Does anyone have any ideas for a trailing plant for a really dry window
box?

It's high up on the toilet window sill, so I don't bother watering it.
Atm it has orange flowered aloes and grey echeverias, but I really need
something that will trail down the front. I've tried a trailing sedum
'burro's tail' (can't remember its botanical name) but that didn't
survive the winter.

So I need something succulent, doesn't need full sun (it faces E and
there are trees blocking the sun from S) that can tolerate wet soil and
low temperatures in winter (though obviously there is some heat loss
from the toilet which means it isn't as cold as it would be in the
ground).

I think Euphorbia myrsinites might do, but does anyone have any other
ideas?
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

"Kay" wrote in message
...
Does anyone have any ideas for a trailing plant for a really dry window
box?

It's high up on the toilet window sill, so I don't bother watering it.
Atm it has orange flowered aloes and grey echeverias, but I really need
something that will trail down the front. I've tried a trailing sedum
'burro's tail' (can't remember its botanical name) but that didn't
survive the winter.

So I need something succulent, doesn't need full sun (it faces E and
there are trees blocking the sun from S) that can tolerate wet soil and
low temperatures in winter (though obviously there is some heat loss
from the toilet which means it isn't as cold as it would be in the
ground).

I think Euphorbia myrsinites might do, but does anyone have any other
ideas?
--
Kay

Bit of a contradiction there Kay !!

'dry window box' 'wet soil'

There's a couple of trailing succulents which would fit the bill, but they would
like to be dry in winter.........I'll look the names up asap

Jenny

On Sun, 18 Jul 2004 19:23:35 +0100, Kay
wrote:

Does anyone have any ideas for a trailing plant for a really dry window
box?

It's high up on the toilet window sill, so I don't bother watering it.
Atm it has orange flowered aloes and grey echeverias, but I really need
something that will trail down the front. I've tried a trailing sedum
'burro's tail' (can't remember its botanical name) but that didn't
survive the winter.

So I need something succulent, doesn't need full sun (it faces E and
there are trees blocking the sun from S) that can tolerate wet soil and
low temperatures in winter (though obviously there is some heat loss
from the toilet which means it isn't as cold as it would be in the
ground).

I think Euphorbia myrsinites might do, but does anyone have any other
ideas?

If you can grow aloes, Aloe ciliaris is a scrambly crawly one that
might trail, and grows outside on Tresco and St. Michael's Mount in
Cornwall. It has bright red flowers. Aloe meyeri actually hangs upside
down from cliff faces, but where you'd get the latter, I don't know.

Some of the perennial mezems are also fairly trailing, at least they
do on the cliffs around here. The two common ones are Carpobrotus
edulis (Hottentot fig), 3-inch long fleshy triangular-section leaves
like potato chips, with variously pale pink or pale yellow flowers,
but not very floriferous. I think the other is a Disphyma, with little
fat sausages for leaves and bright magenta flowers in plenty. Both
take a light frost and withstand gales and heavy salt spray (not that
it'll experience the latter on your windowsill!). They'll take winter
wet as long as the soil is well-drained.


--
Chris

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net

"Kay" wrote in message
...
Does anyone have any ideas for a trailing plant for a really dry window
box?

It's high up on the toilet window sill, so I don't bother watering it.
Atm it has orange flowered aloes and grey echeverias, but I really need
something that will trail down the front. I've tried a trailing sedum
'burro's tail' (can't remember its botanical name) but that didn't
survive the winter.

So I need something succulent, doesn't need full sun (it faces E and
there are trees blocking the sun from S) that can tolerate wet soil and
low temperatures in winter (though obviously there is some heat loss
from the toilet which means it isn't as cold as it would be in the
ground).

I think Euphorbia myrsinites might do, but does anyone have any other
ideas?
--
Kay

Bit of a contradiction there Kay !!

'dry window box' 'wet soil'

There's a couple of trailing succulents which would fit the bill, but they would
like to be dry in winter.........I'll look the names up asap

Jenny

On Sun, 18 Jul 2004 19:23:35 +0100, Kay
wrote:

Does anyone have any ideas for a trailing plant for a really dry window
box?

It's high up on the toilet window sill, so I don't bother watering it.
Atm it has orange flowered aloes and grey echeverias, but I really need
something that will trail down the front. I've tried a trailing sedum
'burro's tail' (can't remember its botanical name) but that didn't
survive the winter.

So I need something succulent, doesn't need full sun (it faces E and
there are trees blocking the sun from S) that can tolerate wet soil and
low temperatures in winter (though obviously there is some heat loss
from the toilet which means it isn't as cold as it would be in the
ground).

I think Euphorbia myrsinites might do, but does anyone have any other
ideas?

If you can grow aloes, Aloe ciliaris is a scrambly crawly one that
might trail, and grows outside on Tresco and St. Michael's Mount in
Cornwall. It has bright red flowers. Aloe meyeri actually hangs upside
down from cliff faces, but where you'd get the latter, I don't know.

Some of the perennial mezems are also fairly trailing, at least they
do on the cliffs around here. The two common ones are Carpobrotus
edulis (Hottentot fig), 3-inch long fleshy triangular-section leaves
like potato chips, with variously pale pink or pale yellow flowers,
but not very floriferous. I think the other is a Disphyma, with little
fat sausages for leaves and bright magenta flowers in plenty. Both
take a light frost and withstand gales and heavy salt spray (not that
it'll experience the latter on your windowsill!). They'll take winter
wet as long as the soil is well-drained.


--
Chris

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net

In article , Franz Heymann
writes

It's high up on the toilet window sill, so I don't bother watering
it.
Atm it has orange flowered aloes and grey echeverias, but I really
need
something that will trail down the front. I've tried a trailing
sedum
'burro's tail' (can't remember its botanical name) but that didn't
survive the winter.

So I need something succulent, doesn't need full sun (it faces E and
there are trees blocking the sun from S) that can tolerate wet soil
and
low temperatures in winter (though obviously there is some heat loss
from the toilet which means it isn't as cold as it would be in the
ground).

I think Euphorbia myrsinites might do, but does anyone have any
other
ideas?

The Sedum spuriums seem to thrive anywhere. They will probably dangle
nicely over the edge of the box. The flowering time is rather late,
though.

Thanks. Late flowering's no problem - I have daffs and grape hyacinths
in there for the spring, and the aloe for summer.
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

In article , JennyC
writes

It's high up on the toilet window sill, so I don't bother watering it.
Atm it has orange flowered aloes and grey echeverias, but I really need
something that will trail down the front. I've tried a trailing sedum
'burro's tail' (can't remember its botanical name) but that didn't
survive the winter.

So I need something succulent, doesn't need full sun (it faces E and
there are trees blocking the sun from S) that can tolerate wet soil and
low temperatures in winter (though obviously there is some heat loss
from the toilet which means it isn't as cold as it would be in the
ground).

Kay

Bit of a contradiction there Kay !!

'dry window box' 'wet soil'

Wet soil in winter, I said. Do I have to spell it out and say that the
dry soil is in summer? ;-)

There's a couple of trailing succulents which would fit the bill, but they would
like to be dry in winter.........I'll look the names up asap

It's wet rather than waterlogged - ie, it's compost with reasonable
draininage, but it doesn't necessarily have time to dry out between one
rain shower and the next.
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"