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

I had a scout round at work and found a list of plants that will tolerate the conditions in your garden. Whether or not thay are available over there i don't know. Anyway its worth a try. Though it did state that they should be planted in Auntumn to give them the best start possible.

Aucuba
Euonymous
Hypericum
Osmanthus decorus
Sarcococoa
Viburnum Tinus
Acanthus
Ajuga
Symphytum
Choisya Ternata
Lonicera Pileata
Crydalis Lutea
Epimendium Grandifolium
Geranium Phaeum
Polygonatum
Viola riviniana pupurea.

Hope that helps or at least gives you some idea.

As well, please excuse the intrusion.

The scariest thing about these kinds of lists? She can roll them off of the tip of her tongue without needing to think twice. She's done it to me already.

To Venus ... and

To Ivan, a good morning/evening.

Hi Nick

Hi, both of you.

Acanthus! I don't know why I didn't think of acanthus. I've grown it before - though in a warmer climate. I'll definitely put some in, if I find any. (I've usually seen them on sale in Spring... Nice young plants, cheap.)

The others on the list... I'll have to Google, sometime. Most of the names are unfamiliar. Geranium's always a good idea, though whether that particular type is available remains to be seen.

Now - what sort of conditions do azaleas need? Would they cope in cold shade?

Hiya
Its worth a try with azaleas, they do like shady conditions, though they are fussy about soil. Over here they only grow well in acid soil (ericacious or peat) Nice flowers, they would certainly bring some colour to that area.

Probably the wrong soil, then. Mind you, I can't remember even basic chemistry - is limestone alkaline? Before they stuck a city here, this district was known as the Limestone Plains...

Yes, limestone is alkaline and not the ideal conditions for azaleas. It might be wise to think of something alse. A good idea is to see what other plants people have in thier gardens, as they shuold do well in yours.

Around here, they have japonica (of the same type as the one I'm battling), and mondo grass and dwarf box and pittosporum (which I've used out the front).

I think it'll have to be acanthus, and maybe a few natives from the alpine district a couple of hours up the road.

I don't suppose there's a frost-tolerant type of begonia?

Oh, they either don't have much imagination, or nothing else is available, not very inspiring plants eh!

I like Acanthus, i have one in my garden. Its still only young. This year i'm hoping it will flower as its got quite big now.

The standard garden around here consists of a few random trees, lots of lawn, and a hedge. Shrubberies, flowerbeds and things like that tend to be the province of those with time on their hands... And nutters like me, obviously.

I'd like to plant a couple of trees, but I think the landlord might object to such a radical redesign.

Its the same here alot of the time. Most well kept gardens belong to people that have retired and have all day to potter about. Mine gets a blitz when i have time to do it. though i do try and mow the lawn weekly

I'm half-ashamed to admit that I have someone else mow the lawn for me. It's my one major extravagance. But then again, if I hate doing it that much, and this bloke likes getting paid to do things like that, well, why not? I mean, I hate driving, but there's [people who get paid for it, so why not pay one when it's necessary?

But back to the plants. I'm trying to think of things that have good-sized leaves. Most native plants have small, narrow, spiky leaves; I want something with a bit of decent foliage. Gardening was easier in Adelaide - it's warmer, for a start. Here in Canberra, the frosts are a real nuisance. After 5 years here, I'm still learning how to garden in a cool climate.

The problem is, that for a dry shady area small leaved plant fair better. They don't lose so much moisture from thier leaves like broad leaved plants. You might get away with a Laurel (Acuba) nice big glossy leaves and they will tolerate shade.

I'd love someone to come and mow my grass, its a chore that i don't enjoy. I can't afford to pay someone to do it though

Laurel! Another fabulous idea, thanks!

What conditions does daphne need?

Ooooh daphne, one of my favourite plants. It depends what variety you get. The evergreen ones (odora) could be ok as they like shade, you may have to give a little attention to watering that one. Once established it could be ok.

I didn't even know there was a deciduous type of daphne. I guess that means we don't have it here...

I was at a boring conference today; at half-time I went outside and found that the conference centre had a south-facing courtyard, featuring acanthus and agapanthus, among other things. They were flourishing. That's encouraging.

I have the deciduous variety Daphne Mezerum, its a strange looking thing. Just a bunch of twigs with a tuft of leaves at the end of each branch. It flowers all down the bare stems, little purple flowers and very fragrant.

Maybe you could try some agapanthus too, a nice splash of colour to brighten up a border.

I don't really like agapanthus all that much, but if they're going to fill the space and not die, they'll do.

What colour are the Agapanthus you get there? We get various shades of blue and white. Some are dwarf and some are huge. I like the deep blue ones, but havent had much success in growing then.

We have white and blue - possibly pinkish too, unless my eyes were playing up that day - and both the standard and dwarf forms. Very popular plants, on account of needing no attention I assume.