exposed site

bartlguy

ok right picture this:

Garden at the end of a peninsula on the west coast. No shelter whatsoever. Anybody have any ideas what plants will survive? Wind is generally from 0-140km/hr. The soil is neutral and any of the plants that need ericaceous comost i have changed it and they still die.

I have tried:

Pyracantha- died in a week
berberis,- died in a week
buddleija- died in a week
hydrangea- died in 24hrs
roses- died in a week
phormiums- died in a week
cordylines,- died in a week
pieris- died in two days
grissalinia- died in a week
Lupins died overnight
foxglove within 12 hours


Bulbs last about a week and then are dead. Lambs ears are the only things that have survived.

and a selection of others

So anybody got any ideas?

lottpaul

You seem to have tried a good selection of plants so far.

A few questions:
Do you have any depth of soil at all? If not, then few plants will live.
Is there even a wall/ditch fence around the garden that might give minimal shelter? Plant small cuttings/plants close to it.
Do any of your neighbours have gardens? If so, what's growing for them? Or what's growing wild nearby? Fuchsia, gorse, willow, holly? etc

I'm surprised your phormium didn't put up a better fight but perhaps it was a red/purple one? Green or variegations of green might do better.
I'd be inclined to try some olearia, hebe, sea buckthorn, green phormium, willow, privet, senecio, spanish gorse, whitethorn, blackthorn etc to create an external boundary/windbreak. Look for anything with grey, furry leaves too or with "waxy" foliage- they might survive. There's little point in being too adventurous initially. Plant them close and they will support and protect each other.
When they establish you will be able to plant further into the garden.
Buy small plants - the wind will shake and dehydrate bigger ones. Look at your neighbours and buy similar or get cuttings from them.

Best of luck.

bartlguy

There is a sufficient amount of soil to grow into up to 2ft in some places as they are all raised beds.

There is a wall around the garden but is only maybe waist height or higher. No protection at all really. Will try the list this year that you gave me and then get back to the boards on it.

40701085

It's not an easy task. Agree with lottpaul.

I'd plant a border of staggered double layers of shrubs/trees first and protect them starting off with doubled-up windbreak/debris netting. This assumes you have the space.

• Hawthorn - I'd say the hardiest & you can cut back hard for bushy protection
• Oak (Q. robur) - hardier than many give them credit for (some coastal locations have windblown dwarf oaks growing right on the coast), they are slow but steady &
• Willow - why not try them in 2 rows, they grow so fast you've nothing to lose (free from the side of the road too).

Once these are up a bit you can start planting your other stuff inside it, space permitting.
I've similar issues myself (not coastal, but exposed) so can identify with your frustration - hope you find success.

bartlguy

Thanks for the advice but meant to say that my folks won't but trees into the site as it will spoil the view......

muckyhands

bartlguy wrote: »

Thanks for the advice but meant to say that my folks won't but trees into the site as it will spoil the view......

The solid wall will increase turbulence as the wind passes over it.

You cant plant a typical shelter belt as it will block the view but what about a series of lower windbreaks?

Without shelter the garden isnt likely to do well.

It could be hedging or artificial like windbreak fabric or willow fencing- or maybe construct a living willow screen? At least you will be able to control its overall height. White willow should do well.

If you do plant a living windbreak, hedge or otherwise, it sounds as though you will have to give it shelter until its established in the form of windbreak fabric or something...

Bear in mind a typical rule of thumb is a windbreak will protect roughly ten times its height, so depending on the size of the garden you could have several shorter windbreaks that wont block the view but will protect the garden.

A series of 'garden rooms' in the overall garden design would facilitate and help disguise the need for them...

Hope this is of some use.

looksee

Just occasionally you are not supposed to have a garden! Take a long look at the surrounding landscape. If it is a pattern of stone walls and small green patches with just the occasional gorse or buckthorn or fuschia or whitethorn then you are not going to raise a lush garden.

Don't fight it.

Don't try and grow ericacious unless there is evidence that they grow wild in the area, the plants have enough to cope with in an exposed situation .

When you plant, make sure the plant is firmly established into the soil, with a couple of sticks to give it a bit of support.

Put an individual windbreak of windbreak fabric, well supported, around it for the first season, and keep watering it, not sprinkles, a decent amount several times a week in dry weather.

Go with the list lottpaul suggests. You might have to settle for lowgrowing plants - I guess there are no trees in the area? - which would be more in keeping with the landscape.

Bixy

I would agree with the earlier posters about the windbreak, but I would then use a row of NewZealand Flax (Phormium) and then something like Olearia. With those three layers in place, with any room left you may be able to make a garden!

ROGER THE LODGER

I can tell you that the gardener at the Old Head golf links (150 kph winds being 3 miles out to sea) grows euryops,phomium,rosa rugosa,pampas grass,cordylines,hydrangea,and agapanthus.keep trying.