planting in pipes
Diane Whitehead (Sun, 07 Jun 2009 09:37:12 PDT)

I'd like some ideas about what to plant in a new project.

A neighbour left a pile of new red clay drain tiles (12 cm across by
30 cm long) at the roadside, with a sign saying "FREE". I took them
all because I thought they would be good for growing bulbs. I now
have them standing up, braced with some slightly larger red clay
chimney flues (20 cm square by 30 cm long), ready for planting.

However, I'm not sure which of my many pots of bulb seedlings should
be planted in them.

Nothing tender, as we do get frost. This year was a bad one, with
temperatures down to minus 9 C.

We seldom have rain between May and October, so bulbs that require
summer drought don't really need a special place, other than to keep
them separate and labelled.

The tops of the tiles could be covered to keep off winter rain for
bulbs that require dryness then.

Any ideas - not necessarily specific, just general will do.

Diane Whitehead
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
maritime zone 8, cool Mediterranean climate
mild rainy winters, mild dry summers