Gardening with Exotic plants.

Gardening with Exotic plants.

Posted on 18 Aug, 2008 5 comments

The concept of an exotic garden conjures up images of warm places, stunning foliage, plants with vibrant colours, patterns and textures.
We are instantly transported to other lands beyond the shores of the United Kingdom.
Exotic gardens also give us the opportunity to be outlandish and have some fun and….. why not?

We appreciate that this style of gardening is not everyones ‘cup of tea’, but for those of us who enjoy using more flamboyant plants, it allows us to break away from some of the more traditional and conventional forms of gardening.

We have an area of our garden that is mainly devoted to plants from the southern hemisphere, and we also have an exotic garden.
It was inspired by the ideas and pioneering work of the late Christopher Lloyd, who is one of our gardening heroes.
His garden at Great Dixter was considered highly innovative, and sent shock waves through the gardening fraternity when he first created it in 1993.



He used Cannas, Bananas and other plants that were previously considered too ‘tender’ for the British climate. He also planted Dahlias with their bold and vibrant colours to provide sizzling splashes of colour.

We have also used Cannas, Dahlias, Lupins together with stately Bamboos, Sambucus nigra, Olive trees, Gunnera, and Phormiums in green and deep bronze as the principal players in our exotic orchestra. The vibrant patterned leaves of Coleus are used to underpin the colourful arrangements and jutaposition of colour, pattern, texture and form.

These are the basic elements for anyone wishing to create and develop an exotic garden- colour, pattern, texture and form.



Surprisingly, a lot of Exotic plants are much hardier than originally thought, but they do require a different form of care and attention.

Their recent growth in popularity now means that some varieties such as Bananas and Cannas are more prolific, and much cheaper to buy. They are now regularly used in planting schemes for parks and other public places, and can also be seen on island beds in the middle of roundabouts on our busy roads.





Exotic plants were first introduced into the U.K in the 18th Century and before, when travellers brought back examples of exotic plants and displayed them in heated greenhouses or conservatories to share with their friends when they returned to the U.K.

Later, wealthy aristocrats constructed huge ornate structures in the nineteenth century from cast iron and glass when these materials became cheaper and more freely available.This led to huge glasshouse structures being erected such as the gardens at Kew, and for the first time members of the public were allowed to see wonderful collections of awe – inspiring plants from all over the world.

Also Zoological gardens began to spring up in our cities, and the Exotic animals were also surrounded by beautifully tended arrangements of equally exotic plants and foliage.





Not all of our garden contains exotic plants. When we step from the house we are surrounded by different domains. There is an Italian garden with a ruin inspired by the remains at Pompeii, an English cottage planting theme, a tree stumpery where plants are growing from gnarled tree roots and stumps, a shady woodland area and a water cascade that spouts from a ferny grotto. All this is located within in a tiny inner – city setting.



Some very useful source books are:
‘Christopher Lloyd and friends. Exotic planting for adventurous gardeners’
and
‘Garden design in our time. Gardens in perspective’.
Written and illustrated by Jerry Harpur.
The book contains stunning photographs of exotic gardens from locations all over the world.Jerry is a leading garden photographer, and he has visited our garden on several occasions to take photographs.



So, if you are tempted to create an area with exotic plants, we recommend that before you start you carefully research the plants that you would like to use, so that you know they will be suitable, and draw up some plans of how they will be arranged.
So, don’t be afraid to have a go at creating your own area of exotica within your garden setting!
With best wishes,
Grenville & Alan.
Bristol.U.K

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Tags: Exotics