I am slightly dubious about daphne, especially in a pot, because of the reasons you mention @Busy-Lizzie, my thermometer in the shade of a north wall topped out at 45 this summer, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed that was an aberration! I will think about a dwarf buddleia as well, thanks.
Even the plants you mention need a good watering, I find, as they may survive a drought without water, but not in an attractive, floriferous way. The plants that seem to do the best for me with little water are shrubby saliva greggii, nandina firepower, abelia and chaenomeles. These are the things that get the least water because they are in akward, inaccessible places, or in the case of the salvia, it explodes into to such a huge bush I have to fight my way under it to give it a drink!
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
@Busy-Lizzie god idea to change your pot plantings or maybe even abandon them altogether? Could your mare not go and live with your daughter's horse for company?
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Well I am just back from the GC and this was the only one on the list and not expensive, so, reader, I bought it:
It’s only a wee 2L plant though, so not destined for that big pot. I will pot it into a smaller one, keep the pot itself shaded and see how it copes in my east garden next summer, where it will get plenty of morning sun, some at midday, but be protected from the full force of the afternoon sun by the shadow of the house.
For the big pot, I am going to order both the Philotheca Myoporoides and a Choisya, probably the Aztec Pearl as a foliage contrast, then decide which one to plant in the ground and which for the pot when I see them.
I also saw my Abelia (pictured earlier) in the GC, btw, it is Abelia Grandiflora Prostratus, hence the lovely way it arches and falls over the steps.
Thanks so much for all for your suggestions, all really excellent!
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
@Busy-Lizzie god idea to change your pot plantings or maybe even abandon them altogether? Could your mare not go and live with your daughter's horse for company?
My other mare, the rideable one, is already with my daughter and she doesn't want my old lady.
It's taking a bit of time to get my head around getting rid of my pots. I made this garden from scratch, starting in 1991. I think if there were a buyer for this house it would be taken out of my hands but adapting to a new life style, still owning the garden, is harder.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
I sympathise @Busy-Lizzie. One of the reasons we moved so soon after OH's retirement was the need to have a complete re-jig of the garden as well as having far too much space to manage indoors. We actually have more land here but can make it ours as it's more or less a blank canvas so can be as low or high maintenance as we please.
Loads of pots here too but, as their contents get planted out, most will not be re-planted. Just keeping a few near the house and for plants like the citrus that need winter shelter.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
@Nollie I hope you like your new Daphne but I'm not convinced it's 'Eternal Fragrance'... the foliage and shape does not look right to me... the foliage on 'EF' is upturned, shorter, straighter and with thinner leaves... overall it just doesn't ring true for me..
Oh, that wouldn’t surprise me at all with my garden centre, @Marlorena 🙄 Looking again at your photo is is different. Mine has glossy, darker leaves and a definite downturn at the end of the leaves. It does look exactly like it does on it’s label but that doesn’t say much! I wonder which one it is... Here is the label and a close-up, any ideas?
The concern, of course is that it is a much bigger plant than EF, so not suitable for the pot I was about to put it in...
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
@Nollie I don't know exactly.... other than it doesn't look like mine.. try Daphne laureola… ? that is, if the flowers turn out to be greenish/yellow and not the white/pink in the picture...
Posts
What about dwarf Buddleias? I have 2, a Buzz and a Chip, in a bed that are rarely watered.
Even the plants you mention need a good watering, I find, as they may survive a drought without water, but not in an attractive, floriferous way. The plants that seem to do the best for me with little water are shrubby saliva greggii, nandina firepower, abelia and chaenomeles. These are the things that get the least water because they are in akward, inaccessible places, or in the case of the salvia, it explodes into to such a huge bush I have to fight my way under it to give it a drink!
It’s only a wee 2L plant though, so not destined for that big pot. I will pot it into a smaller one, keep the pot itself shaded and see how it copes in my east garden next summer, where it will get plenty of morning sun, some at midday, but be protected from the full force of the afternoon sun by the shadow of the house.
For the big pot, I am going to order both the Philotheca Myoporoides and a Choisya, probably the Aztec Pearl as a foliage contrast, then decide which one to plant in the ground and which for the pot when I see them.
I also saw my Abelia (pictured earlier) in the GC, btw, it is Abelia Grandiflora Prostratus, hence the lovely way it arches and falls over the steps.
Thanks so much for all for your suggestions, all really excellent!
My other mare, the rideable one, is already with my daughter and she doesn't want my old lady.
It's taking a bit of time to get my head around getting rid of my pots. I made this garden from scratch, starting in 1991. I think if there were a buyer for this house it would be taken out of my hands but adapting to a new life style, still owning the garden, is harder.
I don’t know of many plants tougher and more drought resistant, to be honest.
Loads of pots here too but, as their contents get planted out, most will not be re-planted. Just keeping a few near the house and for plants like the citrus that need winter shelter.
The concern, of course is that it is a much bigger plant than EF, so not suitable for the pot I was about to put it in...