On Thu, 30 Jan 2014 14:12:05 +0000, Sacha wrote:

This is going more than a bit off-piste but I wonder if Eucryphia
Nymansay would interest you? It has beautiful white flowers in summer,
attractive dark green leaves, is evergreen and columnar in shape. The
flowers are a bee magnet. It's also hardy to H4 according to the RHS and
is a really lovely plant.

This is a reason why urg is so useful: I didn't know about this plant at
all! It looks very interesting, how hardy is it really Sacha? And does
it stay evergreen? Always great to find late flowering shrubs and trees.

The upright yew is a great companion plant suggestion too.

Even further off piste: one of the great fastigate beeches? They keep
leaves (albeit brown!) most of the winter for me. Rohan Gold is
spectacular with pretty crinkled leaves; Dawyck Gold (or Purple) are
strictly fastigate.

-E

--
Gardening in Lower Normandy

On 2014-01-31 10:43:56 +0000, Emery Davis said:

On Thu, 30 Jan 2014 14:12:05 +0000, Sacha wrote:

This is going more than a bit off-piste but I wonder if Eucryphia
Nymansay would interest you? It has beautiful white flowers in summer,
attractive dark green leaves, is evergreen and columnar in shape. The
flowers are a bee magnet. It's also hardy to H4 according to the RHS and
is a really lovely plant.

This is a reason why urg is so useful: I didn't know about this plant at
all! It looks very interesting, how hardy is it really Sacha? And does
it stay evergreen? Always great to find late flowering shrubs and trees.

The upright yew is a great companion plant suggestion too.

Even further off piste: one of the great fastigate beeches? They keep
leaves (albeit brown!) most of the winter for me. Rohan Gold is
spectacular with pretty crinkled leaves; Dawyck Gold (or Purple) are
strictly fastigate.

-E

The RHS says H4 which means down to -10C. It's certainly been down to
-7C and -8C here for several days on end in the worst winter. It's
evergreen, yes. To us, the great beauty is the absolute smothering of
flowers and the fact it attracts bees, which need as much help as they
can get! There's also a lovely pinkish tinted one called E. lucida
Pink Cloud which is H 25' and S 12', so is smaller, though personally,
I prefer the white one E. niamensis Nymansay. Here's the RHS definition
of H4 as you're the best judge of your own garden.


H4 -10 – -5 Hardy – average Hardy though most of the UK apart from
inland valleys, at 8b/9a

winter altitude and central/northerly locations. May suffer foliage

damage and stem dieback in harsh winters in cold gardens.

Some normally hardy plants may not survive long wet

winters in heavy or poorly drained soil. Plants in pots are

more vulnerable to harsh winters, particularly evergreens

and many bulbs.
http://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/Plant-t...rdiness-Rating


It can be *lightly* trimmed to the required height and spread, too in
late winter/early spring.

And then of course there are the Pittosporums. P. Garnettii might do the job.
--

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