Hardy exotics to survive winter
These plants should survive the cold season
In recent years I haven’t been planting as many tender exotics in my own garden, as I spend a lot of time travelling and this isn’t conducive to fussy gardening. In July I returned to my little garden in the Midlands after a long absence. I was thrilled to see how my carefully chosen mix of permanent and hardy plants still manage to give the exotic look and, despite minimal maintenance, looked fabulous. Although there were few flowers, the mix of colourful and exotic foliage provided most of the luxuriant effect.
Cercis ‘Forest Pansy’ had gone rather crazy with lush purple foliage, but was soon curtailed with a little judicious pruning. The nearby Catalpa bignonioides ‘Aurea’ had produced a perfect globe of golden leaves. My trachycarpus palm has just about topped everything. Acanthus ‘Hollard’s Gold’ had lovely foliage but is more green than gold. Abutilon megapotamicum had covered the fence and was a mass of flower. Arundo Ian has spent his life working with plants and gardens. He has a particular interest in exotic planting and held the National Plant Collection of Canna. Ian is the author of nine gardening books and in 2008, he was awarded an Associate of Honour by the Royal Horticultural Society for his contribution to horticulture.
donax, a vigorous grass, had reached 4.5m (15ft) and had to be reduced, leaving the younger shoots to grow on. Some of the finer, slower species had disappeared but I was thrilled to find Impatiens omeiana, a hardy relative of busy Lizzie, rapidly spreading its pretty foliage.
Many gardeners shy away from exotic planting but I think this little garden proves exotics can be easy, hardy and colourful.