We're Going To Need A Bigger Pot

I was drawn into reading your blog through my own ...

2011-12-31T17:14:07.674Z

I was drawn into reading your blog through my own love for plants and fossils ..then was SO saddened to read this happened to you . Dont give up on your beautiful Cycad...I,m sure he will surprise you and spring forth yet again : )

We have a similar dry/shady spot, though with two ...

2011-11-10T00:28:49.857Z

We have a similar dry/shady spot, though with two horrid Leylandiis growing in it. Soil therefore silty dry and very poor. It may be a tad wild, but we have comfrey in our 'dry' patch and its just lovely. Great filler and tough as old boots. We have the blue, pink and white varieties growing very well under the two trees. In addition we have a super hardy geranium (magnificum 'Rosemoor'). Super dark purple colour and prolific flowerer. They fill out brilliantly and easy to maintain. After flowering we sheer the entire lot and up it comes again for a second showing. May be of interest.

And I forgot to say how nice your mother's gar...

2011-10-24T12:43:20.168+01:00

And I forgot to say how nice your mother's garden looks! I love the intersecting circles. If I was her, I would treat myself to one of those big Cretan pots for the far left-hand corner. It would stand out well against the fence and lead the eye round the circles up to that corner, which would make the garden look bigger and give another area of visual interest.

I'd forgotten about the Hebe, Victoria! And th...

2011-10-23T23:31:17.203+01:00

I'd forgotten about the Hebe, Victoria! And the Heucherella. Thanks for all the other suggestions - I'm going to send Mum the link to the post and comments so she can read them. She might even comment (stand by your beds!).

For clothing walls, I swear by Fatshedera lizei, w...

2011-10-23T23:25:23.423+01:00

For clothing walls, I swear by Fatshedera lizei, which doesn't take over like ivy, but will grow fairly quickly. I have 'aurea maculata' but the RHS recommends 'Annemieke' which gives the same impression of dappled sunshine. It needs support though.
Otherwise, Libertia grandiflora is fairly shade and drought-tolerant, with white flowers like small orchids in mid-May and evergreen strappy leaves like a mini phormium. Rampant self-seeder, I'm afraid, but easy to keep under control as the seedlings are so distinctive.
And the hebe I told you about is listed by Architectural Plants as Hebe parviflora angustifolia (a.k.a. H. stenophylla). It's brilliant in dry shade, and you can prune it if you like - AP prune it into big globes.
Some heucheras are more drought and shade-tolerant than others. 'Electra' does well for me, as does Heucherella 'Sweet Tea', which would pick up the colour of the copper beech without being too dark.

I do apologise about that stray apostrophe :( BTW...

2011-10-23T12:01:33.493+01:00

I do apologise about that stray apostrophe :(

BTW - I'm really enjoying your other blog. I wish we'd had you teaching us A Level biology (mumble mumble) years ago - you're coming up with really thought provoking and stretching stuff :)

Thanks for the ideas VP - Rob had mentioned the si...

2011-10-23T10:24:53.373+01:00

Thanks for the ideas VP - Rob had mentioned the silvery leaves too. I like the idea of white foxgloves - I don't think Mum will mind self-seeded nice coloured flowers! :)

Very nice, Julia. Your garden is looking good.

2011-10-23T02:43:00.321+01:00

Very nice, Julia. Your garden is looking good.

I used to arrange volunteer weekends in the Herbar...

2011-10-22T22:55:26.671+01:00

I used to arrange volunteer weekends in the Herbarium - cataloguing the fern part of the collection onto a shiny new database. We saw specimen's collected by Darwin :)

Defo Brunnera 'Jack Frost' and Bob Brown (...

2011-10-22T22:52:21.928+01:00

Defo Brunnera 'Jack Frost' and Bob Brown (of Cotswold Garden Flowers nursery) was extolling the virtues of Sarcococca in precisely those conditions at a talk I went to last Tuesday.

I have Pulmonaria in my shady bit of the garden - if you go for the ones with the silvery bits, they'll brighten up the gloom and they're really good for bees at the beginning of the year.

Dicentra spectabilis does well for me too. I've decided my shady area is a mainly spring garden - taking advantage of the extra light before the leaf canopy kicks in.

How about white foxgloves? Though with the Alchemilla your mum might get self seeding overload.

This was a big topic on the gardening phone in pro...

2011-10-17T12:54:26.185+01:00

This was a big topic on the gardening phone in program on the local radio here yesterday. One of our Magnolias flowered again for the second time a few weeks ago, and one of our Rhododendrons are about to flower too.....

Yay Owen! Have subscribed of course, and will add...

2011-10-15T22:27:45.038+01:00

Yay Owen! Have subscribed of course, and will add you to the blogroll the next time I'm updating.

Tai Haku - didn't know so many of the older conifers will do that, but it does stand to reason that they wouldn't survive as long as they have unless there was some super-duper regeneration power...

Bom - I use the Blogger tags option.

That's great news! OT: May I ask what you us...

2011-09-26T15:22:49.661+01:00

That's great news! OT: May I ask what you use for tagging?

Thats great news Julia! :) Ive started up my blog...

2011-09-19T22:39:19.248+01:00

Thats great news Julia! :)

Ive started up my blog again- been 2 years since I last was doing one- you've inspired me to try again!

http://lifeonstapletonhallroad.blogspot.com/

The stuff in the broader redwood family (Cunningha...

2011-09-19T22:08:13.107+01:00

The stuff in the broader redwood family (Cunninghamia, Taxodium, Metasequoia, Sequoiadendron etc etc) will usually reshoot although most modern conifers won't. It's another of their superbadass survivor skillz.

I've actually seen unwittingly coppiced Sequoia sempervirens specimens.

Perhaps they were harvested (in which case I'm...

2011-09-13T21:16:18.294+01:00

Perhaps they were harvested (in which case I'm glad someone enjoyed them in our absence). I want to continue with it, but I'll see how I get on this autumn.

Could the onions have been harvested by others? ...

2011-09-13T03:13:47.484+01:00

Could the onions have been harvested by others? Then again, why just take the onions. Are you going to keep up with the allotment?

What an annoying person! You're right that he...

2011-09-01T01:54:25.092+01:00

What an annoying person! You're right that he was lucky the drill didn't fall on more precious plants.

That is the way of life. It seems Mother Nature d...

2011-08-13T15:23:14.232+01:00

That is the way of life. It seems Mother Nature does help balance things. Exciting news about Bastard II's flush. Now I'm off to check out Doodia media on Google.

I wanted to sympathise with you on your last post ...

2011-08-13T09:45:17.142+01:00

I wanted to sympathise with you on your last post but to be honest I was so appalled I couldn't find the words. I'm glad Bastard II has come up trumps.. it never ceases to amaze me how small triumphs like that can really change the way you feel about the world.

I'd love to come for your open garden! I'...

2011-08-12T21:29:43.559+01:00

I'd love to come for your open garden! I'm back at work from the 15th, so there won't be a lot of time during that week, sadly.

Hi, Julia, yes, I am opening my garden, on Sunday ...

2011-08-12T21:24:46.725+01:00

Hi, Julia, yes, I am opening my garden, on Sunday 28 August from 2pm to 6pm. If you can come, that would be lovely, but if you want to come over another time and look at the cycad, you're very welcome. I'm at home the week of 21-28 August.

I'm hoping Bastard is as resilient as cycads s...

2011-08-12T10:28:05.092+01:00

I'm hoping Bastard is as resilient as cycads seem to be, although SomeBeans said it can take them a while to realise they're dead!

Victoria, I do have a second cycad (imaginatively called Bastard II), but if you're looking for a good home for yours, then that would be lovely. Are you doing your open garden again this year?

Yes, E. princeps is tucked in with a load o...

2011-08-12T10:25:12.052+01:00

Yes, E. princeps is tucked in with a load of conifers, so he should be okay. I just don't know when the builders are going to go. If they were working for us, then we'd have a timetable for work, but they're working for the people upstairs, and they appear to come and go when they feel like it and don't seem accountable to anyone.

I've got a vast sago palm in a pot in my front...

2011-08-11T23:00:19.584+01:00

I've got a vast sago palm in a pot in my front garden, which gives me what looks like a rash every time I touch it, so I hope it did the same to whoever vandalised your plant.
In fact, come to think of it, you're very welcome to it if you would like it for Jurassic Park?