PlantLock Planting Choices
‘Low maintenance, drought-tolerant’
‘Rainfall-only planting’
‘Varied planting’
‘For biodiversity’
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‘Low maintenance, drought-tolerant’
For all year planting, we use Hebes, a delicate-looking but robust shrub with a dwarf habit. These are in leaf all year round, flowering at different times. Hebe pinguifolia ‘Pagei’, Hebe ‘Pascal’ with reddish leaves in winter, & Hebe ‘Carl Teschner’ with more sprawling growth.
Until established, all plants need watering during dry spells.
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‘Varied planting’
For varied planting, that requires occasional care through the year, PlantLocks have been planted with things as varied as strawberries, flowering crab apple trees, lavender, & herbs.
Autumn is the time for planting bulbs such as crocus, grape hyacinth, & snowdrops, to come through in the early new year.
Spring & summer months can be any variety of annual flowers & perennials, & kitchen herbs such as thyme, marjoram, & tarragon.
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‘Rainfall-only planting’ (requiring the lowest levels of attention)
Sedums are hardy evergreen plants, with succulent, water-storing leaves. Often used for green roofs, sedums prefer poor, free draining soil. Plants are available as small seedling plugs or grown seedling mats. The following varieties are some that are suitable for PlantLock & the UK climate.
Sedum acre, album, album ‘Athoum’ & ‘coral carpet’, spurium ‘tricolour’, ‘fuldaglut’, & ‘green mantle’, sarmentosum, sexangulare, and ewersii.These varieties are often available as a ‘greenroof sedum mix’ (Blackdown Horticultural, 01460 234582).
A mix of compost, sharp sand and crushed aggregate or gravel will drain well. ‘Extensive growing substrate’ is a formulated growing medium supplied in quantity (Shire Minerals, 01924 258509).
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‘For biodiversity’ Nearly all plants in flower will provide nectar for insects. But to really encourage and enjoy seeing butterflies, hoverflies, and bees, native flowers gives a food source and habitat uncommon in urban areas. A wildflower mix of seeds such as birds foot trefoil, fox and cubs, yellow horned poppy, small scabios, greater knapweed, & cornflowers.
Plants such as these may need watering through dry spells, and as annuals will die back in autumn.
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Until established, all plants need watering during dry spells.
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