My green zone
With structural evergreens and ground cover, I’ve nurtured a peaceful oasis around our garden pond
Over the past 10 years I’ve been developing a garden within my garden. Most of my outdoor space is host to a variety of shrubs, grasses, bulbs and tonnes of perennials, in effect a colourful profusion tempered by greenery. But the section I’ve been seeking to perfect uses a limited palette... just evergreen plants. It’s relatively small at less than 10 metres square, and surrounds a pond. I’ve packed it with some favourite plants which have bold and dramatic forms. They combine to create an allyear-round subtropical appearance. Handily, it’s also relatively low maintenance via a combination of structural trees and shrubs heavily underplanted with ground cover. So what’s in this evergreen plot? Taking centre stage are several majestic Dicksonia antarctica (tree ferns). Grouped together they form a mini tropical forest. Hardiness can be a problem for this Australian native in colder areas. The crown is where new fronds develop so cover this area with either some old fronds or straw or hessian during winter. The other enemy is drought in the summer – water plentifully during dry seasons. Trachycarpus fortunei or Chusan
palm is one of the hardiest palms available. It grows high in the mountains in China so is usually well able to tolerate whatever a British winter can throw at it. However, it is best protected from strong winds which can tear the leaves. I’m growing it for its fibrous stout trunk and the fabulous fanshaped foliage. Adding to the exotic feel is Cordyline australis, another tropicallooking shrub that may need a bit of tender loving care to survive very cold winters. As it matures, it adapts and becomes stronger, but when younger, wrap the stem with fleece. Its spiky appearance introduces a different texture which contrasts well with the soft mounds of Buxus sempervirens, great domes of solid looking green. Geranium palmatum provides great ground cover and a welcome pop of pink as the copious flowers emerge from May onwards. A hardy geranium, this will happily self seed into any bit of bare soil and therefore does a great job of weed suppression. Epimedium is my other favourite ground cover used here – I love the heart-shaped leaves, its ability to thrive in dry conditions, and the very beautiful if tiny flowers it produces in spring. Schefflera taiwaniana comes from the jungles of Taiwan and this has endured the big snows of the last few years. If you’re familiar with the umbrella tree as a house plant, this is its hardy cousin and has similar shaped leaves. It does like a bit of shelter and shade to flourish – in my garden it cosies up to the verandah for winter protection. Framing the view are two large bay trees (Laurus nobilis). These were once the dancing stars of my Harrods Eccentric British Garden at the
Chelsea Flower Show, pirouetting gently every 15 minutes. They’ve come to a standstill here where I can admire their conical shape. Last weekend I added two more specimens to this arrangement. Astelia with its silvery light-reflecting strappy leaves adds a lightness and contrast. Check for hardiness in your area – here it is tucked well in amongst other plants which will provide some protection. I also added a large black-stemmed bamboo – Phyllostachys nigra. This is a graceful bamboo – however, it has a tendency to spread so I have it nicely restricted so it won’t invade the rest of the plot.