They too suffered from incredibly low temperatures in February - -12C. The pipes froze and all the palms were damaged. However the Tetrapanax and the Cannas seem to have survived unscathed, which just goes to show that some plants we think of as being tender can be more robust than we expect.
Whilest there, I paid a visit to my favourite nursery, Pepiniere Filippi in Meze. They specialise in drought tolerant plants and have a fantastic range of plants, also a comprehensive on-line catalogue.
However, the most exciting thing about it is the gravel garden, tucked away at the back overlooking the Etange. It is a truely inspirational showcase for their plants ! They have created hillocks and paths on the flat site entirely covering it with a thick mulch of gravel which provides warm, sunny banks for their plants to thrive. Cupressus sempervirens provide accents throughout the site and strusture is provided by a wide range of Cistus and other evergreen shrubs.
 |
| Pepinere Filippi, Meze |
There are also displays of alternative drought tolerant ground-cover plants. I know this now sounds ridiculous to think about after the weather we have had this year. But most years in Suffolk my garden is usually dried to a crisp by now!
I brought back some really interesting plants to trial and will be watching them closely.
Firstly, an unusual grass called Zoysia tenuifolia . This creates hummocks of dense grass about 5-10cm high. It yellows in the winter at temperatures below -4C . It needs full sun and good drainage so I will see how it survives on my sandy soil. It has a really soft undulating habit and would be good to use in small areas around a bench perhaps as an alternative to chamomile.
 |
| Zoysia tenuifolia in August |
Inspired by a combination that they are growing in the gravel garden, I also brought a mixture of Achillea crithmifolia and Centaurea bella. Both create dense mounds of evergreen silver foliage.
So far, the Centaurea is creating nice rounded mounds whereas the Achillea is already spreading quite quickly and looks like something that would cover bare soil rapidly. My resident rabbit hasn't eaten them yet either!
 |
| Achillea and Centaurea planting in May |
They are both supposed to be fairly hardy so I will be watching them closely this winter. If they survive I will definitely be using them in my new gravel garden planned for this Autumn. Anne
