Exposed gardening

[porshiepoo]

Is there anyone out there that can offer some advice with gardening in exposed areas?
Next spring I will finally get going on my garden but I'm not used to gardening in such exposed areas. Our garden basically faces the sea and as there is no wind break as such between us and the coast I am at a loss as to what to do!
What I need is a hedge or plant that is able to cope with the sea air. The hebe I have in the gardem at the moment is doing suprisingly well but I wonder if this is a one off or does anyone have experience of using this plant up here.
The hedge would ideally be no more than say 4ft as we don't want to lose the sea views but need to use it as a shield for the other plants I'm gonna have a go at growing here.
Any ideas would be most welcome, thank you.

Also doeas anyone know where you can get good cheap indigenous trees. Whilst we love the fir tree we'd like to add something like ash, Rowan etc. My ideal would be a weeping willow, but I guess that has got no hope here?

Thanks :) :)

[George Brims]

For a fast growing hedge that doesn't die off try rosa rugosa. You can buy them mail order from some of those ads in the paper. They are pretty indestructible. I saw the Beechgrove garden people use them as rootstock for propagating roses.

I don't know if any annual climbers like morning glory or even various beans would cope. You could try a few different ones.

You could try growing a rowan tree from seed - lots of berries on every tree. In the olden days people planted one at every house as they were supposed to ward off evil. They're a bonny tree so it''s a nice tradition.

Weeping willows will grow in Caithness in sheltered situations but I don't know about windy spots.

[tip top]

Watch you don't over develop your garden with non-native plants :roll:

[fred]

Is there anyone out there that can offer some advice with gardening in exposed areas?


As you drive around Caithness you will see there are quite a lot of old derelict cottages and you will notice that most of them have old derelict gardens beside them, ususlly the remains of a square walled area.

If you look closely at the old delelict gardens you will probably find that there are quite a few things growing in there which are not wild or weeds but are the descendants of the things which the crofters used to grow in their gardens years ago.

If there is anyone around you could ask if you could take a few plants or cuttings for your own garden and if there isn't anyone around...well I'll leave that up to you.

[neepnipper]

Sea buckthorn is great for hedging, comes in an attracrive variagated variety too, it loves wind and salty air, perfect!

How about dividing your garden into sections using dry stone walling as protection.

Try planting quickly established, low growing perrenials such as geranium.

Sea pink will definitely grow, I'm also exposed on a hill without protection from the sea, I planted sea pink in the spring and it's still flowering now! (Don't pinch it off the cliffs, buy a few from the garden centre!).

Hope this helps. :D

[porshiepoo]

Thanks Fred, I had noticed the empty ruins obviously but unforunately I don't know who owns them.
Does anyone know where you can learn the owners identities of these empty crofts?
That would be great wouldn't it! To plant cuttings from plants that have been around for years ;) kinda keeps the old fires burning doesn't it :) :)

Does anyone know the law or protocal with regards to the plants you see along the roadside? I have seen some lovely montbretia along the A99 and in the spring there are some lovely wild flowers.

[Kenn]

Try phlomis it's hardy and very salt resistant has all year round soft silver grey leaves and wonderful yellow flowers.likes to be well pruned also take a look at varieties of magellanica fuchsias again very hardy and will make a colourful floral hedge in a short time once established.
Most silver leaved plants are salt resistant so lavender might also be a possibility.

[porshiepoo]

Thanks for all the help. I have geranium which seem to do quite well and as you probably know, run rampant in the garden.
I aslo have Himalayan honeysuckle which is only teeny weeny at the moment. It grew extremely well back home and I didn't actually think I had bought any with me but it has popped through in my bit of garden as is.

Does anyone manage to grow roses up here? They're my all time faves and I did buy some from lidl's but I don't know whether they'll survive here.

"Phlomis"? I recognise the name but I've never grown it before. I shall have to have a bash at that!
I've noticed that a lot of the old buildings have fuchia hedges, I didn't realise they were quite so hardy

[/quote]

[fred]

Does anyone know where you can learn the owners identities of these empty crofts?


You just stick a caravan on it and see who comes running across the fields with a shotgun.

[porshiepoo]

Tee Hee :lol: :lol:

But I'm not brave enough for that :lol:

[Naefearjustbeer]

I was expecting to hear about someone gardening in the nude :eek: :D

[porshiepoo]

I was expecting to hear about someone gardening in the nude :eek: :D

lol: I realised that after I'd posted it. Oops, maybe I should have changed it ;)

I know, maybe someone could post some piicies of 'exposed' gardening! :eek: :eek: