On 27/03/2014 21:19, Simon T wrote:
Hi there

Just dropping out of lurk mode to post a question. This follows on from
a post I made last year about my garden subsiding into the ditch that
runs across the back of my property.

What direction does the bank face?

Thanks to the advice of the people here I've managed to shore up the the
wall of the ditch, but somebody advised me to scatter the following seed
mix over it to stabilise the soil...

http://www.germinalamenity.com/produ...nd-embankments)

However, is this really suitable for a drainage ditch? This stuff
appears to be designed with drought tolerance in mind. Well, top of the
ditch might be dry, but the bottom is always going to be wet. Plus, this
stuff only comes in 20kg bags and I need less than a kilo (area is
approx 6m long x 2.25 wide) and at around £100 a bag, isn't exactly cheap.

Not sure that seed mix is really what you want. You need something that
will make a strong tangle of mostly shallow roots with a few deep ones.
Cross posted to u.r.gardening since you will get a wider audience of
knowledgable folk there who will make other suggestions.

Lupins, nettle, buddleia and willow spring to mind as things that will
probably tolerate those conditions and maybe one of the moderately
invasive short bamboos. You should be able to get seed or cuttings of
the first four for next to nothing.

Be careful what you wish for though some of the faster growing bank
stabilising plants can be thuggish brutes if they like your conditions.

Don't plant himalayan balsam under any circumstances and grub it up if
it arrives spontaneously!

Any suggestions on how to get hold of a small quantity of a suitable
seed mix? Obviously, I don't want to pay through the nose for way more
than what I need, particularly as it might not be 100% suitable for its
intended purpose. I've done a bit of Googling but am a bit out of my
field here.

Thanks in advance!



--
Regards,
Martin Brown

In article ,
Martin Brown wrote:
On 27/03/2014 21:19, Simon T wrote:

Just dropping out of lurk mode to post a question. This follows on from
a post I made last year about my garden subsiding into the ditch that
runs across the back of my property.

What direction does the bank face?

Plus how much sun it gets, the soil type and most of all where in
the UK you are.

Not sure that seed mix is really what you want. You need something that
will make a strong tangle of mostly shallow roots with a few deep ones.
Cross posted to u.r.gardening since you will get a wider audience of
knowledgable folk there who will make other suggestions.

Yes.

Lupins, nettle, buddleia and willow spring to mind as things that will
probably tolerate those conditions and maybe one of the moderately
invasive short bamboos. You should be able to get seed or cuttings of
the first four for next to nothing.

Buddleia? Its preferred conditions are more like scree, though
it is pretty adaptable. But one key question is how much winter
rain. If a lot, then the cover needs to be evergreen or with
surface roots, to discourage run-off. Periwinkle might not like
the bottom, but would certainly do the job, especially in
combination with Cornus and Salix (willow, sallow etc.)

Plants that form almost impenetrable tangles, but are deciduous,
include mint and lily of the valley. A shrub that should do well
is Cornus alba/siberica, and it can be cut down hard if needed
(and looks best when stems are cut out at the end of their second
year).

Be careful what you wish for though some of the faster growing bank
stabilising plants can be thuggish brutes if they like your conditions.

As are several I have mentioned :-)


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message...

What direction does the bank face?

Plus how much sun it gets, the soil type and most of all where in
the UK you are.

OK, I'll try and answer your questions as best as possible.

Bank faces approximately west, I live in Lincolnshire, not sure of the soil
type. Its topsoil, but that's all I know. My friend was digging out his
borders ready for gravelling, so I came along with my wheelbarrow and
pilfered it. Not sure exactly how much sun it gets, parts are shaded by a
couple of nearby trees, but can't tell you much more.

Lupins, nettle, buddleia and willow spring to mind as things that will
probably tolerate those conditions and maybe one of the moderately
invasive short bamboos. You should be able to get seed or cuttings of
the first four for next to nothing.

Buddleia? Its preferred conditions are more like scree, though
it is pretty adaptable. But one key question is how much winter
rain. If a lot, then the cover needs to be evergreen or with
surface roots, to discourage run-off. Periwinkle might not like
the bottom, but would certainly do the job, especially in
combination with Cornus and Salix (willow, sallow etc.)

Plants that form almost impenetrable tangles, but are deciduous,
include mint and lily of the valley. A shrub that should do well
is Cornus alba/siberica, and it can be cut down hard if needed
(and looks best when stems are cut out at the end of their second
year).

I have slight difficulty getting access to the bank to plant stuff as
there's a 3ft fence I have to scale first, plus as a lot of the soil I've
shovelled down there is still settling I'm wary about trampling all over it
to plant stuff, hence why I was seeing if there was a seed mix I could
simply scatter over the fence that would bind things together as it grew.

I will warn you I have a completely green thumb when it comes to gardening,
I have no idea what most of these plants are you refer to so am a bit out of
my depth here when it comes to selecting, planting, sowing plants/seeds etc.


--
Best Wishes
Simon T (Dark Angel)
http://www.realmofhorror.co.uk
http://twitter.com/RealmofHorror
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Realm-...43030832454357

On Fri, 28 Mar 2014 12:57:53 -0000
"Simon T" wrote:

I will warn you I have a completely green thumb when it comes to
gardening, I have no idea what most of these plants are you refer to
so am a bit out of my depth here when it comes to selecting,
planting, sowing plants/seeds etc.

Surely a 'green thumb' implies that you are very successful in the
garden, whereas I think you mean you are green, as in 'inexperienced'?

--
Davey.

"Davey" wrote in message ...
Surely a 'green thumb' implies that you are very successful in the
garden, whereas I think you mean you are green, as in 'inexperienced'?

It was my understanding that "Green fingers" meant good at gardening. By
having a green thumb, I meant I'm a bit ham-fisted/inept at it.


--
Best Wishes
Simon T
http://www.realmofhorror.co.uk
http://twitter.com/RealmofHorror
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Realm-...43030832454357

On 28/03/2014 15:30, Simon T wrote:
"Davey" wrote in message ...
Surely a 'green thumb' implies that you are very successful in the
garden, whereas I think you mean you are green, as in 'inexperienced'?

It was my understanding that "Green fingers" meant good at gardening.
By having a green thumb, I meant I'm a bit ham-fisted/inept at it.


Ah, so you have a brown thumb, then.

--
Tciao for Now!

John.

On Fri, 28 Mar 2014 15:30:47 -0000
"Simon T" wrote:

"Davey" wrote in message ...
Surely a 'green thumb' implies that you are very successful in the
garden, whereas I think you mean you are green, as in
'inexperienced'?

It was my understanding that "Green fingers" meant good at
gardening. By having a green thumb, I meant I'm a bit
ham-fisted/inept at it.



Maybe the 'green thumb' term is more used in Canada and the US, where I
lived for 30-odd years.

--
Davey.

"Simon T" wrote in message ...

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message...

What direction does the bank face?

Plus how much sun it gets, the soil type and most of all where in
the UK you are.

OK, I'll try and answer your questions as best as possible.

Bank faces approximately west, I live in Lincolnshire, not sure of the soil
type. Its topsoil, but that's all I know. My friend was digging out his
borders ready for gravelling, so I came along with my wheelbarrow and
pilfered it. Not sure exactly how much sun it gets, parts are shaded by a
couple of nearby trees, but can't tell you much more.

Lupins, nettle, buddleia and willow spring to mind as things that will
probably tolerate those conditions and maybe one of the moderately
invasive short bamboos. You should be able to get seed or cuttings of
the first four for next to nothing.

Buddleia? Its preferred conditions are more like scree, though
it is pretty adaptable. But one key question is how much winter
rain. If a lot, then the cover needs to be evergreen or with
surface roots, to discourage run-off. Periwinkle might not like
the bottom, but would certainly do the job, especially in
combination with Cornus and Salix (willow, sallow etc.)

Plants that form almost impenetrable tangles, but are deciduous,
include mint and lily of the valley. A shrub that should do well
is Cornus alba/siberica, and it can be cut down hard if needed
(and looks best when stems are cut out at the end of their second
year).

I have slight difficulty getting access to the bank to plant stuff as
there's a 3ft fence I have to scale first, plus as a lot of the soil I've
shovelled down there is still settling I'm wary about trampling all over it
to plant stuff, hence why I was seeing if there was a seed mix I could
simply scatter over the fence that would bind things together as it grew.

I will warn you I have a completely green thumb when it comes to gardening,
I have no idea what most of these plants are you refer to so am a bit out of
my depth here when it comes to selecting, planting, sowing plants/seeds etc.


--
Best Wishes
Simon T (Dark Angel)
http://www.realmofhorror.co.uk
http://twitter.com/RealmofHorror
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Realm-...43030832454357
=============================================

Greetings Simon and a warm welcome from someone with 10 brown thumbs. The
answer to maintenance free gardening is to concrete the lot and paint it
green ............. Instant almost maintenance free lawn.

None of the 'experts' have recommended a most obvious thing to do to
stabilise your bank. Something which is quite common where cliffs are prone
to crumbling ......................................... cover the bank with a
'mechanical/physical' support. Cover it where you can with a 'netting' and
plant through it. This netting can be a green environmentally friendly
plastic etc etc etc.

I am afraid that the experts will now lambaste me and tell me I am wrong and
that I haven't a clue .................................... but I do have a
wife of over 50 odd years, yes the same one I started with, who has been
gardening for more years than that.

Happy Brown Thumbing.

By the way, when the human race has been removed from the face of the Earth,
Nature will take over, so don't bother to try to control it

Mike

(Now watch the flak)

---------------------------------------------------------------
www.friendsofshanklintheatre.co.uk

On 28/03/2014 09:36, Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article ,
Martin Brown wrote:
On 27/03/2014 21:19, Simon T wrote:

Not sure that seed mix is really what you want. You need something that
will make a strong tangle of mostly shallow roots with a few deep ones.
Cross posted to u.r.gardening since you will get a wider audience of
knowledgable folk there who will make other suggestions.

Yes.

Lupins, nettle, buddleia and willow spring to mind as things that will
probably tolerate those conditions and maybe one of the moderately
invasive short bamboos. You should be able to get seed or cuttings of
the first four for next to nothing.

Buddleia? Its preferred conditions are more like scree, though

But will grow in our heavy waterlogged clay right through to sun baked
brick wall - the only thing that varies is how much it flowers.

it is pretty adaptable. But one key question is how much winter
rain. If a lot, then the cover needs to be evergreen or with
surface roots, to discourage run-off. Periwinkle might not like
the bottom, but would certainly do the job, especially in
combination with Cornus and Salix (willow, sallow etc.)

I like the idea of cornus and periwinkle the stems are striking and
again it is easy growing almost indestructible. The OP should probably
look for these sorts of things at local plants for sale events raising
funds for church/school/playgroup. They tend to have things that seed
profusely, grow vigorously and reliably at very modest prices.

Plants that form almost impenetrable tangles, but are deciduous,
include mint and lily of the valley. A shrub that should do well
is Cornus alba/siberica, and it can be cut down hard if needed
(and looks best when stems are cut out at the end of their second
year).

In the same vein wild garlic if you don't mind the pong.

Be careful what you wish for though some of the faster growing bank
stabilising plants can be thuggish brutes if they like your conditions.

As are several I have mentioned :-)

Indeed. Given he says it is inaccessible and outside his garden I would
probably go for nettles, lupins and a few shrubby things. ISTR they use
species lupins in Iceland to stabilise wind blow volcanic dust.

And again you should be able to get plenty of cheap unnamed seed from
anyone who has one in their garden. Poppies and aquilegia might also be
able to fight their way into a wild flower mix on a bank.

(I certainly wouldn't be spending money on expensive seed mixtures)

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

On 2014-03-28 09:19:37 +0000, Martin Brown said:

On 27/03/2014 21:19, Simon T wrote:
Hi there

Just dropping out of lurk mode to post a question. This follows on from
a post I made last year about my garden subsiding into the ditch that
runs across the back of my property.

What direction does the bank face?

Thanks to the advice of the people here I've managed to shore up the the
wall of the ditch, but somebody advised me to scatter the following seed
mix over it to stabilise the soil...

http://www.germinalamenity.com/produ...nd-embankments)

However, is this really suitable for a drainage ditch? This stuff
appears to be designed with drought tolerance in mind. Well, top of the
ditch might be dry, but the bottom is always going to be wet. Plus, this
stuff only comes in 20kg bags and I need less than a kilo (area is
approx 6m long x 2.25 wide) and at around £100 a bag, isn't exactly cheap.

Not sure that seed mix is really what you want. You need something that
will make a strong tangle of mostly shallow roots with a few deep ones.
Cross posted to u.r.gardening since you will get a wider audience of
knowledgable folk there who will make other suggestions.

Lupins, nettle, buddleia and willow spring to mind as things that will
probably tolerate those conditions and maybe one of the moderately
invasive short bamboos. You should be able to get seed or cuttings of
the first four for next to nothing.

Be careful what you wish for though some of the faster growing bank
stabilising plants can be thuggish brutes if they like your conditions.

Don't plant himalayan balsam under any circumstances and grub it up if
it arrives spontaneously!

Any suggestions on how to get hold of a small quantity of a suitable
seed mix? Obviously, I don't want to pay through the nose for way more
than what I need, particularly as it might not be 100% suitable for its
intended purpose. I've done a bit of Googling but am a bit out of my
field here.

Thanks in advance!

Would this do it? Houttuynia cordata tolerates both wet and dry soil,
has lovely splashy coloured leaves and spreads by stolons. It dies back
in winter but comes back in spring. And it's tolerant of both full sun
and shade.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon

On 28/03/2014 12:01, sacha wrote:
On 2014-03-28 09:19:37 +0000, Martin Brown said:

On 27/03/2014 21:19, Simon T wrote:
Hi there

Just dropping out of lurk mode to post a question. This follows on from
a post I made last year about my garden subsiding into the ditch that
runs across the back of my property.

What direction does the bank face?

Thanks to the advice of the people here I've managed to shore up the the
wall of the ditch, but somebody advised me to scatter the following seed
mix over it to stabilise the soil...

http://www.germinalamenity.com/produ...nd-embankments)

However, is this really suitable for a drainage ditch? This stuff
appears to be designed with drought tolerance in mind. Well, top of the
ditch might be dry, but the bottom is always going to be wet. Plus, this
stuff only comes in 20kg bags and I need less than a kilo (area is
approx 6m long x 2.25 wide) and at around £100 a bag, isn't exactly
cheap.

Not sure that seed mix is really what you want. You need something
that will make a strong tangle of mostly shallow roots with a few deep
ones. Cross posted to u.r.gardening since you will get a wider
audience of knowledgable folk there who will make other suggestions.

Lupins, nettle, buddleia and willow spring to mind as things that will
probably tolerate those conditions and maybe one of the moderately
invasive short bamboos. You should be able to get seed or cuttings of
the first four for next to nothing.

Be careful what you wish for though some of the faster growing bank
stabilising plants can be thuggish brutes if they like your conditions.

Don't plant himalayan balsam under any circumstances and grub it up if
it arrives spontaneously!

Any suggestions on how to get hold of a small quantity of a suitable
seed mix? Obviously, I don't want to pay through the nose for way more
than what I need, particularly as it might not be 100% suitable for its
intended purpose. I've done a bit of Googling but am a bit out of my
field here.

Thanks in advance!

Would this do it? Houttuynia cordata tolerates both wet and dry soil,
has lovely splashy coloured leaves and spreads by stolons. It dies back
in winter but comes back in spring. And it's tolerant of both full sun
and shade.


The problem wit Huttuynia is you would need a lot of plants to start
with as I find it slow to get away.
If you don't want access to the bank then Nettles would do a great job,
rapid cover, fibrous roots will bind the soil quickly, and you can get
the plants easily and free.
Good for insects, caterpillars and birds, also if you cut the young
shoots when just a few inches tall they are better than spinach.

On 2014-03-28 12:13:00 +0000, David Hill said:

On 28/03/2014 12:01, sacha wrote:
snip

Would this do it? Houttuynia cordata tolerates both wet and dry soil,
has lovely splashy coloured leaves and spreads by stolons. It dies back
in winter but comes back in spring. And it's tolerant of both full sun
and shade.


The problem wit Huttuynia is you would need a lot of plants to start
with as I find it slow to get away.
If you don't want access to the bank then Nettles would do a great job,
rapid cover, fibrous roots will bind the soil quickly, and you can get
the plants easily and free.
Good for insects, caterpillars and birds, also if you cut the young
shoots when just a few inches tall they are better than spinach.

Then how about poppies - the red ones. Very appropriate planting this
year, though I have no idea if they'd help much with stabilising.
--

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

On Fri, 28 Mar 2014 09:19:37 +0000, Martin Brown
wrote:

On 27/03/2014 21:19, Simon T wrote:
Hi there

Just dropping out of lurk mode to post a question. This follows on from
a post I made last year about my garden subsiding into the ditch that
runs across the back of my property.

What direction does the bank face?

Thanks to the advice of the people here I've managed to shore up the the
wall of the ditch, but somebody advised me to scatter the following seed
mix over it to stabilise the soil...

http://www.germinalamenity.com/produ...nd-embankments)

However, is this really suitable for a drainage ditch? This stuff
appears to be designed with drought tolerance in mind. Well, top of the
ditch might be dry, but the bottom is always going to be wet. Plus, this
stuff only comes in 20kg bags and I need less than a kilo (area is
approx 6m long x 2.25 wide) and at around £100 a bag, isn't exactly cheap.

Any suggestions on how to get hold of a small quantity of a suitable
seed mix? Obviously, I don't want to pay through the nose for way more
than what I need, particularly as it might not be 100% suitable for its
intended purpose. I've done a bit of Googling but am a bit out of my
field here.

Thanks in advance!

If grass is needed I would look for a seed mix with 30 to 50% amenity
ryegrass and 30% creeping fescue and would add a wetlands wildflower
seed mix to provide some interest. If it was my project I would just
use a wet wildflower seed mix.

Bostons have a sound range of grass seeds and a wetlands/pond edge
wildflower mix which may suit.
http://www.bostonseeds.com/products/...20/#product663
--
rbel

"rbel" wrote in message ...
If grass is needed I would look for a seed mix with 30 to 50% amenity
ryegrass and 30% creeping fescue and would add a wetlands wildflower
seed mix to provide some interest. If it was my project I would just
use a wet wildflower seed mix.

Not necessarily grass, just after some plants that will root into the soil
and stop it subsiding.

Bostons have a sound range of grass seeds and a wetlands/pond edge
wildflower mix which may suit.
http://www.bostonseeds.com/products/...20/#product663

Thanks for that, they're local to me!


--
Best Wishes
Simon T
http://www.realmofhorror.co.uk
http://twitter.com/RealmofHorror
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Realm-...43030832454357