Anyone else planting a jungle/tropical garden?

[Koulibiak]

I would love to hear ideas for what plants have worked for you, especially big leaves and ground covers.

As for me: I started with my jungle planting last year. I already had a good sized phoenix palm and a huge, if slightly ugly, cordyline with about 6 trunks). I love foliage plants, so decided to carry on with that. I’m in London, sw exposure and mostly sunny (though trying to establish a leafy canopy to add shade).

One year on, there is still so much work to do. On the positive side, some of my bananas and even the Ensete maurelii seem to have survived winter unprotected. I’ve got some Musa basjoo already sending leaves up and at least one has clumped and now has 4-5 shoots (from a plug plant last year). My other palms (3 chusan palms last year and now I’ve added 2 chamaerops humilis in pots) are all still so tiny. I have to remind myself my phoenix was tiddly when I brought it home on foot from Morrisons many years ago!

But overall the garden still looks bare so I’ve been planting lots of ferns, Heuchera, polemonium etc. I’ve also got some cannas, crocosmias, pineapple lillies and Kniphofia, and am trying to grow Colocasia (not very successfully so far - got three types and wondering when to give up 😄) and have now planted ginger lillies and eremurus (which are very weird looking when just bare roots, and probably all wrong for my garden, but I’ve taken a punt as they are so spectacular).

I’ve got a Tetrapanax that barely got through winter, my dog ate most of my Sambucus nigra and aucuba, and I just planted a Schefflera to add to the canopy but it’s about 20cm tall right now so I’m not holding my breath. My Kniphofia are a snail nursery!

Ive found it challenging buying plants in nurseries as they are mostly geared towards cottage style gardens, with a very small selection of jungle/foliage plants. Buying online is a gamble - I’ve had some good experiences and sadly many negative ones with diseased plants.

It would be lovely to hear from other jungle gardeners with plants that have worked for them, and positive experiences with online sellers. Thank you 🙏

TLDR; please give me your tips!

Nice! And I like your black and white tiles - v stylish! All my fences are black too!😂

I might have done enough planting for now...said no jungle garden owner ever! Yet I find myself thinking after the latest plant haul that I might be done for now - that I might allow the rest of the bare earth to grow grass and my plants to stretch upwards and outwards and see where that leads, it feels kind of restful to have a grassy break from the intensely planted areas.

I, of course, reserve the right to change my mind frequently and maybe tomorrow!

I was wrong about my Eucomis (pineapple lilies) - they have just emerged from the ground today. Good girls ☺️

I am chuffed - I love them, they are funny looking and last forever.

@Koulibiak I have nearly bought eremurus a few times (on purpose) and chickened out. Yours look absolutely gorgeous (as does your garden) I might have to indulge next year. Are they the ones with huge spidery tubers?
Glad to hear your pineapple lilies have emerged, which variety are they? I used to grow eucomis bicolour in the ground for years with no issues until I finally lost them in a bad winter (2012 I think). This is my first year growing them again but I planted them late so no sign yet.
0I have a few other varieties in pots which I brought indoors for winter, some started growing too early, must have been too warm, a few have died back but the rest look okay. I have pole-evansii, sparkling burgundy, autumnalis, cornwood and comosa - all in big heavy terracotta pots, they take up loads of space. I would love to leave them in the ground but there seems to be a lot of conflicting information on the hardiness of them.
I, too, have a zillion aphids and no ladybirds as yet. Almost everything in the garden has whitefly and the fatsias have blackfly on the new leaves, its a daily battle I am losing.

@ungarden Another lovely plant haul. I watched the video and now want a blobbery (great name). If I had a formal front garden I would go for it but our garden layout is unusual, must try and find an appropriate spot for a mini blobbery. I am now inspired, we have a holly I hate down the side of the house. She is vicious and attacks me every time I go to the compost bin but always looks lovely covered in berries at Christmas. I'm going to try and clip her into a lollipop, she can't attack me without any lower branches! We probably won't get any berries this year though. If she looks good with her new hairdo I will clip her hubby as well, though he is much milder mannered.

@CurrentHun Echium is another plant I have nearly bought lots of times but haven't been quite brave enough to try yet. Please do let us know how you get on with it. I might give them a try next year.

I'll update on my garden shortly, need to make a cuppa.

My new jungle/tropical garden area is coming along nicely but slowly. I have spent far too much time deliberating what to put where, drinking tea and trying to visualise.

The shady half of the pre-existing long raised bed along the boundary is now planted. That doesn't sound like much of an achievement but I have had to remove and re-site a lot of plants and bulbs plus improve the soil. It just needs a couple of tweaks, a handful of bedding plants and some mulch. The tweaks are replacing 2 primula denticulata with something else, possibly brunnera and something to replace the self seeded foxglove once it has gone over and I have space for just one more small plant.
Original plants left in there are 3 clumps of crocosmia, a sugar plum heuchera, 2 primula vialii and several clumps of giant purple crocus and snakeshead fritillaries which have more or less died down now. There are also 4 ferns and a heuchera moved from the other end of the border.
New plants are 3 fatsias - green fingers, variegated and camouflage, 2 mahonias - sweet winter and soft caress, 2 heucheras, 3 hostas, fatshedera lizei, a copper shield fern, Luzula sylvatica 'Solar Flair' (divided to make 2 plants) and 5 more primula vialii. Primula Vialii isn't a usual tropical garden plant but it works well, mini red hot pokers.

I have made a start on the other end of the bed which is sunnier, have removed and re-sited most of the superfluous plants and bulbs and improved the soil. I also had to re-build a couple of sections of the rocks retaining it. I have left a few primula denticulatas in for now, will move those soon. Have left the giant purple crocus and snakeshead fritillaries in and there are 4 groups of lucifer crocosmia planted earlier this spring and a pink heuchera I planted last year.
Today I planted some new climbers to (hopefully) cover the awful fence which we are stuck with for now (long story). Chocolate vine, clematis armandii - one white, one apple blossom and a passion flower.

The new large raised bed at the top only has a painted fern and a juvenile tree fern in it so far. I need to get the bigger tree fern logs in there, they are only just starting to show signs of life after 6 weeks in temporary pots and intensive watering. I was starting to worry but each has a curved knuckle starting to slightly protrude from the crown
The new raised bed at the bottom is built and I planted a star jasmine in there today.

My dahlias started in pots are quite big now and need planting out and I need to re-pot my brugmansias. Hope to do more planting and potting tomorrow.

@ungarden i really enjoyed the blobberry video, thank you for sharing it. I need to think about how to add blobs to my garden.

@PsychedlicSally i found this instruction video on Brugmansia very informative - I can’t remember if I posted the link before, apologies if I did. I need to start pruning mine… it’s a bit scary though! I will try and root some cuttings.

@PsychedlicSally yes, eremurus are the ones with the huge, monstrous looking roots. I was very perplexed when I first saw them, especially since I thought I had bought echium! The RHS advice is really negative about them, saying they are hard to grow and need lots of space. But since I had them, I had nothing to lose so stuck them in a raised bed where they are surrounded by all sorts, and they immediately started shooting. I really don’t have a lot of early flowering plants, so it’s nice to have them before the rest of the garden catches up.

I’m green with envy at your eucomis collection. I only had bicolour last year. Now I’ve planted aloha Leia in a pot, it’s a newish compact form. I’ve got three shoots so far - they were bargain bin bulbs, so I’m not holding my breath for the other ones.

I’m already planning to add some sparkling burgundy next year. I’ve also mentally assigned a spot for pole evansii at the back of my sunniest border.

This is my first year growing dahlias from rhizomes, I wasn’t sure I’d like them but 🙂

Went to abbotsbury sub tropical gardens at the weekend. Definitely life goals for any tropical style grower, although my garden is a lot smaller! Got a few more plants there at a plant sale they had on. Now think that we are complete for this year and just need to work out where things are going now all frost risk is past. Got a lot of coleus for ground cover that I grew from seed too.

@SprigatitoYouAndIKnow I just had a nosey at some photos of Abbotsbury, it looks lovely, a bit out of our way though! If we're ever down that way will look in. I meant to grow coleus from seed but didn't get round to it, will have to buy some, I have gaps to fill.

@Koulibiak That video was really interesting, watched quite a few of his others too. I don't think I'm brave enough to chop all shoots bar one off. I might just trim my brugs a little. Having said that I am too late with one of them as it has forked and has buds.
Its definitely worth rooting the offcuts, one of mine got broken off at the bottom of the stem (I suspect Ddog, Dcat or the squirrels) and I shoved the top growth in water, it has rooted really well, the plant re-sprouted from the base too.
I think I'll give eremurus a try next year. I hadn't heard about the aloha leia, I see there is another in the same series too. I find sparkling burgundy the trickiest of the varieties I have, only one has come up this year.
Lovely dahlias.

My new garden area is coming along but I am very behind with planting and potting. I spend far too long deciding exactly where to put things and our weather has been very changeable this last week.

I've planted my tree fern logs and the first new croziers have just reached above the top of the trunks. I've also planted a 5ft-ish trachycarpus fortuneii, a big cordyline, 2 phormiums, my biggest musa basjoo and a few other bits.

Its my day off so hope to get caught up a bit. I think I have set myself too big a job with the new garden area. I have a garden project every year and it's always hard to do that and keep up with the rest of the garden but this is a big project and its taking much longer than I thought.

@PsychedlicSally what, if any, compost did you use with your tree ferns? Ds has just got one that i need to help him pot up, but i am terrified of getting it wrong! He doesn't want it in the ground in case we move one day, so he can easily take it with us.

@SprigatitoYouAndIKnow I initially potted them in ericaceous compost as I had read in a couple of places, including RHS to use that as a temporary measure, perhaps better to use something more substantial for long term?. I also soaked the logs in water for 24 hours before planting. The logs did nothing for 6-7 weeks so I was really worried.
They are now in my new raised bed which is a mix of garden soil, soil improver, sharp sand, manure and topsoil, I also added some ericaceous compost in the end where the tree ferns are. I don't know if this is the right thing to do, especially as the soil improver and manure say not to use for ericaceous plants but tree ferns aren't ericaceous as such, they just like acid soil, which is what we have anyway.
George's jungle garden on you tube has a few videos on growing tree ferns long term in pots but you can dig them up and move them also, I think Yorkshire Kris has a video on that. Sorry I can't be of more help.

@PsychedlicSally will get some ericaceous, thank you. I can mix with some home made compost if it is too acidic. It does look like there are some croziers brewing.

I bought 3 tree ferns last year - they take ages to grow roots. I would only put them in pot on a patio or if they were going to be in a location less than a year. They look better in soil and it allows them to behave more naturally setting down root anchors. The biggest challenge on moving them is their weight. They moved easily being uprooted from NZ, I think they’d survive a Uk move.
Ours were placed on top soil nothing special added. They need a constant source of water - an irrigation drip system if possible and feeding from the top not the roots. We use liquid seaweed and we’re on our second set of fronds and they are much better than the first set - so we can’t be too far wrong.

Whatever way you choose to plant enjoy the unfurling - they are amazing plants.

@PsychedlicSally I bravely pruned some side shoots off my Brugmansias last week, dipped them in rooting hormone and potted them up. Some look a bit bedraggled, but I think I’ve got 3 or 4 growing new leaves 🤞. My little brug seedling is also growing well. The question is, where am I going to put them…

I'd love a tree fern, but I’m not sure they are right for my sunny garden and heavy clay soil. I need to do more research.

There is so much unknown about tree ferns - one panel member on GQT suggested that tree ferns would be happiest planted in a pond as a marginal
AI returns this too - certain tree ferns can be used as marginal plants around a pond. They thrive in damp, shaded environments and can tolerate boggy conditions, making them suitable for the edge of a pond or water feature. Specific types like Dicksonia antarctica (Soft Tree Fern) are well-known for their ability to grow in these conditions.
Yet in other places, the suggestion is a well-drained moist soil.
Lots of growers insist you need to water the trunk frequently - we have not done this, excepting the odd occasion. We only use the drip irrigation placed in the heart of the fronds. And the tree ferns look amazing this year.
They are an expensive investment which makes it hard to experiment with their needs and you can only tell a year later when the new fronds appear, whether they are happy or not. Despite being on the dryer east of the country we have found them easier than expected. Most of the fronds closest to the garden wall have remained green from the previous year. And we've finally cut down their support to only a foot high now (mostly because the supports look a bit ugly)

Well it’s nice and hot here - 27 right now - and I’m almost done setting up my pot irrigation for the 30-odd pots on my patio. I expected it to be long and arduous, and boy was I right 😂. I just repotted my Monstera and moved it out for the summer, it looks suitably jungly.

I’m still not decided on what to plant underneath my cordyline, so as a holding position I stuck in some nicotiana seedlings and they are thriving. The spot actually gets more morning sun than I thought - let’s see if it’s enough for them to flower. In the meantime I’m growing hakonechloa, which I think would look good there, it’s quite a luminous green so would bring some light to that area.

My master plan for a flowery patio is slowly taking shape. My sweetpeas are very fragrant, I’ve got loads of Californian poppies for a cheerful splash of orange, and the patio dahlias are gorgeous. Everything else needs to catch up 🙂.

Sitting outside, enjoying a margarita, it's 26 degrees here and we are greatly benefiting from our new parasol.
Gingers and coming along nicely. The canna is flowering - a beautiful creamy lemon. My salvias, verbena and thistles are looking great dancing in the wind. Iris flowered but was too short for its location, so that will need to be moved. The blue libertias have come out in flower too. Lots of big frogs have moved in. Everything is looking very lush, not surprising as it's still getting a daily dose of the sprinkler whilst the grass gets established. Enjoying it immensely.

The tropical area is now full to bursting point, so of course today I bought more plants. Lovely variegated phytolacca, which I haven't seen before. Ds persuaded me to get a mountain papaya too. He is a bad influence! Should be fine in the greenhouse over winter, but not sure what we do when it gets too big to fit. Now just need it all to grow and provide some shade as this is far too hot for me!

@SprigatitoYouAndIKnow 😂 I know that feeling all too well! As a friend of mine, an expert gardener, says, “even my underplanting has underplanting”.

Over here, the tropical garden is also in full swing. I’ve gone from finding it a bit bare, to having to cut back, in the space of a few weeks. The morning glories are climbing up the palm trees and bananas. The whole garden is ablaze with crocosmia, and the cannas (and hopefully gingers) are waiting in the wings for their turn. The various house plants I planted out are all thriving, even the calatheas have doubled in size. My rescue fiddle leaf fig has started pushing out new leaves, and my new ferns are pushing out lots of fronds. The begonia luxurians has dozens of palmate heads - what a beautiful plant. The colocasias are also growing by the day, each new leaf bigger than the previous ones. I’ve had to cut back some gigantic leaves from my T rex lest it shades a brugmansia too much, and it’s now shot up finally, instead of sending horizontal branches. The Brugmansias are responding well to my ruthless pruning, no flowers yet but they are certainly getting taller. I’ve got 5 more small Brugmansias that I need to find space for.

My little seedlings from last winter are so gratifying - I’ve got morning scent from the sweetpeas and colour from the Californian poppies, then in the evenings from the nicotianas. The zinnias, dahlias, coleus are giving pops of colour everywhere. I never thought I’d say that, but I think I have too many salvia amistad… Some things will need dividing in the autumn and next spring.

Now if only all the palms and Schefflera could grow a couple metres overnight, that would be perfect. I want my canopy.

Oh and I’m ready to throw in the towel on growing caladiums from seed. After five attempts, I decided to stop being a fool and accept failure.

@Koulibiak @ungarden @SprigatitoYouAndIKnow Your gardens all sound lovely.

I don't know where the last few weeks have gone. I have spent so many hours working on the garden but have nowhere near enough progress to show for it.

My first canna flowers of the year appeared about a week ago, its always the red golden flame first. Funnily, both my big old one and a little new one bought cheaply this year flowered on the same day. One of the mango cannas is now flowering too and the bronze scarlet looks like it might have some lovely flowers for me tomorrow. Lots of others starting to push out buds too. No sign of flowers on my Stuttgart or Cleopatra yet but the foliage on both is gorgeous. I adore cannas, they are my absolute favourites

My tree ferns are throwing out new fronds, 7 on the bigger one and 5 on the smaller one so far, in various states of unfurledness.

I've not been brave enough to prune the brugmansias ruthlessly, just a little trim here and there but they are getting quite big now. The one which had flower buds wilted suddenly and then dropped the buds but seems to be recovering now.

In my new tropical section, I'm busy planting up my two new ground level beds now. The shady section of the raised border is full to bursting, just needs more height now. The sunnier end and my two new raised beds are only partially planted so far, I need more plants and feel a shopping spree coming on.

@PsychedlicSally I love cannas too and also have my first flowers, first the Angelique and now Perkeo, both newly planted this year. Perkeo is surprisingly tall for a supposedly dwarf variety, with a beautiful coral flower. My fave are the tropicanna/durban for the amazing pink striated foliage.

i just noticed that my Aeonium velour has started branching out with a first side rosette. Very exciting - though probably only for me😁

photo of the begonia luxurians, and a few random others.

My canna cannova has been flowering for a couple of weeks - it just keeps going!
I’m really enjoying my barrel pond, I have two frogs who hang out in it all day and it gives me an enormously good feeling to have provided them with a cool home in this hot weather. They just sit there staring at us.
Can you spot two pairs of 👀?

Can I join in? I've just read the entire thread in one long sitting and have been thoroughly inspired.😀

My main thing is bonsai, but I went to the Eden Project in Cornwall ten days ago and they had some home-grown plants in their shop.

Like a fool, I came home with a seedling papaya, about a foot tall so far. Has anybody grown one of them outdoors in the UK? I'm assuming it will need to be under cover in winter.

@Koulibiak great pics! I really want a begonia luxurian!

@Yamadori a papaya will need protection. We have a mountain papaya, which is the hardiest, but is coming into the greenhouse and being well wrapped for winter. Not sure what to do with it when it gets too big!

@PsychedlicSally my garden is actually s.all and has a lot of growing to do. This is just the beginning! Definitely have more plants than space.

@SprigatitoYouAndIKnow Ah yes, I knew the papaya would need protecting in winter, I was wondering whether people had any advice about what sort of conditions it likes outdoors in the summer. I'm thinking partial shade?