Death of largest Trachycarpus leaves some serious questions...

[stephenprudence]

Well today I pulled the spear (and heart) from my largest Trachycarpus. The decline started in 2010, and next to it, the same started for an Acer japonica. This is a bit of a shock, as this is two of the most hardy exotic plants available, both dying.

I need to ask now whether it is feasible to practice exotic gardening here.. obviously there is significant groundwater problem, which despite our best efforts to tame, will never be quelled.. pretty much because every garden around us floods in the wet weather, but the ground water in ours is particularly high and deep.

I have a Cordyline, but I am sadly aware this will go the same way as Cordylines cannot tolerate wet feet.

Every mainstream exotic plant I can think of that I like, cannot survive in those conditions..

I don't really want a pot garden, as it isn't to my taste.

Is it realistically time to pack in the exotic garden, and just hope that the economy picks up enough for me to able to get my own garden in future?

[Yorkshire Kris]

Sad to hear of your ongoing gardening issues. Maybe time to refocus? Gunnera et al would be good choices.

[stephenprudence]

My dad simply would not tolerate such a big spreading plant like Gunnera in the garden unfortunately.

I'm not a huge fan of the big leaved water loving plants, unless they're truly exotic, like Alocosia, but they're not reliable through the winter.

[Conifers]

Try Taxodium distichum

[Dave Brown]

Raised beds

[cordyman]

When I lived with the parents I don't think i'd have ever dabbled in exotic gardening. The garden was the domain of my mum, and I never intended on touching it knowing i'd be moving out at around 20. To put time and effort in to it and then leave just wouldn't have made sense.

I'd put your exotic money towards a deposit on own place Steve, renting or mortgage.

ps. I thought this thread was going to be about the largest Trachycarpus in the world dying or something and there being a bamboo style cull of trachys every so many years

[stephenprudence]

Dave, it was in a raised bed

Conifers.. haha if I had the space..

Cordy, well I thought while I'm here I may as well contribute, but it seems it's more difficult that I ever thought! I simply don't earn enough to pay for a rolling rent, even if I did save money up.

[GoggleboxUK]

Thinking about giving up on exotics may not be the answer Stephen, with your situation and the wettest spring, and possibly summer, on record you may find natives difficult to grow too.

I've always believed that design is hugely adaptable and, in your situation, I'd be looking primarily at the overall look I wanted to acheive.

Conventional raised beds is the obvious answer but there are many alternatives. You could create a huge pergola type structure with living walls, go for elongated wooden troughs atop thick posts, create a raised deck and sink pots and tubs into it or create a huge pond and grow aquatics, work with the problem and it becomes an advantage.

Hard landscaping is the only element of gardening that is almost completely unaffected by weather conditions. If you can find pictures of something solid that you feel relaxed and calmed by then all you have to do is work out how to adapt it to hold plants above ground level.

[Nathan]

Are you sure your Dad hasn't been feeding them weed killer or something, I know he wasn't keen on your exotics!

[jungle jas]

Well what can I say, sorry to hear of your problems. Sometimes it is better to stop knocking your head against a brick wall and just walk away. That way you will still have the enthusiasm to try again when circumstances allow.

[Dave Brown]

Are you sure your Dad hasn't been feeding them weed killer or something, I know he wasn't keen on your exotics!

That was also my thought, as Stephen has had problems before, and Wirral has a fairly mild climate compared to inland places. Also Trachies do not keel over in wet conditions

[JBALLY]

Have you thought about deeper raised beds , as long as the soil say 30cm of depth is very well drained then palms like trachycarpus would surely enjoy these conditions (main roots dry but access to water). Could you not deepen the exsisting beds by adding another layer or starting again from scratch and building new ones, it need not be expensive can look very good and to keep the cost down just do it one bed at a time. If this is not possible then you may not be able to create the well drained conitions most hardy exotics require and it may be time to try a new type of gardening.

[stephenprudence]

I don't think my dad did it, because he has admitted to liking the Trachies on many occassions, in fact he went half with me on our other Trachycarpus late last year.. he just doesn't agree with the exotic garden ideal i don't think. Besides the Acer was his plant so the rules any funny play out.

My only suggestion is perhaps for the deceased Trachycarpus, the winter of 2010 and the wet ground damaged the roots and then the plant went into terminal decline. It was actually ok until the winter, it started pushing a green frond, then it gradually browned, so the damaged actually occurred when it was very dry (relatively).

Alarm bells rang when I saw woodlice crawling around in the spears, and then a sharp tug took the whole heart out, rotted. It wasn't pulling prior to that so we thought it would grow out of it.

I'm in two minds whether to replace.. I have seen Trachies grow in standing water, but to have two plants next to each other go into terminal decline at the same time has put me in two minds somewhat.

[billdango]

Come and live in Southampton Steven?

No problems here with rotting palm trees.

But bear in mind this is a difficult year for all of us as we are all suffering in one way or another.

rgds billdango

[Dave Brown]

Honey fungus ?