Planting Conundrum

Hi Badgerbread

That's a really tough one.

It may not be exactly what you want, but it sounds like an ideal spot for a succulent plant. Maybe something from the Agave or Aloe family.

It's all I can think of this late at night when I'm tired. Maybe I will think of something else tomorrow.

What about trying some giant sunflowers? you would obviously have to support them very well due to the wind but they are big and colourful and will feed your feathered friends in the autumn/winter?

As Woodpecker bit late at night to get the grey cells working but will give it some thought tomorrow and get back to you.....

Oh something like a cotoneaster might work if you train it up against the wall.....lots of lovely berries for the birdies then also?

You probably won't be able to have a tall up-right plant there as the wind if it is that strong will probably blow it out of shape and/or break it.  You're best bet is to take a look at plants that naturally deal with windy habitats with strong exposure and dry conditions  - many alpines will be suitable as will a number if species normally found by the coast.  There are a couple of species of tree that are adapted to such conditions, one is a type of rowan but I can't remember the others but I don't how easy they are to get.  There are also ornamental grasses which suit windy conditions, and more exotic plants such as cacti and aloes, also some mountain Tillisandia (these are the types of plants I use in my reptile vivariuims but they can be outdoor plants though they need taking in during the winter).  I have a shrub called Escallonia in my garden that is a coastal shrub that can do well in dry, windy conditions and these are found quite easily in garden centres.  Due to the distubance issues in your garden, I would go for something that is well grown on that way there is less of a struggle to get the plant past the first set of obstacles. 

Thanks for the advice everyone.

Sunflowers have always keeled over and broken before they get anywhere, even when I put attractive pop bottles round them, so I think maybe Kat Tai's right and tall plants aren't the way forward.

Do you think sedum would work?  That's quite bee & butterfly friendly, isn't it?

BB

Badgerbread said:

Thanks for the advice everyone.

Sunflowers have always keeled over and broken before they get anywhere, even when I put attractive pop bottles round them, so I think maybe Kat Tai's right and tall plants aren't the way forward.

Do you think sedum would work?  That's quite bee & butterfly friendly, isn't it?

BB

Sedum should work well, especially as they store their own water so they can cope with dry conditions and yes, they are good for bees and butterflies too :-)

KatTai said:

Sedum should work well, especially as they store their own water so they can cope with dry conditions and yes, they are good for bees and butterflies too :-)

Yes but will they survive cat and badger bums? What about a buddleia trained as a small tree maybe or left as a shrub, they will survive practically anything, growing out of the bricks,/chimneys of tall buildings, so wind not a problem, neither is restricted space, it'll grow in cracks in pavements, bricks and between pavers, on waste ground, bombsites, clinker of railway tracks etc, so lousy soil not a problem either and it'll come tall enough initially so that a badger will need a stout box to get high enough to park the bum on it, flimsy enough that cats won't try to jump on it and it'll attract butterflies, bees etc:-) It's a thought, it may even be a good one:-)) There are even fancy ones with orange globe type flowers, or deep purple with nice orange 'eyes', they don't have to be the bog standard mauve ones.

Hi there Badgerbread,

Now I don't pretend to know anything about plants. However we too have a small plot that posed a challenge for my and my Wife. After a bit of debating we decided to plant some Lavender in there and what a treat it was when it came up. We have cats in the garden all the time, so it used to them, the wind blows directly onto the back doors (where the bed is in the corner) and the sun beats down on it from midday onwards.

Thats any use to you??

Regards

Chappers, smelling of lavender (and the Wife.)

Kezsmum said:

Yes but will they survive cat and badger bums?

Hmmm good point!  Plant sedum and pointly bamboo sticks among it - bums will soon be deterred lol

I know what will work!  Daffodils, they seem to grow everywhere!

 

KatTai said:

Daffodils, they seem to grow everywhere!

... everywhere except in the stomachs of badgers, which is where the bulbs would end up!

Buddleia's too big for the patio (and there is rather a lot of it in the garden already), so in the end I ordered a couple of different lavenders and some rock rose.  And then I noticed you got free delivery if you spent over £50, so I might have bought one or two other things for the garden too...

BB