To wonder how a plant can be common?

[CruCru]

I have been having some work done to my garden and am looking at which plants to put where. I want a white hydrangea in the front garden and my mum was horrified. Hydrangeas are common, you see. How can a plant be common?

pink ones

sweetness NOOOOOOOO!

The Other C Word

And the less acceptable of the two, round here

According to my mum (who Has Views on this), pink is the most common, then blue then white.

my pink one has flowers like an old ladies shower cap.
maybe that's why they are 'common'?

More to the point - where can I get an aspidistra? I need one to stand near the epergne.

Geraniums are my very very favourite! (hums Jean de Florette theme tune)

Geraniums are my very very favourite! (hums Jean de Florette theme tune)

www.etsy.com/uk/listing/108598596/combat-garden-gnome-with-flamethrower?ref=listing-shop-header-2

talking about garden gnomes.....

We don't have gnomes, but we do have a dragon lurking by the bamboo, and an otter that I reposition every year. I'd quite like to get more statuary, maybe even a gnome!

I'm surprised to see this thread. I was on holidays in Cornwall recently and we stayed in a hotel with great sea views, and lots of huge American style houses. The street was absolutely covered in hydrangeas.

I'm definitely common though, if I won the lottery I'd scream new money instead of refined elegance.

I was going to do some guerrilla gardening and plant some hydrangeas on the common land leading up to our street. Any suggestions as to what might grow to a decent size and look nice with minimum maintenance?

I am
Lucky enough to live somewhere very 'naice' your Mum would in no way think I or any of my neighbours are 'common'. There are a good few hydrangeas in local gardens. Very pretty they are too.

If you like them, plant one - it's your garden is it not?

at Bump screaming new money.

I'd go for a few bog standard lacecap hydrangeas to start with. If they're not overbred they're more likely to be tough. Also they'll be cheaper so if they get vandalised you won't have thrown away too much cash.
There's been stuff on the net about attempts to limit certain invasive plant species like buddlia but all that's in the early stages yet and I don't know if it applies to hydrangeas.
I've had a lot of stuff from Parkers via their wholesale catalogue and they are cheap but arrive small and would probably need growing on. They'd be faster than cuttings though. It depends how much cash you want to splash.

Right. I've been toying with getting an 'Incrediball' and now my mind has been made up to buy. I'm also going to buy some Malmaison CARNATIONS . I think they are beautiful and due a comeback. Plus, my mother-in-law may never speak to me again.

We have a white hydrangea that has had a wonderful year. Last month, just around twilight in a west-facing garden, the white flowers would become pearlescent and almost glow. It was stunning and I spent ages staring out of the window at it.

But the burning question for me is :

What about azaleas ??? we inherited a dozen of varying colours from white to pink to purple . That and the world's biggest yucca plant.

Common. Yuccas also common. But if you like them, hey, keep them.

Plomio I think it depends on their setting tbh. I can imagine a yucca and a purple and/or red azalea that would look great as part of an 'exotic' or jungly planting scheme. If they were dotted out in a narrow border around a square lawn with lots of bare earth and some tea roses, maybe they'd look a bit yuck.

It's all in the context with some plants but if you like them, it's best not to give a flying fuchsia about what other people think.

I like this thread.

Got some lovely ideas for plants now! I used to hate hydrangeas - well dislike I suppose - hate seems a strong word! But I love them now. Had a lovely pink one in a pot on the terrace but it died. Have a couple in deep beds in the front that we put in this year. They are still small but will grow. I hope.

I love geraniums. Red only. Remind me of Greece. Haven't seen any in Greece but have seen them on post cards!

Have a lovely purple buddleia to encourage butterflies.

I don't like wall flowers or begonias. Not overly keen on pansies but we have some in pots currently. And in a bed outside the kitchen window.

I just bought some lurid violet hyacinths just to add a bit of common to my contemporary urban jungle perfection.

Well, I've ordered a Strong Annabell and a Wim's Red AND got 2 people at work to do the same
Together we can make our town more common

Common as muck, me. Prairie planting was so 2013.