Hi all.

I have a friend who is busy reclaiming a cottage from the wilderness and I'm
looking for any recommendations for plants, it is a bit of what you might
call a challenging site though. It's at the bottom of a cold scottish
valley (although the valley itself is quite high up), but it is very, very
damp (the only things that are growing nearby are sedges and rushes) and the
soil is very poor due to it having been on the edge of a conifer plantation
(now removed except for a few more unreachable spruces) so it is very poor,
thin, stony and acid soil. In sort, damp, acid, shady, poor soil. I'll
admit to be being at a bit of a loss with suggestions. I suppose the good
news is she wants to do a woodland style garden, but apart from hazels and
hollies I'm all out of ideas.

Can anyone help, please?

--
There is no God but Eris, and Jay and Silent bob are her Prophets.

In article ,
"Rhiannon_s" writes:
|
| I have a friend who is busy reclaiming a cottage from the wilderness and I'm
| looking for any recommendations for plants, it is a bit of what you might
| call a challenging site though. It's at the bottom of a cold scottish
| valley (although the valley itself is quite high up), but it is very, very
| damp (the only things that are growing nearby are sedges and rushes) and the
| soil is very poor due to it having been on the edge of a conifer plantation
| (now removed except for a few more unreachable spruces) so it is very poor,
| thin, stony and acid soil. In sort, damp, acid, shady, poor soil. I'll
| admit to be being at a bit of a loss with suggestions. I suppose the good
| news is she wants to do a woodland style garden, but apart from hazels and
| hollies I'm all out of ideas.

Birches, alders, blueberries etc., heathers and bog myrtle. Perhaps
some willows. Seriously.

There are variations, but she should stick to things that grow naturally
in similar conditions, and then try a few more exotic plants.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...

In article ,
"Rhiannon_s" writes:
|
| I have a friend who is busy reclaiming a cottage from the wilderness
and I'm
| looking for any recommendations for plants, it is a bit of what you
might
| call a challenging site though. It's at the bottom of a cold scottish
| valley (although the valley itself is quite high up), but it is very,
very
| damp (the only things that are growing nearby are sedges and rushes)
and the
| soil is very poor due to it having been on the edge of a conifer
plantation
| (now removed except for a few more unreachable spruces) so it is very
poor,
| thin, stony and acid soil. In sort, damp, acid, shady, poor soil.
I'll
| admit to be being at a bit of a loss with suggestions. I suppose the
good
| news is she wants to do a woodland style garden, but apart from hazels
and
| hollies I'm all out of ideas.

Birches, alders, blueberries etc., heathers and bog myrtle. Perhaps
some willows. Seriously.

There are variations, but she should stick to things that grow naturally
in similar conditions, and then try a few more exotic plants.



Thanks, will pass on the list. Do you know of anything herbaceous and
flowering, or would those sort of plants not work at all?

--
There is no God but Eris, and Jay and Silent Bob are her Prophets.

"Rhiannon_s" wrote
I have a friend who is busy reclaiming a cottage from the wilderness and
I'm
looking for any recommendations for plants, it is a bit of what you might
call a challenging site though. It's at the bottom of a cold scottish
valley (although the valley itself is quite high up), but it is very, very
damp (the only things that are growing nearby are sedges and rushes) and
the
soil is very poor due to it having been on the edge of a conifer
plantation
(now removed except for a few more unreachable spruces) so it is very
poor,
thin, stony and acid soil. In sort, damp, acid, shady, poor soil. I'll
admit to be being at a bit of a loss with suggestions. I suppose the good
news is she wants to do a woodland style garden, but apart from hazels and
hollies I'm all out of ideas.

Can anyone help, please?

Sounds like you need to be looking at Bog Plants and those suitable for pond
margins.
Things like Iris siberica and leavigata.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
17mls W. of London.UK

In reply to Bob Hobden ) who wrote this in
, I, Marvo, say :

"Rhiannon_s" wrote
I have a friend who is busy reclaiming a cottage from the wilderness
and I'm
looking for any recommendations for plants, it is a bit of what you
might call a challenging site though. It's at the bottom of a cold
scottish valley (although the valley itself is quite high up), but
it is very, very damp (the only things that are growing nearby are
sedges and rushes) and the
soil is very poor due to it having been on the edge of a conifer
plantation
(now removed except for a few more unreachable spruces) so it is very
poor,
thin, stony and acid soil. In sort, damp, acid, shady, poor soil. I'll
admit to be being at a bit of a loss with suggestions. I
suppose the good news is she wants to do a woodland style garden,
but apart from hazels and hollies I'm all out of ideas.

Can anyone help, please?

Sounds like you need to be looking at Bog Plants and those suitable
for pond margins.
Things like Iris siberica and leavigata.

Or the humble Hosta, if you like it.

Heathers? Give a lot of ground cover and colour. Something to go in between
the trees. And bluebells for the spring.

Moist well-drained acid soil is ideal for so much, it is the cold winds and late springs that reduce your options. Some plants like fertile soil, but that can be corrected.

Plenty of herbaceous flowers in western Canada, Norway, Chile, etc, where such conditions are common.
Canadian dogwood (Cornus canadensis), mountain avens (Dryas octopetala), skunk cabbage (Lysichiton americanus), trilliums...

Among shrubs, probably some berberis, in a sunnier spot. Among trees, antarctic beech (Nothofagus antarctica) is very nice. Probably some bamboos you can grow, some quite like it cool, like Phyllostachys aureosulcata, which has some very colourful varieties.

The weather in the Tasmanian highlands is pretty awful, cold and damp, I wonder whether you could grow some of the snow gums - Eucalyptus pauciflora, E nipophila, E gregsoniana, E debeuzevillei, E coccifera, E perriniana - they would soak up some water, and perhaps even keep some of the midges away.

In message , Nick Maclaren
writes

In article ,
"Rhiannon_s" writes:
|
| I have a friend who is busy reclaiming a cottage from the wilderness and I'm
| looking for any recommendations for plants, it is a bit of what you might
| call a challenging site though. It's at the bottom of a cold scottish
| valley (although the valley itself is quite high up), but it is very, very
| damp (the only things that are growing nearby are sedges and rushes) and the
| soil is very poor due to it having been on the edge of a conifer plantation
| (now removed except for a few more unreachable spruces) so it is very poor,
| thin, stony and acid soil. In sort, damp, acid, shady, poor soil. I'll
| admit to be being at a bit of a loss with suggestions. I suppose the good
| news is she wants to do a woodland style garden, but apart from hazels and
| hollies I'm all out of ideas.

Birches, alders, blueberries etc., heathers and bog myrtle. Perhaps
some willows. Seriously.

There are variations, but she should stick to things that grow naturally
in similar conditions, and then try a few more exotic plants.

Scots Pine might do.

Would any of the alpine Rhododendrons handle the conditions?

Perhaps, the prostrate alpine form of Juniper, as found growing in wet
areas of the Cairngorm plateau.

Leyland Cypress? :-)

Regards,
Nick Maclaren.


--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

"Stewart Robert Hinsley" wrote in message
...
In message , Nick Maclaren
writes

In article ,
"Rhiannon_s" writes:
|
| I have a friend who is busy reclaiming a cottage from the wilderness
and I'm
| looking for any recommendations for plants, it is a bit of what you
might
| call a challenging site though. It's at the bottom of a cold scottish
| valley (although the valley itself is quite high up), but it is very,
very
| damp (the only things that are growing nearby are sedges and rushes)
and the
| soil is very poor due to it having been on the edge of a conifer
plantation
| (now removed except for a few more unreachable spruces) so it is very
poor,
| thin, stony and acid soil. In sort, damp, acid, shady, poor soil.
I'll
| admit to be being at a bit of a loss with suggestions. I suppose the
good
| news is she wants to do a woodland style garden, but apart from hazels
and
| hollies I'm all out of ideas.

Birches, alders, blueberries etc., heathers and bog myrtle. Perhaps
some willows. Seriously.

There are variations, but she should stick to things that grow naturally
in similar conditions, and then try a few more exotic plants.

Scots Pine might do.

Would any of the alpine Rhododendrons handle the conditions?

Perhaps, the prostrate alpine form of Juniper, as found growing in wet
areas of the Cairngorm plateau.

Leyland Cypress? :-)



I don't think I'll suggest either a Rhoddie or Leyland Cyprus as I'm quite
fond of breathing) But I'll add Scot's pine to the list for my friend
--
There is no God but Eris, and Jay and Silent Bob are her Prophets.

"Uncle Marvo" wrote in message
...
In reply to Bob Hobden ) who wrote this in
, I, Marvo, say :

"Rhiannon_s" wrote
I have a friend who is busy reclaiming a cottage from the wilderness
and I'm
looking for any recommendations for plants, it is a bit of what you
might call a challenging site though. It's at the bottom of a cold
scottish valley (although the valley itself is quite high up), but
it is very, very damp (the only things that are growing nearby are
sedges and rushes) and the
soil is very poor due to it having been on the edge of a conifer
plantation
(now removed except for a few more unreachable spruces) so it is very
poor,
thin, stony and acid soil. In sort, damp, acid, shady, poor soil. I'll
admit to be being at a bit of a loss with suggestions. I
suppose the good news is she wants to do a woodland style garden,
but apart from hazels and hollies I'm all out of ideas.

Can anyone help, please?

Sounds like you need to be looking at Bog Plants and those suitable
for pond margins.
Things like Iris siberica and leavigata.

Or the humble Hosta, if you like it.

Heathers? Give a lot of ground cover and colour. Something to go in
between
the trees. And bluebells for the spring.


Thank you both for that, quick question is that don't those need a richer
soil? It is very poor and stony.
--
There is no God but Eris, and Jay and Silent Bob are her Prophets.

On Oct 2, 5:12 pm, Stewart Robert Hinsley
wrote:
In message , Nick Maclaren
writes



In article ,
"Rhiannon_s" writes:
|
| I have a friend who is busy reclaiming a cottage from the wilderness and I'm
| looking for any recommendations for plants, it is a bit of what you might
| call a challenging site though. It's at the bottom of a cold scottish
| valley (although the valley itself is quite high up), but it is very, very
| damp (the only things that are growing nearby are sedges and rushes) and the
| soil is very poor due to it having been on the edge of a conifer plantation
| (now removed except for a few more unreachable spruces) so it is very poor,
| thin, stony and acid soil. In sort, damp, acid, shady, poor soil. I'll
| admit to be being at a bit of a loss with suggestions. I suppose the good
| news is she wants to do a woodland style garden, but apart from hazels and
| hollies I'm all out of ideas.

Birches, alders, blueberries etc., heathers and bog myrtle. Perhaps
some willows. Seriously.

There are variations, but she should stick to things that grow naturally
in similar conditions, and then try a few more exotic plants.

Scots Pine might do.

Would any of the alpine Rhododendrons handle the conditions?

Perhaps, the prostrate alpine form of Juniper, as found growing in wet
areas of the Cairngorm plateau.

Leyland Cypress? :-)

Holey Saint Imelda; Now there's an idea. And some Reynoutria
japponica while yer at it, for nice foliage.





Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

In article ,
"Rhiannon_s" writes:
|
| Thank you both for that, quick question is that don't those need a richer
| soil? It is very poor and stony.

That's what I was expecting :-( My list will grow, though not fast
or large, in such soil (I believe), as will Scots pine and probably
juniper. But things like Rhododendrons will not like it, not at all,
and I could be wrong about some of my list.

The problem is that poor and stony soil dries out in the occasional
dry spell that even the Highlands get. Anything that hates drought
will last until that happens and then probably drop dead.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Whether you are in the Highlands of Scotland, or the Chilterns like me, the key to growing stuff well is improving the soil. There is stuff that will grow where you are without improvement, heather and willows and mountain avens, but if you want any variety, you need to improve the soil. It's hard work.

I have a stony soil. So, when I plant things, I dig a big hole, pass all the soil through a coarse sieve or ridler to remove the bigger stones, and what remains is still gravelly enough to be well drained, but it is less dry and thin. I didn't used to do this. Now I do it, the stuff I plant grows a lot better and is less prone to die. In fact, I now dig even bigger holes than I did to start with, and having a larger volume of good soil for each plant helps even more. But it is time consuming, and I have now taken literally tons of stones to the tip.

I have a soil of low humus. So I incorporate humus in the soil, such as compost, peat. Being dry, also perlite. Though you might not need that. I put a mulch on top to slow it from drying out.

Yes, you have soil of low fertility, but you can feed plants. Just because you are in the Highlands doesn't absolve you of that. We all have to do it. For example, if you want to grow suitably hardy rhodies and azaleas, I've seen really lovely ones along the coast just east of Plockton, and there are loadsa really beautiful ones, then they need feeding. Bamboo will need feeding too if you want that. There are probably other lovely grasses you could grow, like stuff that comes from Patagonia (Elymus magellanicus is just about the bluest grass there is) or NZ.

"echinosum" wrote in message
...

Nick Maclaren;751580 Wrote:
The problem is that poor and stony soil dries out in the occasional dry
spell that even the Highlands get. Anything that hates drought will
last until that happens and then probably drop dead.
Whether you are in the Highlands of Scotland, or the Chilterns like me,
the key to growing stuff well is improving the soil. There is stuff
that will grow where you are without improvement, heather and willows
and mountain avens, but if you want any variety, you need to improve
the soil. It's hard work.

I have a stony soil. So, when I plant things, I dig a big hole, pass
all the soil through a coarse sieve or ridler to remove the bigger
stones, and what remains is still gravelly enough to be well drained,
but it is less dry and thin. I didn't used to do this. Now I do it, the
stuff I plant grows a lot better and is less prone to die. In fact, I
now dig even bigger holes than I did to start with, and having a larger
volume of good soil for each plant helps even more. But it is time
consuming, and I have now taken literally tons of stones to the tip.

I have a soil of low humus. So I incorporate humus in the soil, such
as compost, peat. Being dry, also perlite. Though you might not need
that. I put a mulch on top to slow it from drying out.

Yes, you have soil of low fertility, but you can feed plants. Just
because you are in the Highlands doesn't absolve you of that. We all
have to do it. For example, if you want to grow suitably hardy rhodies
and azaleas, I've seen really lovely ones along the coast just east of
Plockton, and there are loadsa really beautiful ones, then they need
feeding. Bamboo will need feeding too if you want that. There are
probably other lovely grasses you could grow, like stuff that comes
from Patagonia (Elymus magellanicus is just about the bluest grass
there is) or NZ.





Thank you for all the info, will pass on those tips.

--
There is no God but Eris, and Jay and Silent Bob are her Prophets.