ideas on creating a new tropical looking garden

Hi,

I want a tropical looking garden. My garden is south facing, on a slope, good drainage and semi-coastal. Rarely gets hard frosts but it does get wind in parts but otherwise quite sheltered. The useable part of the garden is 20metres by around 21metres.

I like foliage and shape - if it helps I have some Fatsia, Phoenix Palms and Canary Palms, Paulowina and various bamboo. Otherwise I have fresh beds (most raised slightly with improved clay soil). A mix of evergreen, perennial and annual.

Any ideas on must have plants and planting ideas? From looking at some of your photos I like the idea of lots of Cosmos together (has a lush look) for example - I did say tropical look, so does not need to be tropical plants - I do live in the UK afterall. Am open to all suggestions and advice.

 

Hi Salamander , welcome to the forum.....
Really if you know the tecnique and if you ready to the extra mile you can grow anything you want really.
this is my garden and I get really heavy frost.

 

Hi Salamander, you do sound like you've got the basis of a good tropical 'looking' garden already. As you say all the plants don't have to be tropical they could simply 'look' tropical or exotic and some of the larger species of grasses would look good too.

Plants to consider; tetrapanex, hibiscus varieties, arundo donax, miscanthus malepartus, canna varieties, hardy gingers, bananas (musa basjoo), castor oil plants (annuals), cleomes (annual), passion flower (climber), bamboo, dahlias....

Have a look at this website for some more ideas;

http://www.jungleseeds.co.uk/index.html

There is a link to their plant sales section on this too as this is the seed section..

Good luck and have fun

 

Hi sal73 - I was blown away by your pics and a little intimidated. It looks sheltered! I have tried to pick apart what you have, so bear with me please.

Pic 1 - Ricinus/Castor Oil Plant (red plant on left), Windmill Palm, Canary Palm, some Musa, Crocosmia/Montbretia and Agapanthus fromwhat I can id.

Pic 2- Musa, ferns, not sure what the heart shaped leaved plant is and some green castor Oil plant.

Pic 3 - Elephant ears?

Do you take the Musa in over winter or does the roots stay and it re-outside?

Hi Bilbo675 - Tetrapanax are certainly on the list now. Arundo Donax,perhaps a variegated one will be great. Canna I would never have thought of till reading this site. I was offered some rhizosomes for free in spring but I thought they would just die! Defo on the list to buy! I had no idea some Ginger could survive here apart from high summer. Am one for trying to grow from seed and see that the website has money off - excellent!

Thank you both,much appreciated.

 

Snap! Sounds like where I was 12 months ago.

This is what I did:

I asked for advice on the forums
I compiled a list of plants I took a fancy to
I visited some Exotic Gardens (East Ruston Old Vicarage, Great Dixter, Will Giles; and the show garden at Urban Jungle)
I bought plants (mostly from Amulree) in last Autumn's 50% off sales
I bought more plants (mostly from Urban Jungle) in their January (I think) sale

Choose what style you want - borders around an open area, or narrow windy paths through a "jungle" of encroaching foliage - I chose the Jungle style.

I grew quite a lot from seed - particularly as "Infill" for the early years - Coelus in particular

I looked at some Annuals I could grow - I think Cleome looks tropical, and I have grown Leonotis nepetifolia from some seeds kindly given to me, also lots of Canna species. I have also grown Cardoons which have made massive architectural plants in their first year. Ricinus have also helped create a great Jungle feel - they were big by the end of August

I grew Musa sikkimensis and Brugmansia from seed (back in Spring last year), they were handsome plants [in my conservatory] by Spring this year.

I prepared the beds last Autumn, and planted them in late May

For some backbone plants I bought Fastia (plain, spider's web and variegated), also Chamaerops humilis, Trachycarpus wagnerianus and a Cycas revoluta. Plus a dozen different Bamboos.

In the Spring I also planted some Dahlias (David Howard and Emory Paul [huge flowers!]), 10 or so different Canna varieties (with fancy vein-colourings in the leaves or ones that are very tall with dark/variegated leaves [like Mystique and Stuttgart])

The speed of growth has been amazing, and people who visit just don't believe its only been in the ground for 4 months!

Story, on my Blog, about last year up to Winter (I update my Blog each year in early Winter, so there will be a new instalment shortly ...)

Here's some Jun/Aug 2012 - 7.5 weeks only!! - picture comparisons (sorry, not yet done any more recent photos comparisons)

(Click images for full=size version)

 

little intimidated!!! , I`ve joined this forum last year , and started this garden just in May , I`ve manged to do all thanks to the guys of GC and all the nice thread and information I`ve gained through the year.
april


May

 

Yes the second pictures are colocasia , another thread we start and all of us joined in ....
they are actually eddoes brought from a shop .

 

Hi Sal!
Love your garden!!

 

I was in the same boat as yourself salamander, started from scratch and wanted a tropical look to the garden. Ended up mixing both tropical and tropical looking and I think it's paid off.

The folks here on these forums have helped a great deal for me in the suggestions and pointers. My soils is very free draining so needs a good watering everyday on the driest days, and does get windy as I'm very close to the coast.

Tree ferns, phormiums, coleus, acers, cannas, callas, miscanthus, dahlias, euphorbias and hostas all look great (imo) amongs tropicals for a tropical feel and look to a garden.

 

I bought one Persicaria Red Dragon last Autumn, took a few cuttings in the Spring, and I can't believe how big they have got (but reasonably open, branching, habit, so they don't look stuffed)

I'm about to do a couple of pot-fulls of cuttings so I have some to pot-on in the Spring, so let me know if you'd like some bits.

Good idea about the Hellebores - they have architectural leaves, so would fit in well - and provide some "Interest" out of season in the Winter

I've added some late September photos to the "time lapse" above. Wasn't a very sunny day though :(

Click to view full-size please


The variegates Arduno donax has really come on, as have the Cardoons to the right of the path.



The Coleus have made good in-fill. I need to decide what to do with the very dry shaded area on the right of the path (for next year).



The Ricinus (not very obvious, but they are all along the back on the right) have filled the space well, and in the foreground, right, the Leonotis nepetifolia have bulked up well - they are taller than I expected!

The Ensete montbeliardii has done well. It was a 1L pot purchase back in May

 

Cardoons - grown from seed this Spring:



Persicaria Red Dragon (from a 2L pot in the Spring):

 

Nicotiana sylvestris is a late blooming scented annual - the huge leaves certainly look tropical to me...................


Tradescantia pallida for ground cover................


Keep a pot grown stock plant and take cuttings from it (dead easy).

Take a look at the Eucomis genus too. E.bicolor.................

 

Additional point on "creating a tropical looking garden"

I am creating a spreadsheet of all the plants and what Winter-care they need - so that I can, at short notice if needs be, dig-up / bring-in / fleece / etc. as First Frost approaches in Autumn.

I'm also included a feeding-regime as some of these things need bucketfuls of encouragement!