My front bay bed.

[David Nicholson]

Having managed to scrounge some stone I now have an opportunity to sort out the bed under my front bay window. Readers will see from the pictures that our front bay, in the main part,  hangs over the bed. I've always had trouble with cats using the bed (as the soil directly underneath it is quite dry and gets little rain) as a toilet. Over the years I've tried many methods of discouraging them from tea bags soaked in Olbus Oil; orange peel; laying carpet grippers over the soil and I've frequently been stopped by She who must be obeyed from borrowing a 2.2. rifle Nothing has succeeded apart from a rampant Juniper that did keep cat's off but grew so large and spreading it kept us off the path too. It's now gone.

The stone I have isn't all of the same type. Some is slate whilst other pieces are sandstone and others are river cobbles so I'm not thinking crevice bed but rather creating planting pockets of various sizes.

Maybe I've floated this idea before but have never had the quantity of stone available, and, in any case, anything I plan to do usually has the gestation period of a very, very late lady Elephant.

What to plant is a problem too, given that some pockets will be very dry but others will get some moisture. I had thought in the dryer areas to try some Cyclamen gaecum as I have a number of pots in the greenhouse from 2008 and 2009 sowings that have so far refused to flower and might appreciate a change of scene.

The bed faces roughly North West and doesn't get sun until mid-afternoon.

Any planting suggestions gratefully received.

[Maggi Young]

What about some hardy cactus?

[SJW]

Might not get enough sun for C graecum to flower but you could try if they are spare plants. How about experimenting with a range of cyclamen? Cilicium, coum, purpurascens, possibly libanoticum? I'd leave out hederifolium from the mix as it would probably be too vigorous and swamp the others.

[David Nicholson]

What about some hardy cactus?

Mmmm. I'm not a great cactus fan but at least the cats wouldn't be comfortable with them surely, so I could be persuaded. Semps and Jovibarbas a possibility?

[David Nicholson]

Might not get enough sun for C graecum to flower but you could try if they are spare plants. How about experimenting with a range of cyclamen? Cilicium, coum, purpurascens, possibly libanoticum? I'd leave out hederifolium from the mix as it would probably be too vigorous and swamp the others.

Thanks Steve. I think I have one graecum that I could afford to lose so may well try that, but as far as the other suggestions are concerned I haven't enough mature plants to spare although I have seedlings coming on.

[Tristan_He]

Have you thought about ferns and hellebores David? Quite a few ferns are very drought tolerant once established especially if not in full sun, and ditto hellebores (though they probably won't be as spectacular as in the open garden). Dicentras also cope pretty well with dry shade. Agree on the Cyclamen.

This might seem a bit bizarre but if you don't mind watering in summer, what about Meconopsis baileyi? It should be a relatively cool spot and won't get overly wet in winter. They also like a fertile soil! Obviously they would not tolerate drying out whilst in growth though. Perhaps not in combination with those Cyclamens though...

Tristan

[SJW]

Thanks Steve. I think I have one graecum that I could afford to lose so may well try that, but as far as the other suggestions are concerned I haven't enough mature plants to spare although I have seedlings coming on.

RHS gardens (Wisley and Harlow Carr) were selling flowering size C. cilicium this autumn at £1.99 which I thought was a very reasonable price, and that's coming from a Yorkshireman...!

[ian mcdonald]

Garden centres have a good range of hardy? cyclamen in various colours just now. I put five in a dry bed near a hedge last year and they are just coming into flower now. I don,t know the variety and they don,t look as if they are hardy. They are sold as good for hanging baskets.

[Michael J Campbell]

David, I think you should consider the 2.2. option again.

[David Nicholson]

Thanks for your suggestions Tristan. I'm not a Fern person really but I may try a Hellebore, I've got tons of self sown seedlings. Not sure about Meconopsis though I've tried and failed in most parts of my garden.

[David Nicholson]

David, I think you should consider the 2.2. option again.

Quite likely Michael, having spent half an hour this morning shifting muck from the planting pockets I've made so far.

[ian mcdonald]

David, you should be able to stop a tank with a 2.2.

[David Nicholson]

Yup!