If I offered you a shrub which was a bare twig for 6 months of the year, with thorns which can give you Tetanus, had more diseases than an Isolation Hospital, attacked by more pests than almost any other plant on Earth, has flowers which turn to mush at the first hint of rain, and needing more maintenance than any other garden plant, would you buy it. Possibly not, BUT if I offered you the latest David Austin Rose at £25 a time you would . So as far as I am concerned Roses are the biggest con trick ever pulled on the public.
My main plant dislike is the little weedy type of willow herb (Epilobium) that pops up in the garden so often. It seems to flower for less than a day before turning in to a messy looking mass of hairy seeds that can spread to form new plants anywhere once they are released. Always seems to be new ones popping up somewhere in the garden so pulling them up is a never ending job even where there is good cover of plants I actually like. Satisfying to pull them up most of the time but every so often the stem breaks to leave a part in the ground still that I can't find so I know there will be another seed head shoot from that spot fairly soon.
Also dislike Queen Elizabeth Rose just because of the colour. The shade of pink is something I would not want in the garden but have a patch of them planted by the girlfriend's Da before the house was built so can't get away with removing them and screening them with a few shrubs is the best I can do to lessen their impact.
@Palustris a rose bush in full flower covered with scented blooms on a sunny day is a thing of beauty and is therefore a joy forever. The foliage is often attractive, the smallest bud just opening is a delight. My roses have no diseases at present and no pests on them. The little birds and ladybirds have enjoyed a meal from the aphids that were there a few weeks ago.
Lots of plants are bare in winter, ruined by heavy rain and prone to pests and diseases but few are as exquisite as a rose bush.
Just my opinion. As a matter of interest what are your favourite plants?
I don't hate any plants but there are a few I'd never choose to grow. What's the point of an Antirrhinum (snap dragon) which has been bred to have a split flower? I love watching bees disappearing inside a traditional snap dragon...
Same goes for very double versions of flowers which, in their single form, are elegant as well as attractive to insects. Ok, the single flowers might not have as much "impact", but for me that's not the point. Kerria japonica is a case in point.
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
I can grow to love pretty much any plant, but the ones I would prefer not to give a chance are Astilbes, Coleus, Salix 'Flamingo' and a weird salmon-flowered, variegated Abutilon.
'If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.'
Would anyone wear the clothes , or decorate their homes in the same way folk did half a century ago?
Ah, but there's always the retro factor. See mid-century modern style furniture....! (full disclosure, I love that era for a lot of furniture, but undoubtedly there were definitely lots of questionable things around as well at the same time).
Would anyone wear the clothes , or decorate their homes in the same way folk did half a century ago?
Ah, but there's always the retro factor. See mid-century modern style furniture....! (full disclosure, I love that era for a lot of furniture, but undoubtedly there were definitely lots of questionable things around as well at the same time).
And then there’s the Rees-Moggs … not sure what their reason is … 🙄
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Geranium. The eye-searingly bright scarlet, orange and pink ones with big flat variegated leaves that smell awful. Used to be the standard town council bedding, you couldn't escape them.
Posts
Same goes for very double versions of flowers which, in their single form, are elegant as well as attractive to insects. Ok, the single flowers might not have as much "impact", but for me that's not the point. Kerria japonica is a case in point.
Ah, but there's always the retro factor. See mid-century modern style furniture....! (full disclosure, I love that era for a lot of furniture, but undoubtedly there were definitely lots of questionable things around as well at the same time).
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.