New member
Erle Randall (Sat, 26 Nov 2011 05:07:17 PST)

Thank you Jane & Jude for the welcome.
I have been 'lurking' on this list for some years but having been confined
to the house for several weeks decided I ought to join properly.
I have been gardening for some 40 odd years but it is only since we moved
here 10 years ago that I have had time to take it seriously.
I have a waterfront garden of about 1 acre facing SE and screened/shaded by
mature woodland from S round to NW so light is a permanent issue especially
in the winter and the trees suck a lot of the available moisture up.
Sheltered from wind except from SW/SSW which unfortunately is where most of
our gales come from. Average rainfall over the last 10 years was 1045mm
(this is noticeably higher than the previous 10) Frost can occur anytime
from mid November to the end of March but rarely persist for more than a
couple of days (but the last 2 winters have had longer periods). Spring
months seem to be getting dryer and summers wetter but monthly rainfall is
always erratic.
The site was a 19th century slate mill so every time I stick a fork in I
unearth quantities of waste slate in various sizes and occasionally rusty
machinery.
I have a 370 sqft greenhouse which is kept just frost free by an electric
fanheater which is kept running continuously to keep the air moving (this
has almost eliminated the incidence of mould). I have also recently built a
bulb frame - already too small.
My main interest is growing from seed and I attempt much too wide a range
for my facilities/experience. I have only recently started on bulbs so have
not yet brought many to flowering size.
My main source was Jim Archibald with Silverhill for SA bulbs and geophytic
pelargoniums. Recently I have been buying from Kurt Vickery who always has
tempting tulips and iris from the Near East
Sorry, this was supposed to be brief!

Erle Randall
53° 12.54N 4° 12.09W elevation 12m (at low tide!)