Not so tropical?.

[karl66]

I must admit when I first became interested in palm's/exotic plant's some 8 years ago it gripped me to such an extent I thought most other run of the mill shrub's/plant's were boring!, the last 3 year's is when my garden's have really taken off & I admit I've since added a lot of so called less tropical plant's to add year round interest. A nurseryman I was chatting to yesterday mentioned he had real trouble shifting palm's etc & had to reduce them to move them on? , he had some great size specimen's at price's specialist trader's would struggle to match!, I really don't get the mostly ignorant view that most british gardner's take toward's palm's. 99% of people I talk to say, you cant grow grow palm tree's in the UK , I thought tropical gardening was the in thing the last few year's but obviously we are still the chosen few. karl.

[Dave Brown]

I think a majority of garden owners think of it as a space to hang washing, for kids to kick a football, and probably couldn't identify any garden plant other than Roses or bedding.

"What plants have you just bought ? I don't know, but other half likes the colour of the flowers"

[karl66]

Dave, I've added lot's of hebe, pittisporum variety's etc.... plus a few hardy cottage garden style flower's some which are semi- evergreen, most people who see my garden are wowed & remark at how they would love something similar , so if they saw your garden dave with more mature plant's they would fall down dead!! , despite people taking heavy hit's in 2010 it's still possible to build a tropical garden that would survive 90% of uk winter's, perhap's the recent economy has a big say in surplus fund's available to buy plant's?. karl.

[Dave Brown]

You have to have a hardy backdrop to show off your exotics. I have used Hebe and also have Purple Hazel, Choisya, Osmanthus, Fatsia, Sweet Chestnut, Black Elderberry, Berberis etc. You could even use Privet and Box.

[JoelR]

Add to that Physocarpus. Some Eryngiums resemble agaves and are much more reliable. Hardy Cyclamens are good performers at the foot of a Trachycarpus too.

[billdango]

An interesting discussion...

I started growing palms and other exotics back in 1976 and very few people have shown any interest in my garden at all.

I get the usual stupid quips like "why do you put those plastic palm trees in your garden" or"you can't grow those sort of plants in the UK".

But I think the most insulting remark that I got about my palm trees was from a young mother and her quite intelligent child?

I was mowing the front lawn a few years ago when this young girl asked me a very sensible question about how to grow palm trees in the UK climate.

I was about to reply to her question when the mother told her not to ask such silly questions as you are just encouraging him in him in his stupidity....

Things haven't changed much since that day as I am still stupidly growing exotics.

The young girl in question now has grown up into a beautiful young woman and has one of my palm trees growing in her front garden.

billdango

[Dave Brown]

An interesting discussion...

I started growing palms and other exotics back in 1976 and very few people have shown any interest in my garden at all.

I get the usual stupid quips like "why do you put those plastic palm trees in your garden" or"you can't grow those sort of plants in the UK".

But I think the most insulting remark that I got about my palm trees was from a young mother and her quite intelligent child?

I was mowing the front lawn a few years ago when this young girl asked me a very sensible question about how to grow palm trees in the UK climate.

I was about to reply to her question when the mother told her not to ask such silly questions as you are just encouraging him in him in his stupidity....

Things haven't changed much since that day as I am still stupidly growing exotics.

The young girl in question now has grown up into a beautiful young woman and has one of my palm trees growing in her front garden.

billdango

Like

It was that exact response from my father that made me determined to hunt down and grow palm trees
He has them growing in his garden now

Most people who talk ask me about the plants. Doesn't mean they will go and grow them, but they think it adds interest to the area, particularly as I gave about 500 seedlings away 11/12 years ago, and some of these are now 6/8ft palms in local gardens. There are also 3 large Agave americana in front gardens in the cul-de-sac, and others dotted around adjoining roads.

[kata]

I can't believe I hated anything that was all green, always been a flower person,

I found Dave due to coming from holiday intially with a Tropical Hibiscus in my hands from Tenerife. I saw the Cycads and CI_DP in Tenerife and was smitten. It was full of palms and exotics in the small garden at the villa, they were everywhere, now whats not to love.

Now I have bought a cycad (dead now) three Trachcarpus f, and did I really buy a Fern....

[billdango]

Anyway its not all bad news growing exotics.

Over the years i have given away lots of baby Trachys and I have noticed that many of these are still thriving and growing quite tall now.

I think there must be at least 50 gardens quite close to me that have at least one Trachycarpus or some times even more growing happily.

Besides my garden[in Mousehole lane]at least 6 gardens nearby have some of my give away palms in them and there are some more in Rossington avenue just around the corner.

Also over the years i have given away some large clumps of Musa basjoo and many of these can be seen growing in peoples gardens nearby.

Also many gardens in St Denys have palm trees in then thanks to good old me....

billdango

[michelea]

Hi

It's because of the limited purse strings that I looked into palms and trying to create an exotic garden. Couldn't afford to go on holiday so thought right, I'll have hols in back garden Used to think my gran and mum was mad digging in mud and treating themselves to a plant!

Michele

[bordersboy]

The problem i think in the UK is many peoples introduction to growing palms are Phoenix canariensis_CIDP which usually die in winter in waterlogged back gardens or freeze up.
Then for indoors those nasty con job coconut palms which are guaranteed to die rapidly. Or Areca palms that are a mare to keep lush and green.
Thesse 3 are responsible for putting many people off from spending big on better tougher palms.

This has a silver lining of course in end of season bargain hunting which will of course get harder as fewer palms are being stocked as seen in my local diy sheds this year.