pushing envelopes

Brian Whyer brian.whyer@which.net
Sun, 27 Jun 2004 03:05:19 PDT
As someone in the UK who is frequently finding "hardy plants" don't
survive, especially when I grow much of my collection in pots, you might
be interested to know that many garden centres and nurseries here give
"plant guarantees" on "hardy plants". On the Wisley link below look for
the box headed "Confidence" towards the bottom of the page.

http://rhs.org.uk/gardens/shopping/…

3 or 5 years guarantees are common and I have even been to one seller
who gave a 10 year guarantee. I asked at Wisley once what do I bring
back if my clematis died a year ago and has long since rotted away, but
did not get a clear answer. The receipt and the semblance of a plant is
all that is needed apparently. If as I do you grow in a pot that is
possible, but a rotted open garden plant might be difficult. At least
with a clematis the roots can survive for months or years after the top
has gone. Maybe I can get hardy biennials replaced every year after they
die :-)

To those of you in the USA who get "real" seasons, who might be thinking
of trying to garden on an island climate, we had frost warnings only
last week in the north and central southern England, as night time
temperatures fell to just a few degrees above freezing.
But I will try planting out some of my Crinums, as the pots are getting
too heavy as I get older.

Brian Whyer, zone 8'is :-) Buckinghamshire, England




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