novocastria wrote
The wind is very off putting for planting things, I have pots of things
waiting to go in and am terrifed that they get ruined by the wind! Do
you think bamboos mind very windy weather!?

Well, I;d wait until the end of March, when hopefully the worst should
be over and let things get well established. You can get willow
hurdles quite cheaply which will make a temporary windbreak while
things get established.

I'd definitely think about fruit trees, as many as you think you can
squeeze in. There is a long tradition of apples, pears, plums out
where you live. Make sure you get a mixture that will polinate each
other.

Then an oak, or a field maple, in one corner. The oak will grow
really slowly, the field maple very quickly.

novocastria wrote
The wind is very off putting for planting things, I have pots of things
waiting to go in and am terrifed that they get ruined by the wind! Do
you think bamboos mind very windy weather!?

My bamboos are doing very well, and they act as a windbreak. Seemed to
bend over alarmingly horizontal and lose a few leaves in the winter
winds, unsurprisingly, but after a year or so they produced new shoots
and are up and running. Possibly the thickness of shoot is also
determined (like trees) by the frequency of waving in the wind, they are
thicker than older shoots.

Robert E A Harvey writes
Well, I;d wait until the end of March, when hopefully the worst should
be over and let things get well established. You can get willow
hurdles quite cheaply which will make a temporary windbreak while
things get established.

Did that, didn't last very long though, after 4 years mine are falling
apart, not helped by the fox that now seems to jump on and over them. If
you do this suggest you add a wire around each of the strands to
strengthen them.

I'd definitely think about fruit trees, as many as you think you can
squeeze in. There is a long tradition of apples, pears, plums out
where you live. Make sure you get a mixture that will polinate each
other.

Did that too. Gotta lotta plums this year, and apples too, but fewer
greengages (rotted on branches) - but had tons last year. Fox or heavy
cat or heavy wind also broke some plum tree branches.

Then an oak, or a field maple, in one corner. The oak will grow
really slowly, the field maple very quickly.

Done this too. Oaks seem to have grown quite a bit this year, but well
outstripped by a self-sown field maple that is only 3 yrs above the
hedge level but now 12' plus high. My 15 yr old was well impressed with
'his' horse chestnut (planted from a conker years ago) which grew nearly
2' in a few weeks in the spring, starting below his height and
overtaking him!

Also successful are laurels, but mind they grow very high, hawthorn and
buckthorn hedging, but needs cutting, and escalonia, which is evergreen
and seems to like being exposed.

Got a few birch trees too, but they are staked at the base and
relatively new and planted as thin screening rather than wind
protection, but they seem to have held up very well to the strong SW
winds I get on the top of the hill between Baldock and Royston (Herts).
I can see 4 miles SE and used to be albe to see 14 miles W to the
Pegston hills before the neighbouring farmer planted a mega barn slap
bang across it.

Forget the higher ceanothus - looks lovely but once fully grown the wind
catches it and splits the supporting trunk. The ground hugging variety
has done well in a lee of a sheltered yard though.

--
David

novocastria muttered:

Does anyone else have herb gardens? What works for you in clay soil? I
used to grow lots of herbs when I lived in the north east and miss them
too...... maybe I need a field to grow everything I wanbt to grow!

We too have clay soil and our herbs are confined to a bed where all the
rubble and sand was stored when building the house. It can be done but I'd
dig in a lot of grit or sand for drainage otherwise you wouldn't be able to
grow Mediterranean herbs successfully. However mints, lemonbalm etc are ok
in clay.

In article , Magwitch
writes
novocastria muttered:

Does anyone else have herb gardens? What works for you in clay soil? I
used to grow lots of herbs when I lived in the north east and miss them
too...... maybe I need a field to grow everything I wanbt to grow!

We too have clay soil and our herbs are confined to a bed where all the
rubble and sand was stored when building the house. It can be done but I'd
dig in a lot of grit or sand for drainage otherwise you wouldn't be able to
grow Mediterranean herbs successfully. However mints, lemonbalm etc are ok
in clay.

I grow rosemary, chives and lavender on clay, and thyme, mrajoram,
calamint and winter savory on top of a wall.

--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"