h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Aha! Wilfrid you sound like just the entity to help or offer a sympathetic ear to my horticultural handicaps.
You may have noticed that it rained quite a bit last Winter and indeed most of the following Spring and preceding Summer . Living as I do in a shady, peaty valley this delightful weather ensured a determined dampness persisting in my garden for a good 12 month period. I'm attributing this year's failure of some of my garden's stalwarts to the appalling weather but I'd be delighted to hear if you have any alternative theories.
First of all, my Santolina (cotton lavender) which had been thriving and covered in little yellow flowers last year, failed completely this year, no signs of foliage never mind flowers. It appears to have died from sogginess. Unless they have a brief lifecycle I didn't know about?
Second my sedum which could always be relied on for strong shoots and autumn colour has shown no sign of life this year yet. It's never faltered before, could it be all because it hates excessive rain?
Finally, the Summer bulbs I was given for my birthday in March and planted hopefully shortly afterwards have all failed so far. Please tell me there's still hope of a bit of late colour. They can't ALL have rotted in the ground can they??
That's all. I feel so much better to have confided my worries to a sympathetic ear. It'd be even better if you had any suggestions or words of comfort.

MC

MC,

Mutual comiserations rather than words of comfort, MC. This winter's drowning victims in Huddersfield included several Heucheras, Dianthus deltoides, and a Weigela 'Foleis Purpureis' that I thought was virtually indestructible.

The plants you mention are not really suited to your garden conditions. Grey, hairy, or fleshy leaves are adaptations for drought and both Santolina and Sedum will object strongly to shade and winter wet. Summer bulbs such as Friesias will also tend to disappoint though I've had quite a few Allium caeruleum come back this year (on a steepish slope that tends to drain quite well).

Your conditions have terrific potential that many a gardener would give a right arm for; but it wouldn't be to grow Mediterranean species. Personally, I'd be packing the boggier places with Astilbes and Royal fern 'Osmunda regalis' - but this would be part of a cool woodland style of planting. What 'look' are you trying to create, MC ?

Wilf

As I thought, oh well never mind. Commiserations for you drowning victims also.

Woodland's a good look, I've got various places where that might work. I've got a few astilbes already, flowering beautifully at the mo. How big are those ferns you suggested?

I've got some things that are more suited to my soil and weather, a little Pieris that looks very happy for example. I've thought of adding some azaleas or rhododendrums like everybody else in the street but it'd have to be something small and I'd rather fill my new holes with something that could flower later in the year. My garden looks at its best in May, but late Summer/Autumn is a bit empty.

I'm also looking for some fruit that likes acidic soil. When I moved in I had a heavy fruiting blackcurrant bush but that got a disease the next year and has never fruited since. I've now removed it but I don't know if there's anything I could put in its place. Any ideas or should I stick to buying fruit from Tescos (*other supermarkets are available*)

Late summer is always a bit difficult MC. One way round this (or my own approach, to be honest) is to do most of my painting with leaf. Basically, nothing gets into the garden unless it can hold its own when out of flower. At the moment I have a stunning combination working of an acid-green leafed Tradescantia (+ purple flowers) 'Sweet Kate', russet red and green leafed Leucothoe, rich purple leafed Heuchera 'Palace Purple' (+ misty sprays of white flowers) and sprawling across the three cool blue/grey branchlets of Rosa glauca.

Of the rhododendrons, the large dull-leaved hybrids are best avoided unless you own Chatsworth or the like. But the deciduous azaleas are a must flowering a little later in the season than most rhodies, and with gorgeous autumn leaf colour.

The ferns add a subtle range of greens plus great architectural value. The Osmunda regalis can grow to 6 feet where really well suited, but a little over 3 feet is more typical. Tree ferns cost a bit of money for a good sized one, but for me they're worth every penny.

In flower at the moment I have Astilbe 'Pumila' (later and a little different to most of it's relatives), Primula vialli, gorgeous deep-blue trumpets of Gentiana septemfida (Gentiana sino-ornata will follow a month or so further on), second flush of dwarf Verbascums, dwarf hardy Fuchsias ('Lady Thumb', I think), and the main stays of this time of year Geraniums (try 'Buxton Blue'), the summer-flowering heathers, and Hydrangea 'Baumgartenleiter Kirschner' - deep velvet green leaves and (with a little help from the chemist if necessary) royal blue florets.

Fruit-wise, you might like to look at the Vaccinium family - cowberry, high-bush blueberry etc, which should thrive and also look good.

Is there anything else you fancy trying ?

Wilf

How's it going, MC?

In passing I thought I'd mention that this autumn, I suddenly seem to have acquired more self-sown antirrhinums than you can shake a stick at.

I know snapdragons can be a bit loud, but clearly they are happy enough in wet, shady acid conditions. A thought for next year if you can find a decent variety.

Hey Wilfrid!
Antirrhinums are a good thought I did try some a couple of years ago and had good results. They didn't self-seed though I did collect some of the seeds for myself and put them somewhere safe to sow later ( unfortunately my memories like a seive with holes just big enough for seeds to get lost through)
At the moment all I have flowering is an unidentified large purple flowering clematis that was here when I moved in, a fair few clumps of crocosmias and a rather pathetic fuschia I was given by a colleague which despite hating my damp shady garden has bravely produced 2 flowers
Think I'll use this winter to rethink the planting in a goodly chunk of my garden.

I put in a Kerria last Autumn, which flowered riotously in the early summer and is flowering AGAIN now.
The other two things that are loking gorgeous at the moment are a mallow and various different shades of phlox paniculata. *inhales deeply*

Primulas also seem to love the wet conditions and can normally be relied on to flower at least twice a year. The dark yellow ones smell wonderful too.

We have a lot of redcurrants and gooseberries. They seem quite happy with the acid soil.

I have an abutilon against the south wall of the house (at the western corner). It's 2 or 3 years old and has reached 7 or 8 foot, but whole chunks of it seem to be dying off, crisply and brownly
Is this down to the wet weather?

Hello again, Tefkat

If I'd read this posting first, I could have saved myself some detective work !

Or could I? The old grey cells are starting to hurt a little because the conditions you describe sound like a typical boggy acid clay, yet of all the plants you mention, there are no definite acid lovers (rhododendrons, camellias, late gentians etc) among them. Even Phlox paniculata is not a type that really prefers acid soil (such as P divaricata or P stolonifera).

Mallows and Abutilon, along with Lavatera are all very closely related (family Malvaceae) and all are quite short lived. They don't enjoy winter wet, so your Abutilon may well be yet another of this years drowning casualties. Similar symptoms occurred to my beloved Lavatera 'Rosea' and it was mecilessly hacked back (I tend to resort to the old Spartan trial by fire in these situations!). It seems albeit gingerly, to be returning.

Wilfrid

Hi Wilfrid
I seem to be following you around.
Yep, definitely a typical boggy acid clay. I did actually plant a Rhodie last year (how daring ).
Don't want to lose my beautiful abutilon. It flowers so wonderfully. Tried taking cuttings last month, but four of the five don't look terribly happy

Very odd.
The acers, rowans, amelanchier et al have all turned glorious colours, the ground is carpeted with gorgeous, crackly leaves, the thermometer says 1°C and the farmers are all forecasting snow for today or tomorrow and yet I still have the lavatera, phlox, geraniums and 5 different rosebushes flowering merrily, with new rosebuds opening almost daily, and now my primulas have started to burst into bloom again.

My primulas too, including one P. vialli. Also Tradescantia 'Sweet Kate', Omphalodes cappadocica - all we need now are the daffs and tulips.

No sign of daffs and tulips here yet but I did notice my lavendar has just opened up some fresh blooms and I don't remember the last time it managed a second set this late. Also lots of Welsh poppies - they may be weeds but they're hardy little bu**ers aren't they.
The Virginia Creeper on the front of my house has turned its proper gorgeous Autumnal red and dropped its leaves all over the garden as normal though

Did anyone else see the GMTV weather forecast from Blakey Ridge on the North Yorks Moors this morning? We need a good snap of that sort of weather to see out the old season in preparation for the new.

Ah, the old days. Carrying a spade to school so you could dig your way out in the evening - being bombed by flocks of frozen starlings dropping out of the leaden skies - and home to a cup of hot Yorkshire tea and a round of Hovis and bacon drip!

Didn't see the weather. Too busy trying to stop the snow trickling down my neck
Was it impressive?

Ah, the old days. Getting stuck in a blizzard 2 miles from home for over 5 hours, heavily pregnant and with three frightened children - finally being rescued at 9.30pm by a serendipitous squaddie - barely managing to fight through the few feet to his Land Rover and then having him snowed in with you for the next 3 days, with no heating, light or hot water.....hearing what the neighbours had to say about THAT!

You did well to get out of that in one piece

Ooh I know! Mrs Grundy can be quite frightening when roused.

Now THAT I would like to see first hand

I meant roused to righteous indignation

I just looked casually out of the kitchen window and ended up tearing out into the garden, arms windmilling wildly, screaming "Raaaaaargh!"

The dog said I was barmy and highly embarrassing - but at least those hens won't try to eat my apples again today.