There are loads of things that won't grow well here because of local weather, altitude, soil, Ph etc, and I accept those, though it doesn't stop me trying with the unlikely in hope of an occasional success. It's when I don't understand why they won't grow things that get me foxed. For me it's David Austin Roses. Everyone else raves about them, I love them when I see them but they just seem to struggle. I think maybe they need more cosseting than I can give them, though I do try. I've got other roses doing well - species like rugosa and Moyesii, old ones like rosa mundi, Louise Odier and William Lobb, shrubs growing wild in grass with no care beyond a bit of pruning. But DA ones never look well, a few have struggled on but most have given up. I've got my fingers crossed for Sir John Betjeman who is the best one I've had so far and he is still looking pretty good, though the flowers have annoyingly weak necks so you can't see them properly.
It's interesting that several people have mentioned Crocosmia as not growing in their gardens. I planted a group of them about 4 years ago and all I've ever had is leaf growth and no flowers.
However, the leaf growth this year has been stronger and lo and behold, a week ago they started to flower. I don't know if it was the second move at the end of this winter or if they take some years to produce flowers? Obviously I'm glad I didn't chuck them because they are very pretty.
They're in the front garden, which is East-facing and in very rich soil on a clay base.
I seem to be able to grow almost anything here in Sheffield but like some have mentioned I haven't had any success with Echinacea, though I've only tried once.
Fishy 65, you mention not having any luck with Sunflowers. Clearly I don't know the circumstances but I've found that sunflowers will grow almost anywhere, I've seen them growing out of concrete and tarmac.
Five feet is not bad for some varieties of sunflower. I grow a variety of sunflowers every year, including giants and get a lot of self-seeded plants. At the moment I have one that is about 7-8 feet that self-seeded in the centre of the garden.
This space is pure clay with builders rubble in it and it's been covered with a double layer of weed control fabric and decorative stone! I do feed my sunflowers with either a general purpose plant food or tomato feed. I have experimented though with not feeding some and they have grown well with just regular watering.
So please don't give up because they are wonderful plants, an essential summer plant that will flower from summer into winter in the right weather conditions.
Oh dear. I cannot grow leucanthemums in my hot sandy soil. Unfortunately, by the sound of it, I have just bought Lobelia Starship scarlet. Advice needed on how to keep it
OK thanks for that Verdun, when it's finished flowering I will dig it up and put in a large pot and bury it in the garden , I will be able to fill the pot with water and hopefully keep it wet. Fingers crossed as its a lovely scarlet red and so many flowers it looks like Fire.
Buttercup - I have quite a few DA roses; selected for having perfume and being disease resistant. Like you, I can experience extreme conditions in my garden and I have discovered some are more robust than others and do well whilst I've had to rescue some from the borders and grow them in pots taken into shelter for winter.
I'm hoping that after a couple of years of being nurtured so they can grow strong roots, they'll be fit to go back out and my 3 new roses have gone straight into pots to fatten them up till next year.
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)."
Achilleas - I've always wanted to grow them and I thought that my west-facing front garden on free-draining loam would be ok for them - the yarrow in the lawn seems more than happy. I planted two last year and they flowered beautifully - a soft buttery yellow (can't remember it's name off the top of my head) and achillea terracotta - looked wonderful against Clematis purpurea plena elegans last year.
This year? Nothing, not a sausage, not even the tiniest sprig of green appeared - however the yarrow in the lawn around the bed has survived everything I can throw at it, including a lawn weed & feed treatment
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Posts
Thanks Fishy65 and Verdun, I knew it liked wet but not that wet
Brillant thanks for the advice, will do it and it might just get taken off the list 
There are loads of things that won't grow well here because of local weather, altitude, soil, Ph etc, and I accept those, though it doesn't stop me trying with the unlikely in hope of an occasional success. It's when I don't understand why they won't grow things that get me foxed. For me it's David Austin Roses. Everyone else raves about them, I love them when I see them but they just seem to struggle. I think maybe they need more cosseting than I can give them, though I do try. I've got other roses doing well - species like rugosa and Moyesii, old ones like rosa mundi, Louise Odier and William Lobb, shrubs growing wild in grass with no care beyond a bit of pruning. But DA ones never look well, a few have struggled on but most have given up. I've got my fingers crossed for Sir John Betjeman who is the best one I've had so far and he is still looking pretty good, though the flowers have annoyingly weak necks so you can't see them properly.
It's interesting that several people have mentioned Crocosmia as not growing in their gardens. I planted a group of them about 4 years ago and all I've ever had is leaf growth and no flowers.
However, the leaf growth this year has been stronger and lo and behold, a week ago they started to flower. I don't know if it was the second move at the end of this winter or if they take some years to produce flowers? Obviously I'm glad I didn't chuck them because they are very pretty.
They're in the front garden, which is East-facing and in very rich soil on a clay base.
I seem to be able to grow almost anything here in Sheffield but like some have mentioned I haven't had any success with Echinacea, though I've only tried once.
Fishy 65, you mention not having any luck with Sunflowers. Clearly I don't know the circumstances but I've found that sunflowers will grow almost anywhere, I've seen them growing out of concrete and tarmac.
Five feet is not bad for some varieties of sunflower. I grow a variety of sunflowers every year, including giants and get a lot of self-seeded plants. At the moment I have one that is about 7-8 feet that self-seeded in the centre of the garden.
This space is pure clay with builders rubble in it and it's been covered with a double layer of weed control fabric and decorative stone! I do feed my sunflowers with either a general purpose plant food or tomato feed. I have experimented though with not feeding some and they have grown well with just regular watering.
So please don't give up because they are wonderful plants, an essential summer plant that will flower from summer into winter in the right weather conditions.
Buttercup - I have quite a few DA roses; selected for having perfume and being disease resistant. Like you, I can experience extreme conditions in my garden and I have discovered some are more robust than others and do well whilst I've had to rescue some from the borders and grow them in pots taken into shelter for winter.
I'm hoping that after a couple of years of being nurtured so they can grow strong roots, they'll be fit to go back out and my 3 new roses have gone straight into pots to fatten them up till next year.
Have real trouble with Skimmia. I've given up now.
Achilleas - I've always wanted to grow them and I thought that my west-facing front garden on free-draining loam would be ok for them - the yarrow in the lawn seems more than happy.
I planted two last year and they flowered beautifully - a soft buttery yellow (can't remember it's name off the top of my head) and achillea terracotta - looked wonderful against Clematis purpurea plena elegans last year.
This year? Nothing, not a sausage, not even the tiniest sprig of green appeared - however the yarrow in the lawn around the bed has survived everything I can throw at it, including a lawn weed & feed treatment
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.