The message
from "Mike Lyle" contains these words:

Now you're talking! It's definitely the suburban "Look at me!"
specimen planting which Fs it up. Like a monkey puzzle, but
fortunately seasonal, and at least has the grace not to reach fifty
feet. Drifts and such is what it wants. (Not that I think a drift of
monkey puzzles would be a good idea: different train of thought.)

Hmmm.

I wandered lonely up above
Across the hills and vales and leas,
When all at once I saw a grove,
A host, of monkey puzzle trees;
Beside the lake, incongruous:
Oh well, it could be something wuss.

Interesting that, like Keith, you have it in association with
gunnera.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

"Mike Lyle" wrote in
:

Now you're talking! It's definitely the suburban "Look at me!"
specimen planting which Fs it up. Like a monkey puzzle, but
fortunately seasonal, and at least has the grace not to reach fifty
feet. Drifts and such is what it wants. (Not that I think a drift of
monkey puzzles would be a good idea: different train of thought.)


There's a big planting of them with other grasses on the big Marsh Mills
roundabout in Plymouth. They fill almost the whole roundabout in big
swathes (it's a large roundabout with a flyover). I think they look great
there, but agree that one on its own in a little round hole in a lawn looks
absurd.

Surprising they are not more used for mass 'corporate' plantings - but then
the leaves are very sharp, so maybe such plantings are a pain to keep clean
and neat.

Victoria
--
gardening on a north-facing hill
in South-East Cornwall
--

The message
from Janet Baraclough.. contains
these words:
The message
from "Mike Lyle" contains these words:


Interesting that, like Keith, you have it in association with
gunnera.

For some reason, maybe the narrow hard wiry leaves, I always used to
think it was a native of dry soils. Somewhere or other I read that it
likes wet ones better.

Why do you think it's called Pampers grass?

/snip/
Bur here's the weirdest bit; 3 ft to the side there's a carefully
nurtured baby about 5ft high, obviously an understudy in case fate
strikes the giant monstrosity.

There you are. Told you.

There's nowt so queer as folk.

mode="Jules+Sandy"

Oooh Mr. Horne! Isn't she *BOLD*?

/mode

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

In article , Jaques
d'Alltrades writes
The message
from "Mike Lyle" contains these words:

Now you're talking! It's definitely the suburban "Look at me!"
specimen planting which Fs it up. Like a monkey puzzle, but
fortunately seasonal, and at least has the grace not to reach fifty
feet. Drifts and such is what it wants. (Not that I think a drift of
monkey puzzles would be a good idea: different train of thought.)

Hmmm.

I wandered lonely up above
Across the hills and vales and leas,
When all at once I saw a grove,
A host, of monkey puzzle trees;
Beside the lake, incongruous:
Oh well, it could be something wuss.

Leeds Council goes in for mixed drifts, of pampas grass and monkey
puzzle, alongside the inner ring road.

Looks quite effective.

Better than bedding plants.

--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

In article ,
Kay wrote:

Leeds Council goes in for mixed drifts, of pampas grass and monkey
puzzle, alongside the inner ring road.

Overhanging into the cycle paths, I assume.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Janet Baraclough.." wrote in
message ...

[snip]

As for the monkey puzzle grove, now there's a tree I really don't
like
the look of; unfortunately they thrive in the mild damp climate on
Arran. There's a beautiful old house here, sitting on a hilltop with
a
panoramic view to die for. What do they have growing plumb in the
middle
of their view, in the front garden, a few yards from the house and
right
on the roadside? A 50 foot hideous monkey puzzle. Totally out of
sympathy for the location. I can't pass it without thinking "If I
owned
that place, first thing I'd do would be have that tree felled".

Complete agreement. The monkey puzzle tree is mother nature's worst
attempt at making a tree.

[snip]

Franz

In article , Nick Maclaren
writes
In article ,
Kay wrote:

Leeds Council goes in for mixed drifts, of pampas grass and monkey
puzzle, alongside the inner ring road.

Overhanging into the cycle paths, I assume.

I hope you don't imagine cycle paths are for cyclists! They're merely
ways of shifting the white lines and thus persuading cars t follow in
slightly different tracks - a bit like shifting your stair carpet so the
wear is in a different place ;-)
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

In article ,
Kay wrote:

Leeds Council goes in for mixed drifts, of pampas grass and monkey
puzzle, alongside the inner ring road.

Overhanging into the cycle paths, I assume.

I hope you don't imagine cycle paths are for cyclists! They're merely
ways of shifting the white lines and thus persuading cars t follow in
slightly different tracks - a bit like shifting your stair carpet so the
wear is in a different place ;-)

Gods, no! I live in Cambridge, and used to cycle to work, until the
Highways Authority produced a set of cycle lanes, paths and other
boobytraps so lethal that I would not have lived to retirement if I
continued.

Here, they are used for that purpose, but are also used to mark the
boundary beyond which cyclists may legally be run over. In order to
ensure that there are enough to deliver good sport, I assumed that
Leeds was planting pampas grass to force a weaving path. Much like
planting gorse in fox hunting areas.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article ,
Kay wrote:

Leeds Council goes in for mixed drifts, of pampas grass and
monkey
puzzle, alongside the inner ring road.

Overhanging into the cycle paths, I assume.

I hope you don't imagine cycle paths are for cyclists! They're
merely
ways of shifting the white lines and thus persuading cars t follow
in
slightly different tracks - a bit like shifting your stair carpet
so
the wear is in a different place ;-)

Gods, no! I live in Cambridge, and used to cycle to work, until
the
Highways Authority produced a set of cycle lanes, paths and other
boobytraps so lethal that I would not have lived to retirement if I
continued.

Here, they are used for that purpose, but are also used to mark the
boundary beyond which cyclists may legally be run over. In order to
ensure that there are enough to deliver good sport, I assumed that
Leeds was planting pampas grass to force a weaving path. Much like
planting gorse in fox hunting areas.

Apart from this traditional British sport (those who want to ban it
just don't understand the motoring way of life), surely the function
of cycle paths is to get the council a bigger grant?

Mike.

In article ,
(Mike Lyle) wrote:

Much like
planting gorse in fox hunting areas.

Cue tear-jerking video footage of redundant gorse being grubbed out ...

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com
A useful bit of gardening software at http://www.netservs.com/garden/