Gravel beds aren't always well-drained

5th February 2021

Although the raised bed in which the iris are planted has been filled with a mixture of soil and grit and top dressed with gravel, the soil is still very moisture-retentive, and its location (at the foot of a slope) means that it can actually stay quite wet , rather than giving a really free-draining environment for alpines and bulbs. The fact that Ajuga reptans is spreading across it is good evidence that it doesn't dry out!