OT ? - Gardening in the Dordogne ???
 

Hello all,

Just come back from visiting English friends in the Dordogne. Of course the
subject of gardening came up.........

Question 1:
The conditions there seem difficult. It's hot and dry in the summer but can get
down to minus 15 on occasions ! The soil in my friends garden is on a very
steep hillside with only very little poor quality topsoil over a layer of rock
and clay. Water just runs of and it's hard to get things established.

I was wondering whether any URGler's :
have experience of gardening in the Dordogne
or have friends there who might be able to help
or know of any specialist books on the subject

Question 2:
ATM she is looking for a plant to cover the top of a bank (cut away to make room
for extending the house) The plant needs a good root system to hold the earth in
place + hanging quality to drape over the raw edge (she does not want a
retaining wall or whathaveyou) Evergreen would be good too..........

Any thoughts gratefully received :~))

Jenny

JennyC wrote:
snip...
:: Question 2:
:: ATM she is looking for a plant to cover the top of a bank (cut
:: away to make room for extending the house) The plant needs a good
:: root system to hold the earth in place + hanging quality to drape
:: over the raw edge (she does not want a retaining wall or
:: whathaveyou) Evergreen would be good too..........

I'd be very wary of leaving a raw edge like this, especially with no form of
retention and on such a steep incline, If she goes ahead with this, she can
expect a mudslide and other bigger problems after that....you don't see
anything like this in nature and there's a good reason for that :rainwater.

U¿ytkownik "JennyC" napisa³ w wiadomo¶ci
...
| Hello all,
|
| Just come back from visiting English friends in the Dordogne. Of course
the
| subject of gardening came up.........
|
| ATM she is looking for a plant to cover the top of a bank (cut away to
make room
| for extending the house) The plant needs a good root system to hold the
earth in
| place + hanging quality to drape over the raw edge (she does not want a
| retaining wall or whathaveyou) Evergreen would be good too..........

Try creeping juniper, ivy, cotoneaster. All tried out in a colder climate
than Dordogne's:-)

Regards, B.

Jenny wrote ...."ATM she is looking for a plant to cover the top of a bank
(cut away to make room for extending the house) The plant needs a good root
system to hold the earth in place + hanging quality to drape over the raw
edge (she does not want a
retaining wall or whathaveyou) Evergreen would be good too.........."

What about Ivy?
will grow down as well as up.

--
David Hill
Abacus nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk

On 6/9/04 8:12 pm, in article , "JennyC"
wrote:

Hello all,

Just come back from visiting English friends in the Dordogne. Of course the
subject of gardening came up.........

Question 1:
The conditions there seem difficult. It's hot and dry in the summer but can
get
down to minus 15 on occasions ! The soil in my friends garden is on a very
steep hillside with only very little poor quality topsoil over a layer of rock
and clay. Water just runs of and it's hard to get things established.

I was wondering whether any URGler's :
have experience of gardening in the Dordogne
or have friends there who might be able to help
or know of any specialist books on the subject

Question 2:
ATM she is looking for a plant to cover the top of a bank (cut away to make
room
for extending the house) The plant needs a good root system to hold the earth
in
place + hanging quality to drape over the raw edge (she does not want a
retaining wall or whathaveyou) Evergreen would be good too..........

In that climate of intense cold and intense heat and heavy rain at times, I
think she's begging for trouble if she doesn't build a retaining wall. I
wouldn't want to be responsible for suggesting that any plant could do that
kind of job! That's soil that's going to move around a LOT - big trouble,
IMO.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

"JennyC" wrote in message
...
Hello all,

Just come back from visiting English friends in the Dordogne. Of
course the
subject of gardening came up.........

Question 1:
The conditions there seem difficult. It's hot and dry in the summer
but can get
down to minus 15 on occasions ! The soil in my friends garden is on
a very
steep hillside with only very little poor quality topsoil over a
layer of rock
and clay. Water just runs of and it's hard to get things
established.

I was wondering whether any URGler's :
have experience of gardening in the Dordogne
or have friends there who might be able to help
or know of any specialist books on the subject

Question 2:
ATM she is looking for a plant to cover the top of a bank (cut away
to make room
for extending the house) The plant needs a good root system to hold
the earth in
place + hanging quality to drape over the raw edge (she does not
want a
retaining wall or whathaveyou) Evergreen would be good too..........

I smell trouble. How high is the edge? How steep is it? What kind
of soil is it? Has she spoken to anybody with knowledge of the
stability of banks in the vicinity?

Any thoughts gratefully received :~))

Franz

Lots of people replied

"JennyC" wrote
Question 2:
ATM she is looking for a plant to cover the top of a bank (cut away
to make room
for extending the house) The plant needs a good root system to hold
the earth in
place + hanging quality to drape over the raw edge (she does not
want a
retaining wall or whathaveyou) Evergreen would be good too..........


The slope if densely covered with grass, shrubs, small trees etc. It's been
there a long time.

There was a similar overhang before, the excavation have just moved the place
where the original overhang was.

I've posted a picture in alt.binaries.pictures.gardens (same thread name) The
slope is the one running out from the house (parallel to it).

It hasn't ever 'slipped' before..........

Jenny

On 7/9/04 18:21, in article , "JennyC"
wrote:

Lots of people replied

"JennyC" wrote
Question 2:
ATM she is looking for a plant to cover the top of a bank (cut away
to make room
for extending the house) The plant needs a good root system to hold
the earth in
place + hanging quality to drape over the raw edge (she does not
want a
retaining wall or whathaveyou) Evergreen would be good too..........


The slope if densely covered with grass, shrubs, small trees etc. It's been
there a long time.

There was a similar overhang before, the excavation have just moved the place
where the original overhang was.

I've posted a picture in alt.binaries.pictures.gardens (same thread name) The
slope is the one running out from the house (parallel to it).

It hasn't ever 'slipped' before..........

Whatever I type in, I can't pull up a picture.

But you did say that it needs a good root system to hold the earth in place.
If that is NOT in fact such an issue, I recommend Rosmarinus 'Severn Seas'
or any of its cousins for ornamental planting only. I also recommend
evaluation by a surveyor or structural engineer, frankly! It might cost a
couple of hundred pounds and save a few hundred thousand, eventually.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

Nice clear picture, even if posted 3 times .
The bank looks to be about 6ft high, so shouldn't pose any great threat.
I think it might be worth planting Helichrysum petiolare, this would mask
the bank and should prove to be perennial I grew a 30 ft run of it outside
ere in South Wales for around 5 years before I moved away from it.

--
David Hill
Abacus nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk

"David Hill" wrote in message
...
Nice clear picture, even if posted 3 times .

Sorry ! Slip of the keyboard...........

The bank looks to be about 6ft high, so shouldn't pose any great threat.
I think it might be worth planting Helichrysum petiolare, this would mask
the bank and should prove to be perennial I grew a 30 ft run of it outside
ere in South Wales for around 5 years before I moved away from it.

Good idea, I'll pass it on.
Jenny