Chicken bald back

[squidsin]

Not strictly a 'self-sufficient' topic but I've been growing aconitum napellus in my garden without realising quite how poisonous it is, and as I have a toddler and chooks, it's got to go! Shame as it was doing really well against my north-facing fence. I've got six plants - anyone in the Ealing area want them? And can anyone suggest anything I could grow in its place - tall spires to grow up against a north-facing fence? The theme on that side of the garden is purple, blue and white...

Thanks!

[Daphne]

Thats a shame; aconitum is such a beautiful plant. Depending on the light levels, how about delphiniums if you've not good too many slugs? or lupins? or foxgloves? or verbascum? or verbena bonariensis? or nicotiana sylvestris? or hollyhock? or maybe a rose? or a clematis? or sweet pea? or that self-clinging hydrangea petiolaris (or something like that) as a backdrop, or campanulas (some are very tall) or that thin wandy plant with masses of tiny mauve flowers - linaria or something (there's a pink form called Canon Went)? I have a feeling that there is a tall sky-blue salvia as well and maybe a tall purple veronica. Are white stocks or snapdragons too short as a frontage? Exhausted

[squidsin]

Thanks! I don't want anything poisonous, so no foxgloves, and I've already got sweetpeas and clematis and hydrangea anomalis, but I'm thinking campanula might be good. Or delphs - I've always been put off by their diva reputation, do they do OK in partial shade?

 

Oooh I love the tobacco plant! Wonder if they've got that at my local garden centre....

[Daphne]

Not sure about the shade thing - I did have some beautiful silvery ones last year which I kept in pots because of the slugs and they were in semi-shade. Perhaps do some googling? However, its the slugs you really have to watch out for - which is why I grow aconitum, but I take your point about them being poisonous! The good thing with companulas is if you get the right variety (and I either got Pritchards Variety or Loddon Anna, can't remember) they clump up. After 4 years my 2 or 3 plants now look like a proper herbaceous border clump. The added attraction is that their leaves are slightly hairy/spiky and the chooks don't go near it!

[squidsin]

I've ordered three of the nicotiana sylvestris from Crocus because they're just so pretty and will go have a wander down at my garden centre this weekend - I'm thinking a creamy hollyhock might work well in the spot I've got too. Thanks for the recommendations Daphne.