I have a bed in the rain shadow of the eaves, but where a plant can
run its roots sideways a couple of feet to where there is ample
water. Currently, I grow Clematis cirrhosa, Passiflora incarnata
and Cyclamen coum (which love it!) It faces north-east.

The C. cirrhosa doesn't flower much, and is becoming a nuisance,
so I would like to replace it by something with a maximum height
of 10-20'. There are wires for the first 10', so self-clinging
is not required. Either evergreen or flowers.

But the key is that it must be happy with NO direct rainfall!
And, of course, take moderate frosts (hard by West Country
standards, mild by Highlands ones).


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article ,
says...

I have a bed in the rain shadow of the eaves, but where a plant can
run its roots sideways a couple of feet to where there is ample
water. Currently, I grow Clematis cirrhosa, Passiflora incarnata
and Cyclamen coum (which love it!) It faces north-east.

The C. cirrhosa doesn't flower much, and is becoming a nuisance,
so I would like to replace it by something with a maximum height
of 10-20'. There are wires for the first 10', so self-clinging
is not required. Either evergreen or flowers.

But the key is that it must be happy with NO direct rainfall!
And, of course, take moderate frosts (hard by West Country
standards, mild by Highlands ones).


In a similar situation in Glasgow I grew a garrya elliptica James
Roof, evergreen and lovely when dripping his long pale flowers.

Admittedly, in west Scotland, even a rain-shadowed eaves bed may be
somewhat damper than yours, but as far as nutrition goes it had only a 6
inch strip of very poor soil between the stone house wall and a concrete
path running any rain that fell on it, away from the bed. I found James
very amenable to shaping so he hugged the wall tight leaving the path
unobstructed.

Janet.

In article ,
Janet wrote:

I have a bed in the rain shadow of the eaves, but where a plant can
run its roots sideways a couple of feet to where there is ample
water. Currently, I grow Clematis cirrhosa, Passiflora incarnata
and Cyclamen coum (which love it!) It faces north-east.

The C. cirrhosa doesn't flower much, and is becoming a nuisance,
so I would like to replace it by something with a maximum height
of 10-20'. There are wires for the first 10', so self-clinging
is not required. Either evergreen or flowers.

But the key is that it must be happy with NO direct rainfall!
And, of course, take moderate frosts (hard by West Country
standards, mild by Highlands ones).

In a similar situation in Glasgow I grew a garrya elliptica James
Roof, evergreen and lovely when dripping his long pale flowers.

Admittedly, in west Scotland, even a rain-shadowed eaves bed may be
somewhat damper than yours, but as far as nutrition goes it had only a 6
inch strip of very poor soil between the stone house wall and a concrete
path running any rain that fell on it, away from the bed. I found James
very amenable to shaping so he hugged the wall tight leaving the path
unobstructed.

That's a thought. From the point of view of a shrub like that,
the dryness is only while it is running its roots out to the
water. It is next to a permeable block paved parking area.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 03/08/2014 12:12, Nick Maclaren wrote:
I have a bed in the rain shadow of the eaves, but where a plant can
run its roots sideways a couple of feet to where there is ample
water. Currently, I grow Clematis cirrhosa, Passiflora incarnata
and Cyclamen coum (which love it!) It faces north-east.

The C. cirrhosa doesn't flower much, and is becoming a nuisance,
so I would like to replace it by something with a maximum height
of 10-20'. There are wires for the first 10', so self-clinging
is not required. Either evergreen or flowers.

But the key is that it must be happy with NO direct rainfall!
And, of course, take moderate frosts (hard by West Country
standards, mild by Highlands ones).

Tropaeolum ciliatum should do what you want. But, be warned, it is very
invasive, and runs underground! Frosts above ground will damage the
plants, but the tubers will survive deep underground.

I grew it once, and it survived over 5 years of glyphosate. When I
tried to dig it up, some of the tubers were more than 40cm down up
against the footings of the house. I am sure they would have gone
deeper if they hadn't hit concrete.

On an unrelated matter, some time back you asked for suggestions for
exotic veg. I just came across this page.
http://www.jungleseeds.co.uk/content...ollection.html

You may have seen it, but if not maybe there is something of interest
for you.

--

Jeff

In article ,
Jeff Layman wrote:
On 03/08/2014 12:12, Nick Maclaren wrote:
I have a bed in the rain shadow of the eaves, but where a plant can
run its roots sideways a couple of feet to where there is ample
water. Currently, I grow Clematis cirrhosa, Passiflora incarnata
and Cyclamen coum (which love it!) It faces north-east.

The C. cirrhosa doesn't flower much, and is becoming a nuisance,
so I would like to replace it by something with a maximum height
of 10-20'. There are wires for the first 10', so self-clinging
is not required. Either evergreen or flowers.

But the key is that it must be happy with NO direct rainfall!
And, of course, take moderate frosts (hard by West Country
standards, mild by Highlands ones).

Tropaeolum ciliatum should do what you want. But, be warned, it is very
invasive, and runs underground! Frosts above ground will damage the
plants, but the tubers will survive deep underground.

I grew it once, and it survived over 5 years of glyphosate. When I
tried to dig it up, some of the tubers were more than 40cm down up
against the footings of the house. I am sure they would have gone
deeper if they hadn't hit concrete.

Thanks. I need to think of that one - being an older house, the
footings are only a couple of feet deep. Perfectly adequate on
this soil, but it might get under them and come up through the
floor ....

On an unrelated matter, some time back you asked for suggestions for
exotic veg. I just came across this page.
http://www.jungleseeds.co.uk/content...ollection.html

Thanks very much. An update:

Rampion - growing well, but still quite small
Magenta spreen - the one surviving plant is growing OK, but
is not huge
Malabar spinach - now growing OK, but is not huge
Yacon - growing OK, once I had dealt with the snails
Achocha (fat babies) - quite good raw or pickled, but tasteless
as soup
Cherokee Trail of Tears and Greek Gigantes - setting well
Mouse melon - growing and flowering, but the fruit don't set


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article ,
Jeff Layman wrote:

On an unrelated matter, some time back you asked for suggestions for
exotic veg. I just came across this page.
http://www.jungleseeds.co.uk/content...ollection.html

You may have seen it, but if not maybe there is something of interest
for you.

Thanks again. It's interesting, but deceptive. I have grown
some of those, failed with others and know enough not to bother
with yet others. Here are some examples:

Acmella oleracea - "an extremely strong tingling or numbing
sensation"? Watch out! That's a sign of a neurotoxin and,
without further evidence, more than very occasional use might
be seriously harmful. The same applies to any plant grown for
its medicinal benefits.

I would be a bit chary of eating runner bean flowers without
further research.

Feijoa sellowiana - I didn't know that it wasn't self-fertile,
but I doubt that you would get much fruit, anyway. Mine is
flowering now - the flowers are edible and, unusually, sweet.

Asparagus pea - I have grown it, and it was far too high in
tannins. But my mother did, and it was OK. I suspect that
you need a culinary variety.

Oca - it doesn't grow brilliantly with me, as it doesn't
start growing tubers until short day-lengths, and dies at the
first hint of frost. Tedious to grow but very pleasant.

But MOST of them would be marginal even in a warm greenhouse,
because they need at least subtropical conditions.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 04/08/2014 09:20, Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article ,
Jeff Layman wrote:

On an unrelated matter, some time back you asked for suggestions for
exotic veg. I just came across this page.
http://www.jungleseeds.co.uk/content...ollection.html

You may have seen it, but if not maybe there is something of interest
for you.

Thanks again. It's interesting, but deceptive. I have grown
some of those, failed with others and know enough not to bother
with yet others. Here are some examples:

Acmella oleracea - "an extremely strong tingling or numbing
sensation"? Watch out! That's a sign of a neurotoxin and,
without further evidence, more than very occasional use might
be seriously harmful. The same applies to any plant grown for
its medicinal benefits.

Reminds me of a pharmacognosy practical I did as part of a pharmacy
degree. We were asked to try one of the diagnostic tests for aconite
root - touch it on the tip of the tongue! I can still remember the
tingling and numbness that lasted several minutes. I wonder what
Elf'n'Safety would have to say about that today...

Feijoa sellowiana - I didn't know that it wasn't self-fertile,
but I doubt that you would get much fruit, anyway. Mine is
flowering now - the flowers are edible and, unusually, sweet.

I grew this in Sussex and it flowered regularly. Then one year it
produced around a kilo of fruit. These had a rather strange flavour, but
did make some very interesting chutney. It never fruited again (only
once in a dozen years). I'm now growing another one in south Hampshire,
and will be interested to see if that ever sets fruit, although it's
still too young to flower at less than a metre high. It seems to depend
on the strain as to how self-fertile it is
(http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/feijoa.html).

--

Jeff

In article ,
Jeff Layman wrote:

Feijoa sellowiana - I didn't know that it wasn't self-fertile,
but I doubt that you would get much fruit, anyway. Mine is
flowering now - the flowers are edible and, unusually, sweet.

I grew this in Sussex and it flowered regularly. Then one year it
produced around a kilo of fruit. These had a rather strange flavour, but
did make some very interesting chutney. It never fruited again (only
once in a dozen years). I'm now growing another one in south Hampshire,
and will be interested to see if that ever sets fruit, although it's
still too young to flower at less than a metre high. It seems to depend
on the strain as to how self-fertile it is
(http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/feijoa.html).

Ah, interesting. Mine is less than a metre high, but in a pot,
and pruned to keep it within bounds.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Nick Maclaren" wrote

Jeff Layman wrote:

Feijoa sellowiana - I didn't know that it wasn't self-fertile,
but I doubt that you would get much fruit, anyway. Mine is
flowering now - the flowers are edible and, unusually, sweet.

I grew this in Sussex and it flowered regularly. Then one year it
produced around a kilo of fruit. These had a rather strange flavour, but
did make some very interesting chutney. It never fruited again (only
once in a dozen years). I'm now growing another one in south Hampshire,
and will be interested to see if that ever sets fruit, although it's
still too young to flower at less than a metre high. It seems to depend
on the strain as to how self-fertile it is
(http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/feijoa.html).

Ah, interesting. Mine is less than a metre high, but in a pot,
and pruned to keep it within bounds.


Stick with it and eat your heart out Nick.....so many fruit....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmAVb1lpHB4

:-)

--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Jeff Layman wrote:

Feijoa sellowiana - I didn't know that it wasn't self-fertile,
but I doubt that you would get much fruit, anyway. Mine is
flowering now - the flowers are edible and, unusually, sweet.

I grew this in Sussex and it flowered regularly. Then one year it
produced around a kilo of fruit. These had a rather strange flavour, but
did make some very interesting chutney. It never fruited again (only
once in a dozen years). I'm now growing another one in south Hampshire,
and will be interested to see if that ever sets fruit, although it's
still too young to flower at less than a metre high. It seems to depend
on the strain as to how self-fertile it is
(http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/feijoa.html).

Ah, interesting. Mine is less than a metre high, but in a pot,
and pruned to keep it within bounds.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Have you tried Bomarea? B edulis is the one that's easy having tubers it
will cope with dry periods and it dies down to the edible tubers for winter
so is perfectly hardy.

Take a look at
http://pushingtheborders.com/phpBB/v....php?f=4&t=475


--
Charlie, Gardening in Cornwall
Holders of National Collections of Clematis viticella
and Lapageria rosea cvs
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk

In article ,
Charlie Pridham wrote:


Have you tried Bomarea? B edulis is the one that's easy having tubers it
will cope with dry periods and it dies down to the edible tubers for winter
so is perfectly hardy.

How deep? Even in a protected spot like that, the soil freezes
here in a cold winter. Currently, rarely below 2", but it was
futher in the 1980s.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Charlie Pridham wrote:


Have you tried Bomarea? B edulis is the one that's easy having tubers it
will cope with dry periods and it dies down to the edible tubers for
winter
so is perfectly hardy.

How deep? Even in a protected spot like that, the soil freezes
here in a cold winter. Currently, rarely below 2", but it was
futher in the 1980s.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

tubers go deep, up to 12" down in light soil. It really is very easy to
grow, not sure what the tubers taste like though!

--
Charlie, Gardening in Cornwall
Holders of National Collections of Clematis viticella
and Lapageria rosea cvs
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk

In article ,
Charlie Pridham wrote:

Have you tried Bomarea? B edulis is the one that's easy having tubers it
will cope with dry periods and it dies down to the edible tubers for
winter
so is perfectly hardy.

How deep? Even in a protected spot like that, the soil freezes
here in a cold winter. Currently, rarely below 2", but it was
futher in the 1980s.

tubers go deep, up to 12" down in light soil. It really is very easy to
grow, not sure what the tubers taste like though!

I am not sure that it would like the dryness, but it certainly
sounds interesting.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.