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sensory garden
Hi.
I'm helping a friend plant up her garden and we're looking at developing a sensory theme, with a lot of emphasis on touchy feely plants like globe thistle for it's flower heads, lambs ears, bronze fennel, chamomile that sort of thing. But I'm running a little short of inspiration, does anyone have any suggestions? The main thing should be that the plants are fully hardy and require little maintenance. Help me Obi Wan Kenobi, you're our only hope:o) Thanks in advance. -- Rhiannon_S Yes, I am a fluffly bunny, but so was the one in Monty Python! |
"Sacha" wrote in message . uk... On 27/5/05 17:31, in article , "Rhiannon Sands" wrote: Hi. I'm helping a friend plant up her garden and we're looking at developing a sensory theme, with a lot of emphasis on touchy feely plants like globe thistle for it's flower heads, lambs ears, bronze fennel, chamomile that sort of thing. But I'm running a little short of inspiration, does anyone have any suggestions? The main thing should be that the plants are fully hardy and require little maintenance. Help me Obi Wan Kenobi, you're our only hope:o) Thanks in advance. Daphne for scent, Sarcococca ditto, 'whispery' grasses that rustle in the wind, thyme, lavender etc. Lippia citrodora (which is hardy here but can be a bit dodgy elsewhere, I believe) has wonderful, lemon-scented leaves which make your hands smell gorgeous and can be used to flavour a cake, make a tisane (too much is bad for the stomach) and an eyewash. And if she can grow one climbing rose, please make it Mme. Isaac Pereire because the scent will stop anyone in their tracks. -- Stipa tenuissima - nice grass to run fingers through and hardy here in the SE little/no maintenance, some geraniums .. for scent and their feel. Artemesia - powis castle ... scent and feel. If your looking at globe thistle .. why not check out the cardoons ... and for prickliness the sea hollys. |
"p00kie" wrote in message . uk... "Sacha" wrote in message . uk... On 27/5/05 17:31, in article , "Rhiannon Sands" wrote: Hi. I'm helping a friend plant up her garden and we're looking at developing a sensory theme, with a lot of emphasis on touchy feely plants like globe thistle for it's flower heads, lambs ears, bronze fennel, chamomile that sort of thing. But I'm running a little short of inspiration, does anyone have any suggestions? The main thing should be that the plants are fully hardy and require little maintenance. Help me Obi Wan Kenobi, you're our only hope:o) Thanks in advance. Daphne for scent, Sarcococca ditto, 'whispery' grasses that rustle in the wind, thyme, lavender etc. Lippia citrodora (which is hardy here but can be a bit dodgy elsewhere, I believe) has wonderful, lemon-scented leaves which make your hands smell gorgeous and can be used to flavour a cake, make a tisane (too much is bad for the stomach) and an eyewash. And if she can grow one climbing rose, please make it Mme. Isaac Pereire because the scent will stop anyone in their tracks. -- Stipa tenuissima - nice grass to run fingers through and hardy here in the SE little/no maintenance, some geraniums .. for scent and their feel. Artemesia - powis castle ... scent and feel. If your looking at globe thistle .. why not check out the cardoons ... and for prickliness the sea hollys. Hi thanks for the suggestions, I might skip the couple that aren't certain hardy, my friend lives in the galloway hills and is in a pretty exposed position. It's a pretty position as well though:o) Thanks both of you. -- Rhiannon_S Yes, I am a fluffly bunny, but so was the one in Monty Python! |
"Rhiannon Sands" wrote in message ... Hi. I'm helping a friend plant up her garden and we're looking at developing a sensory theme, with a lot of emphasis on touchy feely plants like globe thistle for it's flower heads, lambs ears, bronze fennel, chamomile that sort of thing. But I'm running a little short of inspiration, does anyone have any suggestions? The main thing should be that the plants are fully hardy and require little maintenance. curry plant? Lemon balm, mints? The bronze fennel not only feels nice but smells nice too. I have it here. |
"pammyT" fenlandfowl @talktalk.net wrote in message ... "Rhiannon Sands" wrote in message ... Hi. I'm helping a friend plant up her garden and we're looking at developing a sensory theme, with a lot of emphasis on touchy feely plants like globe thistle for it's flower heads, lambs ears, bronze fennel, chamomile that sort of thing. But I'm running a little short of inspiration, does anyone have any suggestions? The main thing should be that the plants are fully hardy and require little maintenance. curry plant? Lemon balm, mints? The bronze fennel not only feels nice but smells nice too. I have it here. I hadn't noticed much of a smell from the bronze fennel myself, but it's certainly a very, very touchy feely plant. Does the smell develop as the plant gets older? I've never been too sure about mints, I've heard they're horribly invasive, then again maybe we need to bung something like that in what I call the dandelion bed:o) Can I just ask, is curry plant hardy? I mean will it survive in cold winds in an exposed garden that is prone to severe frosts? It looks nice and smells and feels nice, but it doesn't seem to be hardy at all. -- Rhiannon_S Yes, I am a fluffly bunny, but so was the one in Monty Python! |
"Rhiannon Sands" wrote in message ... curry plant? Lemon balm, mints? The bronze fennel not only feels nice but smells nice too. I have it here. I hadn't noticed much of a smell from the bronze fennel myself, but it's certainly a very, very touchy feely plant. Does the smell develop as the plant gets older? Dunno. Mine has a very strong smell. You only have to brush against it to smell it. Perhaps some are more pungent than others? Mine is approximately 4 years old now and I find baby ones sprouting all over the place. It dies back and returns every year. I've never been too sure about mints, I've heard they're horribly invasive, then again maybe we need to bung something like that in what I call the dandelion bed:o) plant them in a pot pr bucket. I planted several varieties, (pineapple, chocolate,ginger) right next to a footpath so that it gets walked on as it spreads, this tends to keep it tamed . Can I just ask, is curry plant hardy? I mean will it survive in cold winds in an exposed garden that is prone to severe frosts? It survives my neglect here in the fens where our winds are legendary coming straight off the Wash and cutting right through you. It looks nice and smells and feels nice, but it doesn't seem to be hardy at all. mine is. |
"pammyT" fenlandfowl @talktalk.net wrote in message ... "Rhiannon Sands" wrote in message ... curry plant? Lemon balm, mints? The bronze fennel not only feels nice but smells nice too. I have it here. I hadn't noticed much of a smell from the bronze fennel myself, but it's certainly a very, very touchy feely plant. Does the smell develop as the plant gets older? Dunno. Mine has a very strong smell. You only have to brush against it to smell it. Perhaps some are more pungent than others? Mine is approximately 4 years old now and I find baby ones sprouting all over the place. It dies back and returns every year. I've never been too sure about mints, I've heard they're horribly invasive, then again maybe we need to bung something like that in what I call the dandelion bed:o) plant them in a pot pr bucket. I planted several varieties, (pineapple, chocolate,ginger) right next to a footpath so that it gets walked on as it spreads, this tends to keep it tamed . Can I just ask, is curry plant hardy? I mean will it survive in cold winds in an exposed garden that is prone to severe frosts? It survives my neglect here in the fens where our winds are legendary coming straight off the Wash and cutting right through you. It looks nice and smells and feels nice, but it doesn't seem to be hardy at all. mine is. Thanks for the advice, I'll give them a try now. Does anyone else find that there is a lot of contradictory information about plant hardiness around? -- Rhiannon_S Yes, I am a fluffly bunny, but so was the one in Monty Python! |
"Rhiannon Sands" wrote in
: Thanks for the advice, I'll give them a try now. Does anyone else find that there is a lot of contradictory information about plant hardiness around? I do find there can be a world of difference between an established plant that has been growing outside for some time, or which germinated from seed in its final location, and a plant of the same variety that has been grown on quickly from seed or cutting with heat and not been really properly hardened off. (Even if the plants are sitting outside at a garden centre, you often can't be sure that they haven't just been stuck outside for the first time that morning. I have definitely bought some in the past that weren't, even though they told me they would be fine. :-( ) Even if a plant doesn't actually keel over with cold, if it's feeling a bit sensitive it seems to be a lot more vulnerable to predation. The pumpkins I planted out a bit too early last year didn't die, but they got slugged and really didn't do well. I quickly planted some more seeds and planted out more seedlings a few weeks later, and those were totally untouched by the slugs and grew like mad. Victoria -- gardening on a north-facing hill in South-East Cornwall -- |
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