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Plants for Special Situations
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Name |
Notes and varieties |
category |
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Burglar Proof Plants
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Berberis
Barberry
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B. darwinii is
a real star, smothered in dark orange flowers in mid to late spring
with sometimes a further show in the autumn, evergreen, particularly good
for hedges, to 10ft high and wide. B. stenophylla is
similar with some varieties such as "Claret cascade" giving
red tinged orange flowers.
B. thunbergii is
a good deciduous form that comes in a variety of leaf colours from the vibrant
yellow young foliage of "Aurea" (to 6ft x 6ft) to the speckled rose
and purple forms such as "Rose Glow" and "Atropurpurea" the last
one has fiery red autumn foliage. Flowers of red, pink or white depending
on variety.
Best in sun especially for foliage
colour and flowers, will tolerate some shade.
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Shrub, burglar proof, |
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Pyracantha |
One of the most useful garden shrubs,
evergreen, tough and resilient to most things (though fireblight disease
can be a problem as can woolly aphids to a lesser degree) and usually
unfussy about situation and soil. They can be pruned pretty hard and
made to grow in the directions we want without sulking, they're evergreen,
produce loads of white flowers in the spring and thousands of brightly coloured
long lasting berries in the autumn of shades from red through orange to
yellow. They also have lots of long, sharp and strong thorns.
You won't really have difficulties
with any, just make sure that the one you buy fits your requirements, read
the label carefully. The red berried varieties seem to be rather more
shade tolerant.
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Shrub, burglar proof, |
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Plants for Dry Shade
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Aucuba japonica
spotted laurel
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Evergreen shrub, with glossy leaves to 8" long spotted yellow. Plants
are either male or female, females have bright red berries in autumn.
Tolerant of quite deep shade and indeed requires some shade to be really
happy. Will grow in difficult situations and tolerant of dry soil. To about
10ft high and wide but easily controlled. Frequently sold as three or four
rooted cuttings in a pot, separate them and you instantly have more plants!
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Shrub,
dry shade |
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Iris foetidissima
Stinking gladwyn
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A member of the iris family, though the flowers are easily overlooked.
It produces almost glowingly bright orange seeds in large numbers that shine
in the autumn when the pods split open, and it is very tolerant of dry
shade. |
Perennial, dry shade |
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Lamium
cultivated dead-nettles
|
Difficult to give recommendations, because difficult conditions often make
good looking plants appear weedy, the best bet is to try one and see if
still looks good when up against the odds. The darker the green of the
plant, the more chlorophyll and so the more likely it is to withstand shade,
don't bother trying the almost completely white types. |
Perennial, dry shade |
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Mentha
Mint
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As in the herb. Mint is
a notoriously vigorous plant and if it didn't have its flavour as a
saving grace, I'm sure that it would be considered as a weed. This vigour
makes it an ideal plant for difficult conditions which also serve to calm
it down somewhat. Pink to purple flowers that the bees love and flavouring
for new potatoes and lamb chops.
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Perennial,
dry shade |
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Vinca major
Periwinkle
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Variegated ground cover plant with blue spring / summer flowers.
To about 20" tall, spread indefinite, roots as it goes. Very tough once
established, and tolerates sun or shade. Vinca minor
is equally unfazed by novice gardeners or shade, will confine itself to
about 8" and a much reduced spread. |
Perennial / shrub, dry shade |
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Wild Strawberry
|
The leaves are a fresh green and the plants produce tiny white flowers
and tiny strawberries. Don't think that these will get you through Wimbledon
week in traditional style however, difficult conditions mean that there's
little energy to spare for such fripperies. Wild strawberries also have
the advantage that they root as they go by runners so they find their own
preferred place if you plant them a bit too close (or even too far away)
to the gruesome places. |
Perennial, dry shade |
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Plants for Waterlogged
soil
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Carex
sedges
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One that I do know that works is Carex buchananii - red
fox sedge. Brown / orange leaves growing up like a fire-work coming
out of the ground to about 18" and then tapering away to an indefinite curly
tip. Tolerates the wettest of soils. They work very well contrasted against
green leaves, gravel or boulders. |
Perennial - grass like, waterlogged soil |
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Cornus varieties
Dogwoods
|
One of the best shrubs for waterlogged
areas for most gardens. Dogwoods are often grown for their winter stem
colour which is red or yellow. There are also varieties with attractive
variegated leaves. Unfortunately the best ones for stem colour have ordinary
green leaves and the best ones for leaf colour have duller stem colour,
so you pays your money and takes your choice. White flowers in spring as
a bonus. Tolerate the wettest soils.
For leaf colour; Cornus
alba "Elegantissima", white margined leaves, C. alba
"Gouchaultii" pink flushed yellow margined leaves,
C. alba "Spaethii", broadly yellow margined leaves.
For stem colour; C. alba
"Sibirica", plain green leaves, bright red winter shoots, good
autumn leaf colour. C. stolonifera "flaviramea",
bright yellow-green winter shoots.
|
Shrub / small tree, waterlogged soil |
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Lonicera
Honeysuckle
|
I don't know of any really wet-tolerant climbers, but have had honeysuckles
survive in some pretty awful situations. If the soil smells don't plant
one. If in doubt then take cuttings and try planting one of these rather
than buying a big healthy plant in a 2-3L pot which you may then watch die.
|
Climber, waterlogged soil |
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Populus
Poplars
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Only for the largest of gardens, these need to be about 40m (130ft)
from any buildings to prevent damage, and they're all large trees anyway.
If you've the space P.alba, white poplar 70-130ft high
and to 50ft wide, is attractive with white undersides to the leaves.
|
Tree, waterlogged soil |
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Pyracantha
Firethorn
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Good old Pyracantha, one of the most useful shrubs in the garden and can
be quite stunning in the autumn when heavily laden with berries.
Withstands a fair amount of wetness, but less than most on this page.
|
Shrub, waterlogged soil |
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Salix
Willows
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Most species enjoy wet conditions,
but CAUTION, many of them grow into large trees and are one of the worst
culprits for causing housing subsidence through their root spread. Don't
plant the large types unless you have a very large garden, and then plant
well away (40m, 130ft) from buildings.
All have decorative catkins in the spring
and many have leaves lighter in colour underneath that "shimmer" when blown
about by the wind.
Smaller safer versions are
S. caprea "pendula", Kilmarnock willow,
Height and spread about 5-6ft, S. helvetica, Swiss willow
about 2ft high and wide, often grafted onto a stem 4ft high. Note that these
are both grafted onto rootstocks which may produce suckers that should be
removed otherwise the whole plant will revert to the rootstock variety and
outgrow the graft.
|
Tree, waterlogged soil |
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Tamarix ramosissima
Tamarisk
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Withstands a fairly high degree of wetness,
but don't bother if the planting hole fills with water as you're digging
it.
Graceful shrub to small tree, wispy frothy
pink flowers produced in summer. Height and spread to 15ft.
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Shrub, waterlogged soil |
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