Kitchen Garden Forum

or is it Laveteria -
anyway we are going to build a compost toilet in the next couple of months and i want to grow lavateria neaby for use as green toilet paper. I have seen a bush growing on one of our terraces but miles from where the toilet will be - any ideas how to propagate from it.

If it's lavatera I have only grown it from seed. But that was only the annual variety.

Seems there are plenty more:

http://www.malvaceae.info/Genera/Lavatera/Lavatera.html

I wonder how many suggestions you will get for other suitable plants?
Bog Myrtle

Alan

Lavateria is softer than anything you can get on a roll and hoepfull nobody would be so unkind - i leave that job to you Alan

I've had great success with soft wood cuttings taken in late summer.

It's not the flowering mallow thing - it has big (always helpful) soft leaves and gets its name from its olden days use.
I've got a plant here so i should photograph it and see if anyone can help identify it - i only know it phonetically as laveteria it may actually be called something else.

sounds good chantal

From stools?

Hi CJ,
Lavatera can be propagated by semi-mature wood cuttings taken June to August inclusive or later on by hardwood cuttings taken September and October.
I should be able to identify it if you post a photograph. If it has grey downy leaves then I suspect the variety is L. thuringiaca.
JB.

Hi CJ

Purely in the interests of knowledge, my Stearn's Dictionary of Plant Names for Gardeners has this to say:
Lavatera Tree Mallow. Named for J. R. Lavater, 17th-century physician and naturalist in Zurich.

Alan

Thanks JB
Lavatera could have been what i heard - pretty bad at spelling as i am sure you've noticed.

Will take photo today and see what you think.

Alan maybe i've got my story mixed up and the lav is named after the leaf

CJ

If you want plants really named for lavatories, Stearn offers:

Coprosma Greek kopros, dung; osme, a smell; in allusion to the fetid smell of the type species

Sterculia Trees names for Sterculius, Roman god of privies (Latin stercus, dung

As for lavatory, it's from the Latin lavatorium, a washing place. (As in "I'm just off to wash my hands")

Sorry for all the info, but I'm trying to redeem myself for my flippant remarks yesterday.

Best of luck with the propagation, by the way.

Alan

Alan,
When you are in a hole it is said that it is best to stop digging
JB.

Putting aside the main thread, We are collecting all the rain water we can fromm house roof, shed and greehouse, and have a pipe the length of the garden to tank storage. It is used not only widely in the garden but a supply is provided into the downstairs loo and used when available. Latest water bills are considerably smaller. Part of this is due to the excessive markup on the piped water of some 250% for estimated sewage costs. Seeing as the tap water for the garden carries this surcharge and does not return as sewerage I feel our savings are fully justified.
Allan