Make the most of BIG HARDY LEAVES
It’s a jungle out there – at least it can be if you pick the right plants that can cope with winter outside
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Exotic plantings create some dramatic displays in the garden and while our climate may be changing, we’re some way off having winters that will be so mild they won’t kill off bananas, or where brugmansia can be left unprotected outdoors. But worry not. If the jungle look is right up your street, there are some perfectly hardy large-leaved plants that give the appearance of exotica without the hassle of having to give them extra TLC to get them through winter.
In some protected and sheltered gardens in the UK it is possible to grow some exotic plants without issue. Avocados growing outdoors in Chelsea are proof of that alone. Most of us, however, need to be mindful of what will and won’t survive a typical UK winter.
There are a few palm trees that, given the right spot, will thrive here. Chamaerops humilis (European fan palm) and Trachycarpus fortunei (Chusan palm) are the two most reliable. Trachycarpus tend to grow up a single stem, whereas chamaerops form multiple stems. There is a good, more compact form of Chamaerops humilis called ‘Vulcano’, which is a good specimen for pot growing. Trachycarpus is the hardier of the two, but both need a relatively sheltered spot, ideally not getting lower than -12C, with free-draining soil and as much sun as you can offer.
As well as palm trees, Cordyline australis (cabbage palm) have big, strappy leaves and over time will form a trunk growing to several metres tall. In their first year or two they can suffer from the winter wet and cold, but get hardier as they age. Once established and of flowering size, they produce masses of tiny, very sweetly scented cream flowers in late summer.
There are lots of large-leaved options for more grounded tropical planting. Phormium (New Zealand flax) is available in a wealth of different colours and shapes. Its long, sword-like leaves help pull other elements of planting together as they stretch through plants. Similar, but less commonly used, is Astelia nervosa ‘Westland’ with bronze-coloured foliage, or the aptly named Astelia chathamica ‘Silver Shadow’ and ‘Silver Spear’. These are best grown in the ground where they can achieve their full potential as striking, glorious plants.
Tetrapanax papyrifer ‘Rex’ is once seen, never forgotten, with huge leaves similar to the equally useful large-leaved hardy plant Fatsia japonica (false castor oil plant), but much, much larger indeed. It’s not a cheap plant to buy, but worth it for the impact. Allow plenty of space for it to grow into, which it will do quickly and without any regard for anything around it. Fatsia japonica has a number of forms, my favourite being the lime variegated ‘Murakumo-nishiki’. The recent introduction of F. polycarpa ‘Green Fingers’ is more refined in appearance and has an interesting matt colouration to the olive-green leaves.
If you’re happy with a deciduous plant, Gunnera manicata (sometimes called giant rhubarb) is the largestleaved hardy plant we can grow in the UK. It will need good soil moisture and plenty of space, but is a really impressive plant when mature. You can also grow Catalpa bignonioides (Indian bean tree) and Paulownia tomentosa (foxglove tree), cutting them back hard each year to encourage much larger leaves on straight, upright growth. Even when grown as trees they have quite large foliage, but by cutting them close to ground level in spring each year, leaves will be three times the size as those on a plant allowed to grow as a tree.
At ground level, there are many varieties of hosta with
Brunnera ‘Alexanders Great’
large, deciduous leaves. The varieties ‘Sum and Substance’ and ‘Empress Wu’ are two of the biggest. Brunnera macrophylla (Siberian bugloss) leaves are usually hand-sized at most; ‘Alexanders Great’ is easily twice the size of other varieties and with a rich silverveined pattern to each leaf. Like the hosta and gunnera, Astilboides tabularis (shield leaf rodgersia) prefers a damp soil and adds drama with impressive umbrella-like leaves floating on stems at around 1.2m high.