Re: plants for dry shade

Rachel wrote:
(Helychrysum petiolatum)
>I also find the species, which is grey and grows in full sun, to be 
>useful in locations where it has enough room to stretch out.  
>Otherwise it can overwhelm nearby plants.

I also use the variegated form - as a climber against a fence.  It
easily clothes 10 x 7ft in  a very short time and if growing in well
drained soil, is a fairly long lived, reliable perennial in areas from
Zone 9a upwards.  It makes an excellent foil and support for slender,
brightly coloured twiners such as the rich purple Maurandia barclaiana
and Tropaeolum tuberosum.  Also, the dense cover it provides acts as
excellent insulation for more tender passion flowers such as P.
vitifolia which also grow through it.

I use H. 'Limlight' as ground cover to protect 'tender' rhizomatous
plants which can grow up through it.  Even if it is partially killed
by frost, it still provides valuable insulation throughout winter and
always recovers after a good clip in late March.  It is excellent in
my part of the world since it invariably deflects much of the winter
rain keeping the soil fairly dry.

Dave Poole
TORQUAY  UK  Zone 9b
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