Hardy Tropicals UK

Hey there everyone. Just a little topic to see if anyone else likes growing native trees as well as their exotics? I just think its important after all the soil, feed and other stuff we use for our exotics that we give something back to nature. Plus its just as fun. So anyone?

Just planted 50 Hawthorns but native trees don't work for me in uk exotic garden.

I think that you can mix in native trees into a tropical scheme YK. I have seen lots of gardens that use natives for screening, height, windbreaks etc.

I have mostly native trees, a lot of which I grew from seed. I use them for screening and as windbreaks in the back garden. My front garden has a mixed native hedge all around it (all seed grown). I have blended in some evergreens and tropicals (Eucalyptus, Paulowina and others into the mix). It is interesting to see what grows fast (Rowan and Birch, what thickens out (English Oak and Beech) and what self seeds (Scots Pine, Birch, Rowan and non-native pines - my house is near a woodland so the birds leave their mark).

Some small scots pine that blend in nicely and English Yew although painfully slow to grow think adds to a hardy tropical backbone.

Had 500 oak seedlings in the garden at one point, managed to sell them too, for a nice little bit

What was even better is that the buyer said they were better quality than some oaks they got grown professionally from a registered seed source

It would be difficult with certain exotics to blend them in with UK natives.

Agaves and oak trees would just look silly but Trachycarpus and oak trees work perfectly together.

It would look even better if the oak [or any other broadleaf trees] are at least fairly mature and the palm and banana trees are growing underneath the lower branches.

It looks good in the Himalayas [Darjeeling] or nearer home in [Sochi] so should look good if done properly here.

If I had a wooded area I would give it a go.

billdango

allangreenbean wrote:Some small scots pine that blend in nicely and English Yew although painfully slow to grow think adds to a hardy tropical backbone.

Me too,I have a real soft spot for pines.Mind you If I still lived in the fens,I'd be happy to see any kind of tree.

Not a tree but our native fern Asplenium scolopendrium (Hart's Tongue Fern) looks fairly exotic.

What about rhus typhina? the're well sexy.Are they native?

Half Hardy wrote:What about rhus typhina? the're well sexy.Are they native?

I bought one of those from Coblands this year - damn good plant. They are American, so not a UK native.

Natives trees I will be propagating next year, I will have to find some seeds before christmas.

Yorkshire Kris wrote:native trees don't work for me in uk exotic garden.

How about an Oak? Will Giles has got one in his garden - Quercus dentata Carl Ferris Miller in fact. Might be stretching "Native" a tad

And maybe chuck some Topiary in? Box and Yew and natives

Kristen wrote:How about an Oak? Will Giles has got one in his garden - Quercus dentata Carl Ferris Miller in fact. Might be stretching "Native" a tad

A very large tad, Quercus dentata is from Japan

I grow several british trees'/large shrub's bushes inc mahonia's/magnolia's/photinia's etc..., I find these in particular add great colour around my tropical garden. karl.

karl66 wrote:I grow several british trees'/large shrub's bushes inc mahonia's/magnolia's/photinia's etc..., I find these in particular add great colour around my tropical garden. karl.

They are not native to Europe though...think all are American....but do work really well in our climate and tropical theme.