Plant Doctor Archive

Plants for holiday home

Question WE have a holiday home with one boundary consisting of a steeply cut clay bank to the side of our driveway. Can you give us any tips or a feature for a practical planting on a west-northwest facing clay bank for an attractive display? I enjoy Weekend Gardener very much and look forward to receiving any ideas for an area that presently looks awful.

Answer  FINDING plants for a holiday home that can cope with extremes of dry when you are away is sometimes a difficult task. It sounds as though you will need something to cope with clay, which will be dry in the summer and wet in winter.

Plants such as arctotis, gazania, prostrate grevillea, rosemary and agapanthus are useful plants. Some natives, such as prostrate coprosma, flaxes and leptospermum (tea tree) are also versatile. It would be best to visit the nearest garden centre for advice on plants that do well in local conditions.

When planting, make sure you add a long term fertiliser like Yates Magamp or Nutricote. Mulch around the plants with bark or newspaper to help with water retention over the summer months.

Weekend Gardener, Issue 91, 2002, Page 20