Baz. Not Pea Gravel. That will make your garden in the neighbourhood cat
garden.

20 mm at least. Unless you like the vermin of course :-(

Mike



"Baz" wrote in message ...

Sacha wrote in :

On 2013-07-29 11:55:00 +0100, Baz said:

sacha wrote in
:

On 2013-07-28 08:21:13 +0000, Kate said:

Hi

We have a long strip of soil, 6" wide by about 40 foot long, running
alongside an access path between a fence and a wall (so full shade).

For along time this was just overgrown with weeds, but now hubby has
cleared it

I don't want to spend much as it's a bit out of the way, but I'd just
like something to fill the space and look slightly nicer than mixed
weeds.

Any ideas for plants that will grow quickly from seed to fill a large
but thin space like this, not get too tall or too wild to obstruct
the path, and won't mind the shade?

Thanks

Hostas and gravel on top of the soil?

Sacha, why gravel on top of the soil? Just asking.

Baz

To discourage the slugs. It also sets the Hostas off well and seems to
suit them!

Oh! The dreaded slugs.
I bought a Hosta 'Patriot'in March or April, because I liked it's green and
white and it is now almost an ex-Hosta. I tend to neglect ornamental plants
for some unknown reason. Well, 50% is nearly stalks instead of leafs.
I am going to put some gravel around it right now.

Thanks
Baz

Baz wrote:
I bought a Hosta 'Patriot'in March or April, because I liked it's green and
white and it is now almost an ex-Hosta. I tend to neglect ornamental plants
for some unknown reason. Well, 50% is nearly stalks instead of leafs.
I am going to put some gravel around it right now.

The sacrifical slug plant this year seems to be the dark-leaved dahlia. :-/

On 29/07/2013 14:31, wrote:
wrote:
I bought a Hosta 'Patriot'in March or April, because I liked it's green and
white and it is now almost an ex-Hosta. I tend to neglect ornamental plants
for some unknown reason. Well, 50% is nearly stalks instead of leafs.
I am going to put some gravel around it right now.

The sacrifical slug plant this year seems to be the dark-leaved dahlia. :-/



And my new Astrantia :~((. They haven't touched the older ones. New
ones are clearly much tastier.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

On 29/07/13 11:59, Sacha wrote:
On 2013-07-29 11:55:00 +0100, Baz said:

sacha wrote in
:

On 2013-07-28 08:21:13 +0000, Kate said:

Hi

We have a long strip of soil, 6" wide by about 40 foot long, running
alongside an access path between a fence and a wall (so full shade).

For along time this was just overgrown with weeds, but now hubby has
cleared it

I don't want to spend much as it's a bit out of the way, but I'd just
like something to fill the space and look slightly nicer than mixed
weeds.

Any ideas for plants that will grow quickly from seed to fill a large
but thin space like this, not get too tall or too wild to obstruct
the path, and won't mind the shade?

Thanks

Hostas and gravel on top of the soil?

Sacha, why gravel on top of the soil? Just asking.

Baz

To discourage the slugs. It also sets the Hostas off well and seems to
suit them!

Scattering hodgehegs would be better...

--
Rusty Hinge

On 29/07/13 14:31, wrote:
Baz wrote:
I bought a Hosta 'Patriot'in March or April, because I liked it's green and
white and it is now almost an ex-Hosta. I tend to neglect ornamental plants
for some unknown reason. Well, 50% is nearly stalks instead of leafs.
I am going to put some gravel around it right now.

The sacrifical slug plant this year seems to be the dark-leaved dahlia. :-/

A few jamjars buried to their brims with cheap beer in them would do a
better job. Thank Guinness that nice Mr. Cameron is junking his
intention of introducing a minimum unit price innit.


--
Rusty Hinge

On 2013-07-29 19:47:33 +0100, RustyHinge said:

On 29/07/13 11:59, Sacha wrote:
On 2013-07-29 11:55:00 +0100, Baz said:

sacha wrote in
:

On 2013-07-28 08:21:13 +0000, Kate said:

Hi

We have a long strip of soil, 6" wide by about 40 foot long, running
alongside an access path between a fence and a wall (so full shade).

For along time this was just overgrown with weeds, but now hubby has
cleared it

I don't want to spend much as it's a bit out of the way, but I'd just
like something to fill the space and look slightly nicer than mixed
weeds.

Any ideas for plants that will grow quickly from seed to fill a large
but thin space like this, not get too tall or too wild to obstruct
the path, and won't mind the shade?

Thanks

Hostas and gravel on top of the soil?

Sacha, why gravel on top of the soil? Just asking.

Baz

To discourage the slugs. It also sets the Hostas off well and seems to
suit them!

Scattering hodgehegs would be better...

Not here, unfortunately. Too many badgers abound.
--

Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk

On 29/07/2013 19:47, RustyHinge wrote:
On 29/07/13 11:59, Sacha wrote:
On 2013-07-29 11:55:00 +0100, Baz said:

sacha wrote in
:

On 2013-07-28 08:21:13 +0000, Kate said:

Hi

We have a long strip of soil, 6" wide by about 40 foot long, running
alongside an access path between a fence and a wall (so full shade).

For along time this was just overgrown with weeds, but now hubby has
cleared it

I don't want to spend much as it's a bit out of the way, but I'd just
like something to fill the space and look slightly nicer than mixed
weeds.

Any ideas for plants that will grow quickly from seed to fill a large
but thin space like this, not get too tall or too wild to obstruct
the path, and won't mind the shade?

Thanks

Hostas and gravel on top of the soil?

Sacha, why gravel on top of the soil? Just asking.

Baz

To discourage the slugs. It also sets the Hostas off well and seems to
suit them!

Scattering hodgehegs would be better...





LOL! Lovely thought :~)

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

Spider wrote:
I bought a Hosta 'Patriot'in March or April, because I liked it's green and
white and it is now almost an ex-Hosta. I tend to neglect ornamental plants
for some unknown reason. Well, 50% is nearly stalks instead of leafs.
I am going to put some gravel around it right now.

The sacrifical slug plant this year seems to be the dark-leaved dahlia. :-/

And my new Astrantia :~((. They haven't touched the older ones. New
ones are clearly much tastier.
More tender I expect. You can hardly blame them.

I find plants newly planted out from greenhouse are more susceptible, I think due to softer growth from the tomato fertiliser I give to the greenhouse plants. If I give plants to be planted out a period sitting on a bench outside surrounded by slug pellets, so they're not getting fed and are developing "harder" growth, they're more likely to survive.

While I haven't done systematic experiments, there is a clear difference in slug damage between lush well fed plants, and tighter, apparently less vigorous plants.

They're still in decline. By at least 25% and perhaps as much as 40% in the last decade alone, and the decline started long before then. The rate we're going, they'll be extinct in Britain within our lifetimes.