ADD AN EXOTIC TOUCH TO YOUR GARDEN

USE unusual conifers placed behind flower power and herbaceous layers comprising cannas, ginger and other colourful plants. If you leave them in the ground, you will need to cut them right back and then mulch over them.

Take inspiration from hardy things like the eriobotryas and variegated fatsias. But if you grow banana plants they will need wrapping. And save up for the biggest palm you can afford. The more mature the palm is, the hardier it will be. Young seedlings may have a hard time getting through the first few winters. in full sun and they flower too. They are a lot tougher than people think and are quite underused plants,” Matthew explains. “They typically flower later in the season. They have this exotic foliage through summer and flowers can go right through to the autumn depending on how the summer’s been. The frost will take them back and they need to be mulched over in the winter.

“We also want to expand the eucomis collection, have more echinaceas and zantedeschias, which have survived over winter in other parts of the garden.”

Mix in things you might see in other plantings, such as persicaria. Hardy hibiscus can sit easily with arundo and abutilons. Deep red BROAD-LEAVED fatsias, hugeflowered magnolias and ferns with wispy fronds can be placed to create an exotic look, mixed with colour from zantedeschia and hardy begonias with huge veined deep pink leaves. Use small plants in limited spaces “I’m a massive fan of Trachycarpus wagnerianus which is really hardy but the leaves stay small,” says Matthew. “Sometimes you need an exotic-looking leaf shape to set the tone, then work from that, using maybe one thing for its foliage like the begonias, something for its flower power like cautleya, depending on the situation.”