Hardy Tropicals UK

I visited a tropical garden yesterday with a great range of other plants I fancy trying?, what are folk's opinion's on a few I selected:
Roscoea
Hydranger quadricolour
Crinodendrum hookerianum
Helbore orientalis
Soloman's seal
Podophylum spotty dotty
Headychium bottle brush
Hydranger integrfolia
Cornuskousa chillensis
Hemerocalis
Hebe salicifolia
Pineaple broom yellow
Leycestia
Magnolia grandiflora. Would love some feedback karl.

Out of that list I grow or know of

Helbore orientalis
Hemerocalis
Hebe salicifolia also consider Hebe kirkii
Magnolia grandiflora also consider Loquat

Crinodendron hookerianum isn't exactly a ground cover - it's a tree up to 14 metres tall

The one I saw was only a couple of metres high & been heavily pruned to create a bush effect, in our climate it seldom grow's past 3/4 metre's so for me is a filler!. karl.

karl66 wrote:Hydrangea quadricolour

I love that, very unusual variegation. Dunno if it is more/less suited than any other macrophylla hydrangea?

Soloman's seal

Had a lot of trouble with, I presume, sawfly this year.

Magnolia grandiflora

Isn't that the huge one? I've got mine growing at the back and expecting it to grow into a monster!

My winner in this category is Persicaria Red Dragon. Huge spread that mingles well with surrounding plants.

Persicaria Red Dragon

Aldi are doing some terrific value heuchera's and sedum at £1.29 a 1l pot. The one's in our local are quite large and certainly healthy looking plants . At that price you can buy the store out. I'm going back for some this week.

https://www.aldi.co.uk/en/specialbuys/t ... r-bedding/

Magnolia Grandifolia makes a great tree with large lemon smelling flowers.

Ok great, I bought a large one this afternoon to fit inbetween two palms, also bought a great looking yellow pinaaple broom which has large pineapple scented flowers. karl.

Just got back from Aldi (and the 99p shop next to it). Picked this lot up for £10............
Sedum "Autumn joy" (1no)
Heuchera "Marvelous marble" (3no)
Heuchera "Palace purple" (2no)
Asplenium (3no)

I grow
polygonatum (solomans seal). A bit cottagy and an absolute magnet for slugs which makes them look scruffy
Hebe salicifolia. Large one, requires regular haircut but well worth the maintenance. Masses of white flowers with a slight lilacy tinge
Cytisus battandieri (pineapple broom). Looks good as a wall shrub, short lived flowering season but if you can keep it snail free, still looks good
Leycesteria formosa. (pheasant berry) Self seeds everywhere, looks good when in flower which for me seems to be most of the year, self seeds everywhere and the berries make a mess. When splattered they smell of caramel. I like this one, did I mention it self seeds everywhere?
hemerocallis (day lilies) I've got a few types. Spreads like stink, reliable flowering but just looks rubbish when not in flower. It's only my inability to throw plants away that stops me replacing them with something else.
Heuchera. I've only got common old palace purple and firefly, both self seed regularly but theres such a range of these to choose from you've got to get some.

Get some of the newest, dazzling Heucheras. I have 'Georgia Peach' and 'Electra', they do fade a bit in the summer sun but they look awesome now already. There are lots of varieties these days, 'Berry Smoothie' (?) and that sort of new stuff.

My 'Georgia Peach' is flowering for a second time this year, but it's the foliage that is the most attractive, especially in the duller parts of the year.

Spotty Dotty is a big favourite of mine. No trouble (apart from slugs), hardy and dinner plate sized leaves. Better with a bit of shade. A second flush of flowers are now open on mine.

Di

DiCasS wrote:Spotty Dotty is a big favourite of mine. No trouble (apart from slugs), hardy and dinner plate sized leaves. Better with a bit of shade. A second flush of flowers are now open on mine.

Di

spotty dotty and helebores are my favourite

karl66 wrote:The one I saw was only a couple of metres high & been heavily pruned to create a bush effect, in our climate it seldom grow's past 3/4 metre's so for me is a filler!. karl.

I don't understand your concept of a "filler". Assuming you mean 3 to 4m and not 3 quarters, that is a substantial plant in anyones garden. many of the plants you have listed are trees or substanitial shrubs that would make specimen plants and focal points after a few years. The term "filler" suggests to me that they are just there to fill some gaps between the tree ferns and palms and have no garden-worthy merit in their own right. There is no need to garden like that. If a plant is only worthy as "filler" then don't buy it. There are a massive variety of plants of every size for every aspect of the garden, so you must be able to find something you really like, that is really worthy of that empty space in the border.