Pergola plants/murder

One obvious choice I haven't seen mentioned in reply to your query is good 
ol' Vitis vinifera.  Grapes do very well in heavy clay soils and, once 
established, require little or no summer irrigation.  They have, in fact, 
been used in your neighborhood for a very long time for just  the situation 
you describe.    I've grown them here in Sacramento at about sea level on 
the floor of the central valley, and at 2500 feet up in the foothills,  with 
very little attention other than annual pruning.  The shade cover they 
provide is comparable to hops.                                               
                                     Wisteria also works quite well for 
pergolas and in heavy soils, but with all the recent postings regarding 
pruning I assume you've thought of that already.                             
                                                                             
                     One other plant that I personally might try in this 
situation is Banks rose. (Comes in several variations, I personally favor 
the double yellow).  I think you might be borderline for hardiness on Banks 
rose in your location, but if you can find a plant, you might give it a try 
on one post of your pergola. If they can get the stuff to grow in England, 
you ought to be able to in Spain.


I've been following the wild pig postings with some amusement (no doubt due 
to the fact that the vegetable garden in question is not mine).  Like every 
gardener, I've seen my efforts at times subject to predation by a variety of 
creatures large and small.  I am curious if you are certain these are wild  
as opposed to feral pigs?  I bring this up only in that it might make a 
difference in how you view their eventual demise.


As someone who has, in the past year had to deal with thirty feral cats ,a 
couple of geese with a taste for expensive bulbs,  and the usual deer 
browsing we get in this area, I  appreciate your dilemma.


This last from E.B.White, a favorite of mine:
"I shot a fox last fall, a long lucky shot with a .22 as he drank at the 
pond. It was cold murder.  All he wanted at the moment was a drink of water, 
but the list of his crimes against me was a long one, so I shot him dead, 
and he fell backward and sank slowly into the mud.
"The war between me and the fox is as senseless as all wars. There is no way 
to rationalize it. The fox is not even the biggest and meanest killer here- 
I hold that distinction myself. I think nothing of sending half a dozen 
broilers to the guillotine ... I have plenty of convictions but no real 
courage, and I find it hard to live in the country without slipping into the 
role of murderer."


Michael Larmer
Sacramento , California
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index