ukhostland

Hi, It's disappointing that a guest would come to a beautiful place and remove part of what makes it beautiful in the first place; this is an opportunity to educate the person concerned - advise them to take away only good memories and leave a few for those who come next time. We have noticed Cowslips disappearing from around the village with visitors picking armfulls of flowers, thus preventing them seeding. In just a few years they have retreated from the village to nearly a mile away. The legality or otherwise of what your guest has done depends partly on the plant type and partly on from where it has been removed. You cannot remove plants from private land or from a national park, for instance and some of the more endangered plants are protected by international law. You are not responcible for the acts of your selfish  guests but as a tourism professional you should do all in your power to prevent such actions. Not easy, I know. Colin

Hi, I grow Callistemon - Bottlebrush - in the soil of our gravel patio; it likes good drainage and I wonder if you have been overwatering it. That would explain the brown leaf etc. The variety most available in the southern half of France is C. laevis, not considered hardy in the UK and better as a house / patio plant. Mine was bought in the south and suffered the first winter, but has since flowered and is looking good. Colin

Hi, I am really puzzled by your request for no-flowering plants.....what's wrong with flowers? The more the merrier, as far as I am concerned. Technically of course, all plants have flowers, even things like Ivy, whose green, nectar-rich flowers encourage wasps. We have a rather lovely golden-leaved version of the Hop vine, whose flowers are also not obvious or bright. Actinidia (Kiwi) have big leaves for shade and flowers which are not a major feature. Colin

Well done Norman :)

No, its not Nicotiana , its Mirabilis jalapa (Belle de Nuit for the French, Marvel of Peru to some), as someone has said. Its a scented, South American plant which can become a bit of a weed. Poisonous too, but pretty. Colin

What type of Lobelia do you have? There are several species (actually, around 400!), some of which have very different requirements. If you do not have the name, flower colour and growth form would be a help (a photo even better) Colin

I'm not really a common name sort-of-guy, in English or French, but yes, Cytise, because, I guess, it is in the same plant family as Cytisus. Laburnum Vossii has a lot less of those nasty seeds and is one of the most popular flowering trees in the UK.

Hi Frenchie, looks like you've got a nice Laburnum there. Just be careful about the seeds....not to be eaten by the little ones. Colin

I regularly import large quantities of plants from the UK to France for clients and our own garden and have never hidden the fact or had any problems. I am sure it will be fine. Colin

I have just had a deleivery of seed from T&M in the UK but I think the French office has closed. Did you use the international web site or the UK one? Unfortunately they will not send young plants to France from the UK.

Hi all, I hope someone has pointed out that because of the noxious chemicals in the wood these are illegal for domestic use for some while. Nasty smelly things too! Colin

We rarely miss an opportunity to do some planting and have not stopped since we moved here two years ago. Even before we made the break from the UK I had sent in the landscapers to clear the garden of all the overgrown shrubs so that we could tranfer over the first few plants from Bedfordshire to the Indre. I am creating a large new bed down the left hand side of the garden leading up to the newly constructed log cabin which will be the classroom for the Garden Design Academy, freeing up a wing of the house which we can now use as a gite. It has been a parking place for trees, shrubs and herbacious plants for which we had no immediate home and as a nursery for the cuttings which people keep offering me. I still have a few plants bought at the autumn plant fair at Courson which have yet to be planted - a Daphne tangutica, a few grasses and a dark purple Magnolia called Black Tulip. These can now be found a home, perhaps next to some of the plants I lifted from my Mother in Law's garden in Bordeaux, when she died last year. We have just built a front garden wall and that has created lots of new planting opportunities which the nurserymen attending the Courson spring fair can help me with.  But the question was what plants; for that you can keep an eye on my blog " A Gardener in France" at :http://gardendesigncompany.wordpress.com/

We'll need to see a photo to help you

Hi, as you say, the chances of there not being more cold weather are slim so I would wait a while yet before pruning, which is best done after the risk of frosts has passed. It's great to see things moving though. We in the Indre have enjoyed 18 degrees at mid day for the last couple of days and had our first outdoor lunch of the year today. Our garden is very new, but in flower at the moment are Camellia, Jasminium nudiflorum, Skimmia,  Hamamelis, Snowdrops and one lonely Crocus.

Lawn sand is a combined moss killer and lawn fertiliser, (comprising ammonium sulphate, iron sulphate and fine sand).  It should be applied between April and September, in dry conditions, but preferably when rain is expected within a couple of days. Other sand may help the drainage but they are not quite the same thing. I've not seen lawn sand in France but you could try buying washed sand and adding your own chemicals: Twenty parts clean sand, 3 parts sulphate of ammonia and one part sulphate of iron is the formula.Colin

Hi, I tried to order a mini greenhouse complete with undersoil heating pad from Thompson & Morgan in the UK. They refered me to their French site which supplied but at a higher cost. Graines Baumaux also offerTapis Chauffants from 136.80 to 319 Euro Colin

Hi, I gather you are close to me in the Indre et Loir. Acacia (Robinia pseudoacacia) could be a good solution for you. It grows well here, is very fast and the wood is dry, allowing it to be burnt without seasoning. Oak is one of the best woods for burning but rather slow, while Eucalyptus is another rapid grower and has good scent on the fire. Many moons ago I helped a client in Wales start Eucalyptus plantations for the wood burning stoves of the cottages on his property. Best regards, Colin

In the best traditions of gardeners everywhere!

Nice Bee Orchid. I spotted a similar but different species visiting clients in the Dordogne a week or two ago.....they'll be on my blog soon, I have no doubt. There are a few wild orchid photos from here in central France on the blog already, if you are interested: http://gardendesigncompany.wordpress.com/ Colin the Gardener

I am working self-employed as an independent agent to a group of French estate agents selling to the Anglophone market. I am based in the north of 36 / south 41 and have been asked to extend my business to cover other parts of the Centre region. This is not a quick fix - French bureaucracy sees to that! - but if you are prepared to invest some time building up a portfolio there is a good living to be made. If this sounds interesting please email me: [email protected] or ring: 0254 401542 Colin Elliott Loire Valley Property

Hi, Yes, I know, its a grand term for a garden; ours is smaller than yours but everyone in the town calls it a park. It is defined as an enclosed area with trees, attached to a chateau or a substantial property. Our house is a fairly substantial "maison de maitre" and when we arrived was overgrown with ugly trees and shrubs. When these were removed we were left with grass and two huge, 150 year old, Sequoias: a park. As garden designers and keen gardeners ourselves, the garden is gradually being planted with a mixture of plants bought at plant fairs in France, and the odd truck-load of things from our suppliers in the UK. I unerstand this will not make it any less park-like. By the way, Ihave a blog that may be of interest: http://gardendesigncompany.wordpress.com/

Filling in gaps in a Leylandii hedge is not straightforeward, beacause the conifers compete with any new plants for light, water, food and root space, but if the hedge is not too well established or if you are prepared to offer the new plant a great deal of care, it is possible. We have several times been asked to cheer up parts of gardens against established Leylandii screens, often where the foliage doea not reach the ground. In those cases we have used plants like Forsythia Maree d'Or, Chaenomeles and some of the dwarf Bamboos to add colour. To keep the neighbours dogs out we have used Ruscus (Butcher's Broom). Good luck, Colin

Hi from the Indre, I am spending a lot of time collecting Walnuts from trees around the village at the moment and have found many that are still in the outer fleshy case. The nuts inside have all been fine. Eventually the case dries and the nuts are less messy to get out. As this is the end of the season we are looking for nuts amonst the grass......many have clearly been there a few weeks but are still perfect. There is a weevil that effects Walnuts in the States but I've not come across it here: the squirrels and other pickers are the only problem here!

Does this plant really have to go in a pot? Is there no chance of getting it in the soil: that's always the best. Anyway, apart from Bamboo (which is great as you can by tall ones immediately.....although it may split the pot in a couple of years) consider evergreen Magnolia grandiflora, Laurus nobilis (Bay), Lonicera lucida (a nice form of Privet) and Photinia fraseri Red Robin.

As Clare suggests, sounds a bit like a Horse Chestnut; why not get a photo for us, so we can help?