Inspiration needed

[Totorara]

Hi there. Looking for some advice as to what I could plant in the two grey pots either side of bench. In place of two dying hydrangeas. West facing. Sun most of the day. Lots of window boxes and hanging baskets nearby.

Totally stuck. Any ideas welcome. I’d love something wigh impact whether due to height , flower head size or whatever. Favourite blooms are two tone pink or white. Evergreen would be great but suspect unlikely

I have considered
- paniculata phlox (only look good for few months ?)

- paniculata hydrangea

- snowball tree (probably too big generally )

At this point I got stuck.

Location west of Scotland so needs to be hardy. Thank you

 

[DirtMechanic]

West facing. Sun most of the day, two grey pots either side of bench. So there I am, sweating in the sun. I am thinking 2 things. Where in this country could a southern boy like me find some sweet iced tea, and also why am I sitting in the sun when I could be sitting in the shade? So trellising vines overhead perhaps?

 

[Sheal]

Welcome Totorara.

Weigela 'All Summer Red' . Not perhaps as tall as you would like but this is very hardy and like most Weigela's will cope with -15C, but may be best to give the pot/roots some protection during winter. It flowers from April to October. I'm considering these in my area, Inverness-Shire.

 

[Becky]

How about something that smells nice, like lavendar or rosemary? Both should be hardy enough and like the sun. If you're looking for something more colourful then I like @Sheal's suggestion

Where in this country could a southern boy like me find some sweet iced tea, and also why am I sitting in the sun when I could be sitting in the shade?

Sitting in the sun in Scotland is very different to sitting in the sun in Alabama!

 

[DirtMechanic]

How about something that smells nice, like lavendar or rosemary? Both should be hardy enough and like the sun. If you're looking for something more colourful then I like @Sheal's suggestion

Sitting in the sun in Scotland is very different to sitting in the sun in Alabama!

But.. Ultraviolet light does not care about all that.

 

[Sheal]

But.. Ultraviolet light does not care about all that.

I'm not sure that @Becky is referring to ultraviolet light @DirtMechanic. I think it's more a reference to the lack of high temperatures here.

 

[DirtMechanic]

I'm not sure that @Becky is referring to ultraviolet light @DirtMechanic. I think it's more a reference to the lack of high temperatures here.

I know, but basking in the sun has certain risk. A fair skinned woman is one of the true wonders of the world. Just doing what I can.

 

[Becky]

But.. Ultraviolet light does not care about all that.

I'm not sure that @Becky is referring to ultraviolet light @DirtMechanic. I think it's more a reference to the lack of high temperatures here.

I know, but basking in the sun has certain risk. A fair skinned woman is one of the true wonders of the world. Just doing what I can.

Oh I'm totally with you about the dangers of ultraviolet light. My step-dad has had many skin cancers removed over the years, and I'm very cautious in the sun. However the level of UV radiation depends on a number of factors - latitude affects it, as does cloud cover etc. In Scotland the level of UV radiation is a lot lower that somewhere closer to the equator that has regular sunshine. Obviously it's still wise to take precautions. My point was more that Scotland is not a warm sunny place - it is generally so rare for it to be both warm and sunny that people make the most of it

No offence intended

 

[Sheal]

I'm fair skinned but I need all the sun I can get due to a Vitamin D deficiency. Becky it's been warm, dry and sunny here since the middle of April and the ground is desperate for rain right now. Most of May saw temperatures around 25C/77F. The climate here has changed considerably in recent years.

 

[DirtMechanic]

Oh I'm totally with you about the dangers of ultraviolet light. My step-dad has had many skin cancers removed over the years, and I'm very cautious in the sun. However the level of UV radiation depends on a number of factors - latitude affects it, as does cloud cover etc. In Scotland the level of UV radiation is a lot lower that somewhere closer to the equator that has regular sunshine. Obviously it's still wise to take precautions. My point was more that Scotland is not a warm sunny place - it is generally so rare for it to be both warm and sunny that people make the most of it

No offence intended

Oh B thank you but offence is not possible because I have 3 window tinting businesses that came about over 30 years and I have not only helped the public on the subject of UV for decades but was fortunate enough to be working on the first business while I was attending the college of engineering at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

OP wanted out of the box thinking so I took the high road so to speak.

On the subject of UV radiation, well... lets just say I do not want to bring my work into my hobby. Most people think the light in the microwave cooks their food. I teach everyday.

Not only are you correct in all details, but of the three UV frequencies sent at us (A,B,C) Only 10% of B roughly and most of A get here because C and B are so violent and nasty they burn the very atmosphere into their own tomb. When the photons do hit us, their high energy is enough to blow particles of our bodies into bits called ions. Those ions could be rungs in a RNA strand. Thus the evil moniker "ionizing radiation" can be connected to cancer. And yes the shallow angle of the Earths crust in the UK to the source sun make the journey of light traveling longways through the atmosphere difficult where thankfully so many particles making up the atmosphere are destroyed protecting us.

Even then, it gets down here. It has that much energy.

 

[DirtMechanic]

@Totorara ?