Re: Melianthus

Tristram -
 
I suspect heavy feeding is counter-productive for any melianthus, given their origins. The recipe, for flowering and for hardiness, certainly, and probably for really healthy growth as well, seems to be: 'poor' soil (ie lots of sand and grit), good drainage, lots of sun. Evidence: M. major grew and flowered regularly and extravagantly as far north and in as un-sunny a location as Christopher Holliday's old garden on the shores of Morecambe Bay: but the garden was/is south-facing, open, with soil which consists largely of stones, and was/is on a steep slope.
 
Extravagant spreading hasn't been a problem here with any melianthus but I'm certainly getting towards the outer limits of possibility with them, so that's not a surprising absence. Given that even here there's a certain amount of gentle spreading, I can certainly imagine extravagant spreading if they were really well-suited to their conditions - but I'd have thought that that was (a) quite desirable, (b) easily controlled if not. (I just whack bits off when they get too big for their boots, and the 'bits,' which usually come with roots attached, simply become new plants. QED!).
 
Tim
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