TOP-TIPS FOR DRY CONDITIONS

Head gardener Neil Davidson’s top tips for planting in dry conditions in a hard-working garden that is on show all year-round. The miracle of Greywalls is that anything grows at all. The soil is pure sand. It dries out very quickly. Liberal applications of compost are key and young plants are generally established with the help of leaky pipes. The secret lies in plants that thrive in these conditions. There is no point fighting to make something grow that isn’t happy in these conditions. Two years ago Ros and Neil introduced a pale cool scented border framing the view leading to the Oeil de Boeuf. Here, box hedges outline pale colours of Crambe Cordifolia, white lupine, sweet peas, Verbascum, Veronicastrum and Rosa Comte de Chambord stand out at night, drawing the eye south towards the Lammermuirs. Neil’s other personal favourites at Greywalls include: Eryngium alpinium Helenium ‘Moerheim Beauty.’ Aster x frikartii ‘Mönch’ Black-eyed susan Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii Goldsturm. Any roses so long as they are fragrant. Drought tolerant annuals such as Nicotiana, Cosmos Purity, Campanula and Salvia work throughout the garden.