Hardy Tropicals UK

Hi Folks, my name is Andy and I have been lurking around this helpful forum for a few months and finally registered to introduce myself.
My family and I reside in Gloucestershire and recently bought a new build house with an unusually large (for a new build), south facing garden. After spending a year getting a design and quotes together we finally gave the landscapers the key to the gate to start our garden which will include as many hardy tropicals as I can afford!
Although starting a garden when the clocks have gone back probably isnt the best time to be embarking on a major landscaping job, as I said earlier its taken a long time getting quotes, including having to wait for people who say they can do the job to never come back = 2 months wasted!
The garden is (was) 100% turf a la new build style. The new design includes a decent amount of hard standing using slabs and paviours including a patio area where I hope to build a grass-roofed hut to enjoy the long summer nights we are going to have.
Due to the reasonably large beds I am also plumbing in a rain water harvesting system linked to a 3000 litre tank feeding the beds by irrigation lines and drippers. Although I have been informed this will run out within a week or two, its a week or two longer than having no rain at all and I like having something to tinker with.

Planting list looks like this -
Winter flowering
Begenia ‘Bressingham White’
Choisya ternate
Euphorbia ‘Robbie’
Mahonia ‘Charity’

Summer flowering
Hosta ‘Francais William’
Kniphofia ‘Sunningdale Yellow’
Lysimachia ‘Firecracker’
Phlomis russellinia
Phormium tenax
Fatsia japonica
Persicaria affinis ‘Darjeeling Red’
Stipa ‘Gigantea’

Autumn flowering
Crocosmia ‘Emily Mckenzie’
Ficus ‘Brown Turkey’
Hemerocallis ‘Gentle Shepherd’
Leycesteria ‘Golden Lantern’
Miscanthus ‘Malpartus’
Phygelius 'Somerford orange'
Schizostylis coccinea 'Wilfred H. Bryant'

Pyllistachys nigra (black stemmed bamboo) to screen neighbours windows and tank

I have a couple of large (3 and 5 foot) Dicksonia antarticas coming along with 3 x Chamaerops humilis and I have picked up another bargain Chamaerops after taking forum advice and visiting the local sheds as they start to get rid for winter. Reduced from £60 to £15! Also picked up 4x Musa basjoo also reduced as they were looking sorry for themselves.

Sorry for large post, can you tell Im kinda excited!

Andy

Welcome! I'm excited by your first post! Get those photos loaded so we can see what your plot looks like.

Welcome Andy!

Good list there. You should stock up in plants during the winter sales as it gives you experience of overwintering and you get bigger plants for less.


Stephen

welcome!

dot some highly fragrant shrubs/plants in key areas aswell ...

for colour, plant masses of coleus in late spring:
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=coleu ... 24&bih=653


and plant several heuchera (go for 2 colours such as bright red and bright yellow which contrast each other on the colour wheel)
http://www.vanmeuwen.com/medias/sys_mas ... 975902.jpg

also look at at hakonecloa macra aureola on some borders, but plant them in mass (one of my fav plants and a must have):
http://www.sugarcreekgardens.com/Grasse ... Hakone.pdf

don't forget to plant evergreen hardy ferns such as dryopteris :
http://the-plant-directory.co.uk/images ... is-400.jpg

and don't forget Brunnera jack frost:
http://the-plant-directory.co.uk/images ... is-400.jpg

and dont forget .... etc etc

moral of the story: leave some open spaces as you will find some plants that you never knew about, and that will suit your design and taste .... (search this forum, and you will find amazing plants)

I'm in the same position and will start planting my garden in march / April .... everyday, I change my mind about my design, and remove plants then add plants that I never knew existed

Welcome Andy!

Any storm damage your way?

Looking forward to the garden pics.

Welcome jetsetwilly!

I wasted hours as a kid playing jet set willy on my spectrum 48k
Thanks for the memories!

As Kris mentioned, let's have a look at your plot as work starts!

Welcome, are the Dicksonia antarctica rooted.

Welcome. Sounds like a very exciting project!

Thanks for the welcomes.
Heres the design in computerised artists impression mode...

are the Dicksonia antarctica rooted

Not sure. I would have thought so, unfortunately these are being sourced by the landscapers. I am worried about their first winter being newly planted and have read the forum thread where Dicksonia antarctica's winter protection is discussed and will be spending some time wrapping them up, Kew style.

Any storm damage your way?

No storm damage, just lots of rain. A nearby village had 30mm overnight.
The footings for the raised bed had to be bailed out on Monday morning!

Welcome to the asylum Andy

jetsetwilly wrote: Winter flowering
Begenia ‘Bressingham White’
Choisya ternate
Euphorbia ‘Robbie’
Mahonia ‘Charity’

Nice selection, welcome and look forward to seeing some pics.

Hello and welcome JSW

Looking forward to watching your garden evolve over the next 12 months .a real blank canvas ...exciting

jetsetwilly wrote:

are the Dicksonia antarctica rooted

Not sure. I would have thought so, unfortunately these are being sourced by the landscapers. I am worried about their first winter being newly planted and have read the forum thread where Dicksonia antarctica's winter protection is discussed and will be spending some time wrapping them up, Kew style.

Normally Dicksonia antarctica are sold as stumps, you pay a lot more for rooted plants, but it's not really worth it if you look after them.