The day of the terrifics...
Plant one of these showstoppers to ensure you’re the talk of the town
YOU can’t beat a bit of drama. I love plants that shoot for the stars, that offer us something different and manage to stand out from the crowd. The garden showstopper is the one that gets people talking and because of our climate we can grow lots of these wonderful oddities in most parts of the country.
It really struck me over the last few days when an errant seedling of mine hopped over the garden fence and took firm root in my neighbour’s garden.
My beloved Echium pininana has just burst into flower and is literally stopping the traffic as it’s blocking the footpath.
This year it will be allowed – there’s nothing else on the road other than people wandering up and down gazing at this triffid-like creation in wonder. And what’s more it’s like a crack factory for the bees – they love it.
The lovely blue flowers work their way in a spiral around a main stem and it will get to maybe three times my height – an amazing plant!
It made me consider others that have similar impact and span a scale of easy to less easy to grow. And they’re all divas that demand a top billing.
Schefflera taiwaniana was discovered by the intrepid contemporary plant explorers Medwyn and Sue Bleddyn in a jungle in Taiwan. If you’re familiar with the lovely indoor umbrella plant, this is a hardy outdoor version with gorgeous big wheels of foliage.
I used it in my lollipop garden at Chelsea in 2004, and I now grow it at home where it has shrugged off several bad seasons of snow and subzero conditions.
You can pinch it out when young to form a shrubby plant or let it grow into a small tree. Grow in sun or semishade in a sheltered position to get the best results.
Aeoniums look to me like something from a Star Trek set. I love the large, perfectly formed purple rosettes – the colour and structure even allow these to dominate other exotica. They are tender so you won’t put them outdoors until any possibility of frost has passed.
Hailing from arid regions, plant in a freedraining soil – the sandier the better – and in full sun.
Giant cardoon, Cynara cardunculus, is a perennial that flounces upwards in spring with grey regal foliage and tops itself with a crown – a purple crown no less!
Reaching around six feet in height, it likes to be grown in full sun in fertile soil and is fairly easy to grow. You can leave it over winter where it remains a striking ghost of itself and birds will enjoy its
Sunflower seeds. Melianthus major was the shy boy in my garden for years. It sat and did little even though I whispered sweet nothings to it about its jagged foliage. Then I whipped away a shed from behind it and it shot up – and this year it’s flowered for the first time. Quite frankly the flowers are weird, they’re like ET’s fingers. Without pruning these can become
Giant cardoon, Cynara cardunculus
Pic: treseders. co.uk leggy so should be pruned back in spring. In winter a good warm mulch will help protect from frosts.
Finally, the sunflower is a delight when those big yellow happy heads peep over the garden fence. Sow now in pots for transplanting outdoors in June into a good sunny spot.
Watch for slugs and support larger varieties with canes – a weekly feed will ensure yours are the tallest in the district.
Any one of these beauties are sure to get the neighbours talking!