Bougainvillea - a riot of colour

[Sheal]

Sadly it's not possible @ChanellG, I live in a coastal position and the wind cuts through everything. It's quite difficult finding plants that are wind hardy for my garden, I've lost two Cistus in the last eighteen months where the wind has ripped the plants away and left the roots in the ground. I am gradually turning my garden over to herbaceous perennials, annuals and hardy shrubs like Weigela. Even trees struggle, I have just one at the moment a Malus that has been struggling for five years but I won't give up on it.

I will be moving house late summer of next year when my husband retires and hopefully I will find myself a garden less challenging.

 

[ChanellG]

Sadly it's not possible @ChanellG, I live in a coastal position and the wind cuts through everything...

I will be moving house late summer of next year when my husband retires and hopefully I will find myself a garden less challenging.

I was going to ask if you'd ever considered putting in a windbreak, but if your're moving next year I guess there isn't a whole lot of point in doing that. At least you have something to look forward to when you start your new garden at your next home.

 

[Pat]

In my area I would have to grow the Bougainvillea in a pot so that it can be brought in for the winter. When I lived in California I had a few in my yard and really loved the plants.

 

[hummingbird]

Funny, I've seen these all over my neighborhood (hard to grow things here) The color drops my jaw. It was driving me nuts not knowing what they were. Yesterday I had a meeting at my son's school and noticed a plant with the tag on. Finally have a name and can't wait to get some!

 

[grouie]

Funny, I've seen these all over my neighborhood (hard to grow things here) The color drops my jaw. It was driving me nuts not knowing what they were. Yesterday I had a meeting at my son's school and noticed a plant with the tag on. Finally have a name and can't wait to get some!

I am happy for you.

 

[Sheal]

I was going to ask if you'd ever considered putting in a windbreak, but if your're moving next year I guess there isn't a whole lot of point in doing that. At least you have something to look forward to when you start your new garden at your next home.

There's a 6ft Escallonia hedge along one side of my garden that shelters a little from the prevailing wind but it's not enough. A walled garden would be perfect! When I eventually move house the garden and it's aspects are going to be my first consideration.

 

[ChanellG]

There's a 6ft Escallonia hedge along one side of my garden that shelters a little from the prevailing wind but it's not enough. A walled garden would be perfect! When I eventually move house the garden and it's aspects are going to be my first consideration.

I have found that stuff in my driveway does better than stuff in my back yard because the two houses break the wind. There is a chain link fence on one side of the yard and a wood fence along the back. I'd like to put something against the chain fence to help protect the plants in wind.

 

[Sheal]

Unless you change the type of fence you have the only way to create a strong windbreak is with hedging. I not only have the Escallonia on one side of the garden but a new Hebe hedge on the other. I grew the plants from cuttings and they are now coming into their fourth year having got to a height of 4ft, they will be grown on to 6ft.

You probably realise you'll need tough plants as a wind break, Escallonia and Hebe are amongst those but for something faster growing I'd choose Griselinia.

Have you an idea of what plants you would choose?