What to grow on extreme sandy soil?

That would be fantastic @ARMANDII ! I will be over in the UK doing one of my regular visits to Mum later this month.... and then back again in October...

 

As i was driving past a building site the other day, I was struck with the sight of a wall of sand, where they had cut into the slope.....

This is what I mean by our sand/soil!

that's about 3 - 4 metres high, pure sand, with variations in the colour.

 

I don’t want to be seen as labouring the point, but unless you have experienced this “growing medium” as you have, @ARMANDII , it is hard to comprehend, I think. Even the Dutch-based workmen digging up our street to lay sewage pipes were shocked and surprised. They had thought they needed to use shuttering to hold up the walls of the trenches....

No, I love it!
But watching established trees die, after another long dry summer, is heartbreaking.
We have decided no more fruit trees, and no more big shrubs. Just loads of tlc, manure and compost, along with our precious water, for the existing plants.

A silly aside, but for those who are on metered water, how much does it cost per litre? Or cubic metre, if that’s easier? A friend in a leased apartment asked us, so we worked it out, separate from the various standing charges to the local council, the province, and the water company, and we were shocked!

 

In the UK metered water charges vary according to region, and at the moment you are tied in to one local monopoly supplier though I believe there are plans to change that in the future: Price of water - how UK water rates are calculated

Thus in London I am with Thames Water, who are not unreasonable, and it saves me money to have a meter - the usual calculation is that should you have more residents than bedrooms, it will be cheaper to stick with the estimated charge as my neighbours do. Though even they had to have a meter installed, and if/ when they move the new residents will have no choice but to use it.

I know friends down in Devon and Cornwall have to pay much higher charges....

 

Thanks for the info, @Clare G .

It doesn’t say how much per litre you are charged, even a ball-park figure....

 

That's too complicated for me to work out! There is a standing charge as well as the price per litre, which again varies even within the Thames Water area. You also pay by volume both for water coming in, and going out - i.e. sewerage. Full details here if you want to wade through them: Metered charges | Our charges | Thames Water

Or I can tell you that Ken and I currently pay £17.00 a month to Thames Water!

 

Ah-ha, so it’s £1.40 per cubic metre... that’s a lot cheaper than for us! No wonder people use lawn sprinklers in the UK!!

 

Have a look through this list if you haven't already, @Sian in Belgium. Includes quite a few of the plants suggested in this thread. They're what Beth Chatto used in her gravel garden. Seems that double-digging and lots of spent mushroom compost did the trick there! They also stock a few of them in their nursery, so perhaps you could order them there and collect when visiting here. The three plants I've recently purchased from them certainly seem very healthy!

Drought Loving Plants - The Beth Chatto Gardens

Expert Advice: 11 Tips for Gravel Garden Design - Gardenista

Nick

 

What are your winter lows?
Along with Agapanthus I would add Alstoemeria. Also Eremurus...........
Eremurus by longk48, on Flickr

Eremurus? by longk48, on Flickr

Aloe striatula.............
Aloe striatula by longk48, on Flickr

Aloe striatula by longk48, on Flickr

I would also give Morina longifolia a go - easy from seed.

What about Eucomis, and also Galtonia...............
Galtonia candicans by longk48, on Flickr

Fritillaria imperialis............
Fritillaria imperialis by longk48, on Flickr

Fritillaria persica.............
Fritillaria persica by longk48, on Flickr

 

Our winters tend to be colder, and drier, than the UK, so we often see a winter low of -10c, and I have known a week when we had a daily high of -5c. That being said, the last few years have not been that cold, with just an occasional -10c.

I have worn out a snow-shovel in just 6 years, though!!