I have just googled this plant Hostafan and it looks very promising indeed. The next hurdle will be to see if I can buy it locally, or if not whether I can order it in from U.K. Thanks for the suggestion.
GD, we were under-staffed, like most garden centres, particularly at the weekends. There might be only one horticulturally-knowledgeable member of staff on duty on a Saturday or Sunday, and during the spring that just wasn't enough. Hence I got the job of making, as well as the info cards on individual plants, a lot of leaflets giving advice on suitable plants (which we sold, of course) suitable for different situations - shade, dry, wildlife-friendly etc, plus things like pruning clematis, making compost, choosing a hedge, pollinators for different fruit trees etc. I'm pleased to see they're still using them now I'm retired!
Last edited: 21 April 2017 16:09:08
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
It sounds like you put a lot of extra effort into your job Liri and I hope they valued your enthusiasm and eagerness to please the customers. It certainly must be heartwarming to see they are still using your helpful system. It seems to me that your information provides a fully comprehensive, and informative history of the plant and it's needs - well done. I wish our GC would do the same - the labels (if there is one) gives the bare minimum and no more.
Conifers up here Liri. Every other house has one right at the front door. easy to spot the houses - they're the ones with the lights permanently on inside....
Have you thought of having some Ligularias GD? They're very useful for bog areas. Big foliage on some varieties. I have Britt Marie Crawford which has deep burgundy, glossy foliage, olive green underneath. Orange/gold daisy flowers - multi headed. Great for bees etc, sunny spot.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I have just taken a look at them Fairy - they are pretty, but two things put me off them - I am trying not to include too many yellow flowers - I love yellow but want to try to keep my colours to a minimum - that sounds a bit faddy I know - so far I have red, white and a tiny bit of blue, also slugs like to munch on Ligularias apparently. I am hoping that the three hedgehogs roaming the garden at night might lower the slug population around here!
Thank you for the suggestion - do you think the Ligularias flowers in other colours too?
Yes, I think you are right Liri - I googled and yellow flowers seemed to appear on all the Ligularia available. It is a shame to see what was a lovely plant decimated by the slugs isn't it.
Thanks for kind words re plant labelling, GD. I was a bit fanatical about it, to tell the truth - I just couldn't see why we couldn't give proper information. Plants coming in from Holland, in particular, had almost no useful information on the label, apart from "Do not eat". I reckoned to include, at minimum, a reasonable photo; mature size (or height in 10 years, if I couldn't find a final height); the reason why you'd want it in your garden (scent, colour, bark, good for hedging, wildlife value etc); and the conditions it needed or preferred (bog, sun, acid soil, hardy to minus 5C etc). The bonus was that I really loved doing it.
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
Posts
rheum palmatum Ace of Hearts might fit the bill.
https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/92170/i-Rheum-i-Ace-of-Hearts/Details?returnurl=%2Fplants%2Fshrubs%3Fcontext%3Db%25253D492%252526hf%25253D12%252526l%25253Den%252526s%25253Ddesc%25252528plant_merged%25252529%252526sl%25253Dplants%26s%3Ddesc(plant_merged)%26page%3D42%26aliaspath%3D%252fplants%252fshrubs
I have just googled this plant Hostafan and it looks very promising indeed. The next hurdle will be to see if I can buy it locally, or if not whether I can order it in from U.K. Thanks for the suggestion.
GD, we were under-staffed, like most garden centres, particularly at the weekends. There might be only one horticulturally-knowledgeable member of staff on duty on a Saturday or Sunday, and during the spring that just wasn't enough. Hence I got the job of making, as well as the info cards on individual plants, a lot of leaflets giving advice on suitable plants (which we sold, of course) suitable for different situations - shade, dry, wildlife-friendly etc, plus things like pruning clematis, making compost, choosing a hedge, pollinators for different fruit trees etc. I'm pleased to see they're still using them now I'm retired!
Last edited: 21 April 2017 16:09:08
It sounds like you put a lot of extra effort into your job Liri and I hope they valued your enthusiasm and eagerness to please the customers. It certainly must be heartwarming to see they are still using your helpful system. It seems to me that your information provides a fully comprehensive, and informative history of the plant and it's needs - well done. I wish our GC would do the same - the labels (if there is one) gives the bare minimum and no more.
Conifers up here Liri. Every other house has one right at the front door. easy to spot the houses - they're the ones with the lights permanently on inside....
Have you thought of having some Ligularias GD? They're very useful for bog areas. Big foliage on some varieties. I have Britt Marie Crawford which has deep burgundy, glossy foliage, olive green underneath. Orange/gold daisy flowers - multi headed. Great for bees etc, sunny spot.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I have just taken a look at them Fairy - they are pretty, but two things put me off them - I am trying not to include too many yellow flowers - I love yellow but want to try to keep my colours to a minimum - that sounds a bit faddy I know - so far I have red, white and a tiny bit of blue, also slugs like to munch on Ligularias apparently. I am hoping that the three hedgehogs roaming the garden at night might lower the slug population around here!
Thank you for the suggestion - do you think the Ligularias flowers in other colours too?
I've just remembered I planted a Ligularia last spring. I haven't seen it yet... bet the beastly slugs have though...
Fairy may know otherwise, but as far as I'm aware all Ligularias are yellow or orange in flower.
Yes, I think you are right Liri - I googled and yellow flowers seemed to appear on all the Ligularia available. It is a shame to see what was a lovely plant decimated by the slugs isn't it.
Thanks for kind words re plant labelling, GD. I was a bit fanatical about it, to tell the truth - I just couldn't see why we couldn't give proper information. Plants coming in from Holland, in particular, had almost no useful information on the label, apart from "Do not eat". I reckoned to include, at minimum, a reasonable photo; mature size (or height in 10 years, if I couldn't find a final height); the reason why you'd want it in your garden (scent, colour, bark, good for hedging, wildlife value etc); and the conditions it needed or preferred (bog, sun, acid soil, hardy to minus 5C etc). The bonus was that I really loved doing it.