Kristen's Blog : Jungle Garden - Year 2 - Enjoying!

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Deedee

Re: Kristen's Blog : Jungle Garden - Year 2 - Enjoying!

Post by Deedee »

Thats a shame Gogs, ill send you more next year if you want with the shuttlecocks..

I like the Oriental dragon kristen, is it as hardy and as easy for rooting as the red dragon or have you not tried yet? ill google the rest,..

Everything you have said about growing tropicals is how i feel, i also just buy one of certain plants, sometimes thats all i need, my garden is smaller than yours tho :D
Kristen

Re: Kristen's Blog : Jungle Garden - Year 2 - Enjoying!

Post by Kristen »

GoggleboxUK wrote:I got a Red Dragon cutting from Deedee which did great in the year I got it but has done very little this year.
Mine took a slow start this year, and then took off - maybe yours will shortly? Cuttings I took last Autumn, and planted out this Spring (as small plants) are being slow ...
Deedee wrote:I like the Oriental dragon kristen, is it as hardy and as easy for rooting as the red dragon or have you not tried yet?
Not tried as yet, but it looks identical to the Red Dragon apart from being more green - so that should mean that it photosynthesises better, if anything, I would have thought, but I'm guessing it is the same in other regards.
my garden is smaller than yours tho
My exotic garden is probably "average sized" :)
pdid

Re: Kristen's Blog : Jungle Garden - Year 2 - Enjoying!

Post by pdid »

Kristen wrote:
pdid wrote:I might have to tap you up for a few persicaria cuttings icon_thumright
The Red Dragon I have done root just by looking at them, so finger's crossed I'll have plenty to share.
I have a few red dragons dotted about from various forum members and all are doing well. It's the others i have my beady eye on :D
Kristen

Re: Kristen's Blog : Jungle Garden - Year 2 - Enjoying!

Post by Kristen »

Sorry, just in case we are at cross purposes here, I was assuming that because the Red Dragon was easy to propagate the others will be too. Time will tell of course :)

I'm happy to also propagate Red Dragon if anyone wants some, but I expect most that would want it already have that one as there are plenty around :)

I'll get busy propagating the others so I have some stock :)
pdid

Re: Kristen's Blog : Jungle Garden - Year 2 - Enjoying!

Post by pdid »

Kristen wrote:Sorry, just in case we are at cross purposes here, I was assuming that because the Red Dragon was easy to propagate the others will be too. Time will tell of course :)

I'm happy to also propagate Red Dragon if anyone wants some, but I expect most that would want it already have that one as there are plenty around :)

I'll get busy propagating the others so I have some stock :)
Cool icon_thumleft
Kristen

Re: Kristen's Blog : Jungle Garden - Year 2 - September Upda

Post by Kristen »

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Jungle Entrance

Due to the enormous Leylandii hedge curving round the back, against the prevailing wind, it is very sheltered, and I'm very pleased with the "Banana Skyline"
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The Musa sikkimensis are in their 3rd year (grown from seed)

I'm also pleased with the jungley-look
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Persicaria Red Dragon, and friends, spilling over onto the path and with Canna musifolia grande (from seed this year) on the left, and Ailanthus just beside it (stooled for the first time this year)
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A bit further along:
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Amaranthus Foxtail which I rather like the look of. I've grown several other Amaranthus this year, as a trial, and I like all of them :)

At the end of the island:
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Coleus from seed, as last year, although the Arundo donax have not done well (I now think they need much more water than they have been getting - although just possibly they need a year or two to settle in)

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Canna Cleopatra
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including chimera flowers

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Ensete maurelii (1L pot in May 2012) with Begonia luxurians in front and the white pendant flowers of Nicotiana sylvestris, and then Paulownia tomentosa to the right (stooled for the first time this year)
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Ensete montbeliardii (1L pot in May 2012) with Tetrapanax papyrifer rex to the right (planted out for first time this Spring)
Kristen

Re: Kristen's Blog : Jungle Garden - Year 2 - Enjoying!

Post by Kristen »

Amaranthus Elephant Head

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Amaranthus Fat Spike

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Amaranthus Foxtail

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Tom2006
Posts: 8094
Joined: Thu Sep 30, 2010 11:23 am
Location: East Yorkshire UK

Re: Kristen's Blog : Jungle Garden - Year 2 - Enjoying!

Post by Tom2006 »

Looks wonderful! ..love the tree ferns and ensete vista!
Most wanted list - Any Young Trachycarpus and/or fern.
User avatar
Yorkshire Kris
Posts: 10163
Joined: Wed Dec 16, 2009 8:59 am
Location: Rural South Wakefield, Yorkshire Lat 53.64 Long-1.54

Re: Kristen's Blog : Jungle Garden - Year 2 - Enjoying!

Post by Yorkshire Kris »

icon_salut icon_salut icon_salut icon_salut

Looks like your tropical garden is rivalling Will Giles' garden. Already looks established and the growth you've had this year is brilliant. The colour combinations are right up my alley. Fantastic garden sir.
miketropic

Re: Kristen's Blog : Jungle Garden - Year 2 - Enjoying!

Post by miketropic »

VERY VERY nice there Kristen looks fantastic
Deedee

Re: Kristen's Blog : Jungle Garden - Year 2 - Enjoying!

Post by Deedee »

Loads of lovely colour there Kristen, right up my street. Your jungle is really jungly this year, (are your friends gettn used to it now lol ) I tried Amaranthus last year from seed but they were pants, teeny little things, i was gutted. Your Elephants head look llike there giving the finger :mrgreen: Wow with your Trex, im pleased with mine this year, ive wondered why i havent grew it before, amazing tropical looking leave's, out of interest, which of your garden theme's do you like the best? I would love to have a big enough piece of land to design different garden rooms, that would be amazing..
fern Rob

Re: Kristen's Blog : Jungle Garden - Year 2 - Enjoying!

Post by fern Rob »

Wow, great mix of plants. I do like the canna musiflora, I wouldn't mind growing that next year bearing in mind that it grew in one season.
Kristen

Re: Kristen's Blog : Jungle Garden - Year 2 - Enjoying!

Post by Kristen »

Yorkshire Kris wrote:Looks like your tropical garden is rivalling Will Giles' garden.
You are most kind, thank you, but you are confusing my selective photography with Will's amazing gardening skills :)

The big thing for me is how quickly this Exotic malarkey takes shape. All the other borders I have in the garden are a 5-years-to-decent-size and 7-years-to-maturity project. Exotic, in the main, is a done-deal in one year, and looking like its always been there after only 2 or 3. Tremendously rewarding :)
Deedee wrote:I tried Amaranthus last year from seed but they were pants, teeny little things, i was gutted
Someone else (unless it was you?!!) said the same thing to me earlier in the year, but I had already planted them by then and was thus expecting medocre results. We had a late spring and a dry summer, and they have not had much extra irrigation, so I reckon they are a winner

Perhaps the seed / variety you had was to blame? I bought several named varieties, and of those the "bog standard" one is the most disappointing. Its grown just fine, but looks just like I visualised Amaranthus would ... so I'll give that a miss in future, and stick to the named ones which I think have more character, and are more unusual of course.

From http://www.nickys-nursery.co.uk I got
Foxtail
Dreadlocks
Tower Red

need to check the labels to see where the last two were planted!!

Fat Spike came from a friend ... and Elephant Head from georgiavines (on eBay - they have some interesting things :) )
out of interest, which of your garden theme's do you like the best? I would love to have a big enough piece of land to design different garden rooms, that would be amazing..
Interesting question :)

When we first moved in, 7 years ago, we created a shrub border. That took 5 years to get to decent size, and now we have decided we want a Blue & White theme there and are a bit stuffed with the other coloured shrubs - rip them out and wait, or live with them ... I've been interplanting herbaceous to force a colour change in shorter time frame!

Things like this Delphinium with Crambe cordifolia behind
IMG_7013_Delph_Crambe.jpg
On the opposite side we started a herbaceous border. We were a bit half hearted about that, and last year decided to have a "hot" theme of red only. I've grew a few plants from seed this Spring, and am ordering a lot more seed for next year, but it doesn't look nearly "stuffed" enough :( Got some work to do to achieve that, and lots of the reds are just "wrong" (according to Management!!) so quite a lot of trial and error.

The Jungle is much easier. Single plants stuffed next to each other will do. I had a single Ricinus and Solanum laciniatum left over when planting out in the Spring. Chucked them in together, with one spare Nicotiana sylvestris. I couldn't get away with that in the Herbaceous, I'd need a group of 5 or 7 plants to have a "pool" of colour, but I think it looks just fine ("startling" even) in the Jungle.

You might just about be able to make them out!
IMG_1039_Mix.jpg
I have two topiary projects ... a Chess Set in Yew at the front of the house and an aqueduct on the old tennis court. The chess pieces (bought as 6-footers 3 or 4 years ago) are approaching size to start trimming, but its a long term deal.

I've got 800 box plants I grew from cuttings 3 years ago, they are about ready to plant out, but we've gone off the Parterre idea we had originally! However, now thinking of using them for formal edging of borders, or some mad Topiary shapes. Mrs K hates my formal straight lines :o and fancies an area to herself in pursuit of Anarchy! I think it would be something like this
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But that's a 5 - 10 year project too ...

However, that hasn't stopped me taking nearly 1,000 cuttings of Euonymous this year for a knot garden. I've got some variegated green/yellow and some green/white which I think should give enough contrast ... but chatting to a friend this week he said he couldn't understand why I hadn't also grown plain green and made a French plait instead!!

This is the knot garden I admire:
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although I think it would look better with contrasting colours.

This year I planted a Hydrangea walk. It looks a mess at present, but it will grow more quickly than a shrubbery and look OK in a couple of years time.
IMG_0934_HydrangeaWalk.jpg
We've got serpentine walks to either side, and the idea is that the Hydrangeas will grow to more or less "touch" across the grass in the middle to just leave a vista. We've planted white at this end, through various shades of Pink to Red at the far end to try to get a rainbow effect. No idea at all if that will work!

And there is a fair collection of things bought-bulk, small and cheap, being grown on for other projects. This is being referred to as the Terrace Nursery!
IMG_0283_TerraceNursery.jpg
Hollies for the maze, more Hydrangeas, lots of Gingers on the right (seed from AndyC :) )

The whole family loves the Jungle. My eldest daughter (who says my gardening obsession has put her off for life!) loves it. I think once the rest of the garden matures they will have more tolerance and appreciation. Friend who visit love the jungle, in fact they ask to come to see it, which is very rewarding. But I look forward to being able to walk round the whole garden with visiting friends, its just that it is starting to take quite a while, even for folk that are not serious gardeners, stopping to discuss this plant and that plant, what the provenance of the plant is ... God I must be boring them to death, its amazing that they come back a second time!
Deedee

Re: Kristen's Blog : Jungle Garden - Year 2 - Enjoying!

Post by Deedee »

Lol kristen, none gardeners have no idea what they are missing, the best comments i get are, ooh that looks like a tree (Trachycarpus) i saw on holiday or, why you got so many flowers theres too many bees! :mrgreen:

liking your ideas, i love topiary but i want to add something japanese amongst it, A red pergola maybe or a samuri soldier or 2 lol some topiary gardens ive seen on the net are beautifull but still, i feel there should be movement or am i missing the point :D
love your chess idea, lots of different shapes, are you planting anything at ground level? black and white theme or paths to walk around...

love your hydrangia walk, that is going to look amazing when mature, where doe'se the end of the grass walk lead to?

You see your nurseries, i would love space to have that, the spare plants i have are given away or dumped, i have loads to split next year but dont know what to do with the surplus and seed sowing is ltd, i might just sow half a dozen of each plant i fancy not thousands :mrgreen: You have a full time job there Kristen but so rewarding icon_thumleft
Kristen

Re: Kristen's Blog : Jungle Garden - Year 2 - Enjoying!

Post by Kristen »

Deedee wrote:the best comments i get are, ooh that looks like a tree (Trachycarpus) i saw on holiday or, why you got so many flowers theres too many bees!
:)

My chums tend to have an idea about gardening, plenty of them have space and a garden, but none have an obsession!!, so in the main they have an idea what things are - enough to nod politely when I rabbit on about "Hooker bought that back from the far East - you know? the Hooker that started Kew" :lol:

Sadly, or not, I read "The Hookers of Kew" biography when I was about 13, my mates presumably thought I was reading porn and were bunking off school to ask for a return train ticket to Kew :lol:
i love topiary but i want to add something japanese amongst it, A red pergola maybe or a samuri soldier or 2
I'm not that keen to try a Japanese garden, I think they are too difficult (to do well). I love Whiskey's though - you'll no doubt remember him :)

http://www.fujiyamagarden.com/page9.html
some topiary gardens ive seen on the net are beautiful but still, i feel there should be movement or am i missing the point
Very few that I have seen have movement, you could have a crack at something like this, eh?!!

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Topiary hunting scene @ Ladew, Harford County, Maryland, USA
love your chess idea, lots of different shapes, are you planting anything at ground level? black and white theme
Yup, that's the plan.

Some chatter about it here:
http://www.hardytropicals.co.uk/forum/v ... 45#p303945
love your hydrangia walk, that is going to look amazing when mature, where does the end of the grass walk lead to?
Going to have a seat at the far far end, but there is an exit-left 80% of the way down which comes out midway down what we grandly!! call "The Long Walk" - it comes out to the right of the tree:
IMG_0932_LongWalk.jpg
I want to build a folly at the end of that walk - when I proposed that to Mrs K she said "The whole thing is a folly" !!

At the end of that there is a further narrow strip that goes off at 45 degrees to the left, and I've planted a hedge of Holm Oak that I grew from seedlings:
IMG_0941_HolmOakWalk.jpg
and in the mess to the left of that is a triangular area that will be the labyrinth (basically just some serpentine paths) from Holly I've been growing from seedlings - that's mostly what is in the Terrace Nursery :) at present. Most should be big enough to plant out this Autumn. I hope!!
You see your nurseries, i would love space to have that
I don't think I have the space either as its our sitting out terrace and the price to pay is probably either being divorced or murdered!

For me its mostly financial. I can't afford to buy 1,000 Holly plants at £3 or £4 each, so they have to be grown on from cuttings / seed or where that isn't possible I buy them in as cell grown plants for around 30-50p each.

I've got 500 or so purple leaved Berberis on the terrace that I'm going to plant as a "skirting-board" around a yew hedge ...

But the number of seed packets I am already buying for next year is becoming a bit scary ... I just don't seem to be able to say NO or ENOUGH!
You have a full time job there Kristen
Hehehe .. I know :) but I don't play golf or anysuch, and because I work from home and have zero commute time that alone gains me an hour a day, or more, in the garden icon_thumleft I keep telling myself that once the garden matures, and moves from "construction" to "maintenance", it will take a lot less time (and Roundup!) to manage it.
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