What's looking Exotic in 2020

@weedaway

The back bone of my 'tropical' garden is Trachycarpus, Cordylines and phormiums. Along with a few others that are hardy and evergreen like Fatsia japonica that are not really exotic but have good leaf shapes. So the look is there even in winter. Hostas, bronze leaved dahlias and a few other hardy perennials have an exotic look and are easy to care for - I just leave them in the ground. Same as the green leaved bananas (Musa basjoo) that are 'root hardy', some people wrap theirs up - depends on how exposed your garden is (it's more being wet and cold rather than being just cold over-winter that does the damage). The rest I have to overwinter in a frost free greenhouse: Cannas and a few other tuberous plants just die down and I dig them up and they are very easy. The red leaved bananas (Ensetes), elephant ears (Colocasia) and Brugmansias are more trouble as they get tall and heavy, I prune them back so I can lift/move them on my own and keep frost free. Then there are plenty of annual 'fillers' grown from seed, like the canary creeper and cup and saucer plant.

I experiment a lot to see what will grow and try different positions, losing a few along the way. Growing from seed doesn't cost a lot if I get casualties.

 

Go ahead @weedaway it's no problem you posting on this thread.

 

A little Trachycarpus on the left and a good looking Cordyline australis. The Trachy must have been suffering being swamped by the weeds as the fronds look etiolated, should recover OK now it's being cleared. They are a bit too close together as both can grow into large trees.

 

That would explain the shape, if it has sharp teeth along the leaf stems then it is Washingtonia.