Growing Philesia magellanica

[P. Kohn]

I have just obtained three very nice plants of Philesia magellanica from Timpany Nurseries. They are destined for the Liliales and Asparagales Bed in the Evolution Garden in Sheffield Botanic Gardens. Our own plant is thriving but the Botanics has a no peat policy so I can't prepare the soil in the same way. I am contemplating improving the ground with composted bark. Does this seem like the best solution or would one of the 'peat free' composts be a better choice ?  Anyone with any advice please.

[johnralphcarpenter]

GrowChar?

[Maggi Young]

If you can access well-composted bark  that would help to keep the soil open and we would add  lots of leaf-mould. I presume a Botanic Gardens will have leaf-mould?  Failing leaf-mould you could use a mix of peatfree compost and composted bark - but  leaf-mould would be much better.

[ArdfearnAli]

If using peat is a problem try and source some sphagnum moss. I have seen it for sale for lining hanging baskets etc. Its compressed into a block and if I remember comes from managed sources. If you rub it through a 3/4" riddle and add a lot of leaf mould it might work. I used to grow it up in Inverness but one very dry summer I forgot about it and it perished. It seemed to come through the winters here. It never looked particularly happy in the spring but seemed to recover. I have been meaning to try and get it again so will try timpany in the spring.

Alasdair

[Tony Willis]

Mine has been growing in a quite heavy clay soil for ten years ( I hvae just checked and it is alive and in flower) I am of the opinion that the most important factors are shade,plenty of moisture and protection from late frost.

[P. Kohn]

Many thanks for the advice. I think the well composted bark + leafmould (always a scarce commodity though we do have access to some nice reasonably well rotted pine needles which go into our protea mix) looks like a good way to go. Don't know anything about Gro-Char - never seen it locally - does anyone else have good experience with it ?

[Lesley Cox]

My small small Philesia is flourishing in composted pine bark fines as is Lapageria rosea. But likewise, 2 Mutisia species, competing with the Lapageria for climbing room on the same conifer.

[johnralphcarpenter]

Many thanks for the advice. I think the well composted bark + leafmould (always a scarce commodity though we do have access to some nice reasonably well rotted pine needles which go into our protea mix) looks like a good way to go. Don't know anything about Gro-Char - never seen it locally - does anyone else have good experience with it ?

I dont know if GroChar is available outside the UK - It is recomended by Great Dixter, and I trust their judgement!

[P. Kohn]

We have obtained three very nice plants from Timpany in Northern Ireland which are now in the Liliales bed in the Sheffield Botanic Garden. I'll report on progress in the Spring. Just as well I decided to but plants as the plant in our own garden is quite uninterested in developing roots on the runners which I layered.