A neighbour said to me that I should get rid of the stuff growing on the
stone walls at the front of our old house. The stuff she was referring to is
Valerian, I love it and look forward to it every year. I have the three
colours and yes it seed`s freely - perhaps that is what she meant - but it
looks delightful, in my opinion :-)

kate

On 02/07/2012 08:11, Kate Morgan wrote:
A neighbour said to me that I should get rid of the stuff growing on the
stone walls at the front of our old house. The stuff she was referring
to is Valerian, I love it and look forward to it every year. I have the
three colours and yes it seed`s freely - perhaps that is what she
meant - but it looks delightful, in my opinion :-)

kate

You do have to dead head it to prevent massive numbers of nuisance
volunteer plants springing up everywhere. It is almost as prolific a
wind borne seed generator as dandelions. I grow it deliberately to
encourage butterflies and hummingbird hawk moths in the sunshine.

It looks nice at the base of a hedge or on otherwise inhospitable spots.
It will grow almost anywhere including in the mortar of garden walls and
the strong thick roots can damage them. Arguably it is a weed because it
is so vigorous but the flowers and nectar are worth it at least in a
cottage garden. It would be a menace in a small garden.

It is just out now but it is so cold and wet recently that there are
almost no butterflies to be seen on it at all

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

On Mon, 02 Jul 2012 09:10:05 +0100, Martin Brown
wrote:

On 02/07/2012 08:11, Kate Morgan wrote:
A neighbour said to me that I should get rid of the stuff growing on the
stone walls at the front of our old house. The stuff she was referring
to is Valerian, I love it and look forward to it every year. I have the
three colours and yes it seed`s freely - perhaps that is what she
meant - but it looks delightful, in my opinion :-)

kate

You do have to dead head it to prevent massive numbers of nuisance
volunteer plants springing up everywhere. It is almost as prolific a
wind borne seed generator as dandelions. I grow it deliberately to
encourage butterflies and hummingbird hawk moths in the sunshine.

It looks nice at the base of a hedge or on otherwise inhospitable spots.
It will grow almost anywhere including in the mortar of garden walls and
the strong thick roots can damage them. Arguably it is a weed because it
is so vigorous but the flowers and nectar are worth it at least in a
cottage garden. It would be a menace in a small garden.

It is just out now but it is so cold and wet recently that there are
almost no butterflies to be seen on it at all

I would love to grow it. My neighbours got some years ago and have
been trying to confine it ever since as it spread all over their
garden and is progressing along the street on the opposite side of
their garden to mine. But it has not spread my way and though they
have given me several clumps it will not grow in my garden. Don't know
why.

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling from the East End of Swansea Bay. We don't yet have a
"dah dah dah dah dee dee deeee" theme tune but we're working on it.

Can't tell astilbe from aranthus
But I can from an acanthus!

On 02/07/2012 10:50, Jake wrote:
On Mon, 02 Jul 2012 09:10:05 +0100, Martin Brown
wrote:

On 02/07/2012 08:11, Kate Morgan wrote:
A neighbour said to me that I should get rid of the stuff growing on the
stone walls at the front of our old house. The stuff she was referring
to is Valerian, I love it and look forward to it every year. I have the
three colours and yes it seed`s freely - perhaps that is what she
meant - but it looks delightful, in my opinion :-)

kate

You do have to dead head it to prevent massive numbers of nuisance
volunteer plants springing up everywhere. It is almost as prolific a
wind borne seed generator as dandelions. I grow it deliberately to
encourage butterflies and hummingbird hawk moths in the sunshine.

It looks nice at the base of a hedge or on otherwise inhospitable spots.
It will grow almost anywhere including in the mortar of garden walls and
the strong thick roots can damage them. Arguably it is a weed because it
is so vigorous but the flowers and nectar are worth it at least in a
cottage garden. It would be a menace in a small garden.

It is just out now but it is so cold and wet recently that there are
almost no butterflies to be seen on it at all

I would love to grow it. My neighbours got some years ago and have
been trying to confine it ever since as it spread all over their
garden and is progressing along the street on the opposite side of
their garden to mine. But it has not spread my way and though they
have given me several clumps it will not grow in my garden. Don't know
why.

I'd hazard a guess that the soil is too fertile or well drained! It will
grow in the most inhospitable of places at least on a clay soil.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

On 07/02/2012 11:54 AM, Martin Brown wrote:
On 02/07/2012 10:50, Jake wrote:
On Mon, 02 Jul 2012 09:10:05 +0100, Martin Brown
wrote:

On 02/07/2012 08:11, Kate Morgan wrote:
A neighbour said to me that I should get rid of the stuff growing on
the
stone walls at the front of our old house. The stuff she was referring
to is Valerian, I love it and look forward to it every year. I have the
three colours and yes it seed`s freely - perhaps that is what she
meant - but it looks delightful, in my opinion :-)

kate

You do have to dead head it to prevent massive numbers of nuisance
volunteer plants springing up everywhere. It is almost as prolific a
wind borne seed generator as dandelions. I grow it deliberately to
encourage butterflies and hummingbird hawk moths in the sunshine.

It looks nice at the base of a hedge or on otherwise inhospitable spots.
It will grow almost anywhere including in the mortar of garden walls and
the strong thick roots can damage them. Arguably it is a weed because it
is so vigorous but the flowers and nectar are worth it at least in a
cottage garden. It would be a menace in a small garden.

It is just out now but it is so cold and wet recently that there are
almost no butterflies to be seen on it at all

I would love to grow it. My neighbours got some years ago and have
been trying to confine it ever since as it spread all over their
garden and is progressing along the street on the opposite side of
their garden to mine. But it has not spread my way and though they
have given me several clumps it will not grow in my garden. Don't know
why.

I'd hazard a guess that the soil is too fertile or well drained! It will
grow in the most inhospitable of places at least on a clay soil.


I think that's probably exactly right. I had it at the base of a
hornbeam hedge, in ground that was tunneled under by voles (and moles I
expect) so that any water just disappeared. It thrived there for years!

I love the stuff.

"Martin Brown" wrote in message ...

On 02/07/2012 08:11, Kate Morgan wrote:
A neighbour said to me that I should get rid of the stuff growing on the
stone walls at the front of our old house. The stuff she was referring
to is Valerian, I love it and look forward to it every year. I have the
three colours and yes it seed`s freely - perhaps that is what she
meant - but it looks delightful, in my opinion :-)

kate

You do have to dead head it to prevent massive numbers of nuisance
volunteer plants springing up everywhere. It is almost as prolific a
wind borne seed generator as dandelions. I grow it deliberately to
encourage butterflies and hummingbird hawk moths in the sunshine.

It looks nice at the base of a hedge or on otherwise inhospitable spots.
It will grow almost anywhere including in the mortar of garden walls and
the strong thick roots can damage them. Arguably it is a weed because it
is so vigorous but the flowers and nectar are worth it at least in a
cottage garden. It would be a menace in a small garden.



yes indeed Martin, I do dead head it in the hope of keeping it growing
longer. It has been growing on the front of the house for many many years
and only one person has ever moaned about it, like you say Sacha if it
grows she - fussy neighbour - has to cut it down, always complaining about
our trees, anyone want to buy a house with trees and Valerian :-)


kate

On Mon, 02 Jul 2012 12:14:13 +0200, Emery Davis
wrote:

On 07/02/2012 11:54 AM, Martin Brown wrote:


I'd hazard a guess that the soil is too fertile or well drained! It will
grow in the most inhospitable of places at least on a clay soil.


I think that's probably exactly right. I had it at the base of a
hornbeam hedge, in ground that was tunneled under by voles (and moles I
expect) so that any water just disappeared. It thrived there for years!

I love the stuff.

Soil here is a heavy clay (at the moment, liquid mud!). But too
fertile may be the reason as I've spent 20 years adding nutritious
stuff to the soil (which is why I don't bother with nasturtiums as
they're all leaf and little flower).

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling from the East End of Swansea Bay. We don't yet have a
"dah dah dah dah dee dee deeee" theme tune but we're working on it.

Can't tell astilbe from aranthus
But I can from an acanthus!

On Monday, 2 July 2012 08:11:43 UTC+1, wrote:
A neighbour said to me that I should get rid of the stuff growing on the
stone walls at the front of our old house. The stuff she was referring to is
Valerian, I love it and look forward to it every year. I have the three
colours and yes it seed`s freely - perhaps that is what she meant - but it
looks delightful, in my opinion :-)

kate

Serendipity is to me an essential ingredient of a pleasant garden so lots of those plants that self sow in odd places are welcome here. If you like them and they aren't thoroughly spoiling more planned features why get rid of them. If they are in the way they can usually be easily removed.
Many years ago my late boss asked a colleague of mine "what are those b****y weeds?"
"Foxgloves m'lord - £3.50 each in the garden centre"
Next day we spotted him counting them ;~))

Rod

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2012-07-02 11:22:21 +0100, "Kate Morgan"
said:



"Martin Brown" wrote in message
...

On 02/07/2012 08:11, Kate Morgan wrote:
A neighbour said to me that I should get rid of the stuff growing on the
stone walls at the front of our old house. The stuff she was referring
to is Valerian, I love it and look forward to it every year. I have the
three colours and yes it seed`s freely - perhaps that is what she
meant - but it looks delightful, in my opinion :-)

kate

You do have to dead head it to prevent massive numbers of nuisance
volunteer plants springing up everywhere. It is almost as prolific a
wind borne seed generator as dandelions. I grow it deliberately to
encourage butterflies and hummingbird hawk moths in the sunshine.

It looks nice at the base of a hedge or on otherwise inhospitable spots.
It will grow almost anywhere including in the mortar of garden walls and
the strong thick roots can damage them. Arguably it is a weed because it
is so vigorous but the flowers and nectar are worth it at least in a
cottage garden. It would be a menace in a small garden.



yes indeed Martin, I do dead head it in the hope of keeping it growing
longer. It has been growing on the front of the house for many many years
and only one person has ever moaned about it, like you say Sacha if it
grows she - fussy neighbour - has to cut it down, always complaining
about
our trees, anyone want to buy a house with trees and Valerian :-)


kate

We don't get it in the garden but it's in many walls near us, not ours,
unfortunately. I can't stand over-tidy gardens but when their owners try
to impose their pernickety habits on other people, it's a hanging
offence!!
--

I don't like a neighbour to decide what I might like to grow. I had some
conifers taken down at the front of the house last year and the stumps
ground out to leave a nice little border between the house next door.
I'd not decided what to grow there, so I weeded it and there were some nice
self-seeded opium poppies growing into big plants. I like them. Suddenly
they fell ill. Yellowing tops and in a couple of weeks they were dead as
was anything else that popped it's head up there.
My neighbour works as a gardener for an educational establishment and he
glyphosates his own garden to death with "stuff from work."
Circumstantial evidence, but I know he dunnit. I was going to sow some
annuals there. I am reluctant to challenge him about it, as he has quite a
temper so I will probably have to put up a small fence to remind him that
the border is mine.

Tina

I remember a former urgler looking at the Alchemilla mollis in the garden centre and muttering "In that case my garden is worth £10,000"