Plant hospital

I'm currently making a garden out of a 4000 square metre former vineyard. The soil is schiste - a mixture of sedimentary rock and sandy loam. It isn't at all pretty but, amazingly, plants and trees seem to be doing rather well on it.

Such a big space demands an awful lot of plants, many of which I'm growing from seed. However, our lovely friends bring plants with them when they come to lunch or dinner. Many of those plants were destined for the tip or compost. One such gift arrived today. "It hasn't grown at all for two years" said the donor. "But I know you'll get it going again". This poor plant stands two metres tall. I hope it likes schiste.