a fair
amount of it grow because of the butterflies its flowers bring in.

I love valerian and would welcome that thug, but for some reason it just
won't grow here (mild, wet, coastal). Maybe too acid.

Janet (Isle of Arran)

My next door neighbours got one plant. Within 2 years it was growing
everywhere in their garden. It took them another 5 years to get rid of
it all. I have tried repeatedly to grow it but as soon as I plant some
in my garden it dies! Somewhat weird, no?

You are looking after it too well. Throw a few seeds onto your stoniest
ground under a hedge and you will be amazed how well it grows. Maybe it
actually likes an alkaline soil - looking at where if grows in my garden
it is often on limestone chippings or old decayed mortar.

It is an OK cottage garden plant, but removing seedlings is fairly high
maintenance since it does flower in the first year from seed. Foxgloves
being biennial are a doddle to control by comparison.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

On Wed, 09 May 2012 19:58:11 +0100, Martin Brown
wrote:


You are looking after it too well. Throw a few seeds onto your stoniest
ground under a hedge and you will be amazed how well it grows. Maybe it
actually likes an alkaline soil - looking at where if grows in my garden
it is often on limestone chippings or old decayed mortar.

It is an OK cottage garden plant, but removing seedlings is fairly high
maintenance since it does flower in the first year from seed. Foxgloves
being biennial are a doddle to control by comparison.

I don't have any "stoniest soil under a hedge" having spent time
digging my little plot. But you may have hit the nail on the head.

When I bought this new build place, the back "garden" was simply
"graded" (bare earth tipped over the broken toilet pans sort of
thing). Between contract and completion I had the soil (and toilet
pans, bricks, broken glass, empty beer cans, and half a cow - that was
the front end so not sure if a cow or a bull) stripped out, new top
soil shipped in and then the area was turfed. That turf was untouched
by anything but a sprinkler system for 5 weeks. I even had 3 trees
planted (one died but I got my money back).

Neighbours left their back area for 6 months then got someone in to
level it - rake over sort of job - and lay turf. The chap told them
to stay off it for a few weeks. The night he finished they had kids'
friends round for a football match! The next day I helped them move
the turves back together!

As I dug out beds and borders, over the space of 5 years, wads of
organic matter were dug into the soil and all the stones removed down
to a couple of feet. They dug a hole about the same size as the pot of
whatever they planted.

So maybe my ground is just too rich for valerian. Still, I can enjoy
the foxgloves and alchemilla.

And pull out the b****y Himalayan balsam

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling from the asylum formerly known as the
dry end of Swansea Bay.

I had a pot of bamboo which flowered and packed up about 6 years ago. I slung it into a dark corner between the high boundary wall, the wall of the terrace and a weigelia, all overshadowed by a mature cherry. The valerian (centranthus) seedling that was in the pot is now filling it completely and flowering every year (admittedly not as much flower as if it were in the sun)

On 10/05/2012 10:58, Sacha wrote:

Then I give up! It grows in walls all over the place around and about
here but not ours!

I reckon you have improved your soil too much. It will practically grow
in builders rubble here and colonises rather too quickly for my liking.

It is so good for butterflies that I can forgive its invasive tendency.
I confess I am totally mystified why it doesn't grow for you though.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

Thanks Stewart!!

I think it must be Alchemilla Conjuncta or Alchemilla alpina (I cant distinguish them from the photos coming up in a google image search). I am happy enough with the correct genus as I had no idea before.

Thanks everyone else for your input. I quite like them as they come from nowhere in the spring to give a nice lush ground cover on one of my beds.

Thanks again for all your help.

Nicky