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!

@Koulibiak You won't regret it - I have two systems on a split tap - one for the tree ferns and one for everything else as and when it might be needed.

I caved and bought a loquat yesterday - I'm going to keep it in a container for a while. Really struggling with planting up the rest of my borders - I have an area that 3m by 2.5m deep - not really sure why I'm finding it so hard - the vision just isn't there, I need to sit outside with more cups of tea waiting for inspiration to develop, maybe move the plants (in containers) around a bit more.

I found a little Japanese Maple seedling in the front garden, so I rescued it - fingers crossed it survives.

@ungarden don’t tempt me with your loquat! I really can’t fit more trees in my tiny garden.

It’s quite a large area that you need to fill, I’m not surprised it’s proving difficult. Would bananas work there? Mine have multiplied so much in two years that they are really starting to give a jungle vibe. Or are you looking for flowers? I’m loving the foliage of my new cannas Durban (aka tropicanna), all striated in pink and bronze.

Or how about a cloud pruned specimen conifer 😁?

Over here, I’m starting to be worried about my Ensete, last year at this time it was definitely in growth. Nothing yet this year despite the warm weather. I can’t get too stroppy about it, given it’s not meant to be hardy so I only have myself to blame. It is still firm and not rotted, so who knows what’s going on. Still, I ordered a new one on eBay - and while I was at it, I also ordered Mind your own business for pots, and a muhlenbergia grass. All three arrived today and are spending the night out, I hope they don’t go into shock.

I have started planting out nicotianas to plug gaps in my borders. And after years of trial and error, I am cautiously optimistic that I’ve at last found what grows well in my north east window boxes: petunias. Not the most exciting thing, but it’s better than nothing. I planted them last week and they are growing well so far.

I just wish the garden was already full of giant leaves. I’m not the most patient person - and a jungle scheme isn’t at its best in spring…

On the positive side, my little fernery is looking great this year. I’ve now grouped together most of the ferns I had scattered all over the garden, and it’s much more impactful to have them in a group. I can really appreciate their different foliages and colours. That was worth the effort.

@Koulibiak I put my loquat in a big container - where there's a will...
I think the challenge with my deep border is not the high points - I have a very large tree stump, a magnolia grandiflora, a schefflera, ginger lily and an ensete, an ilex crenata ball...it's the flow/the layering with the softer lower plants, visually I'm not feeling it, it doesn't feel right - too many tall things maybe I have also got a range of ferns mostly to feed through the stump, some grasses - tall and short (green mondo). I don't have to plant all the tall things in that border, there's space elsewhere.
Maybe a few flowers at the edge of the border (I take a minimal approach to flowers - less is more) where they can sun-kissed and happy. I've planted agapanthas and libertia chilensis elsewhere, repeating them through the deep bed might work. It's been good to jot this down...I think I'm a bit further along!😅
My grass seeds have been a bit of a disaster, two weeks on, only 10% have germinated. Must have been a dodgy batch of seeds as they've had warmth and moisture.

My lawn is also looking a bit crap at the moment, I fed it this week but no improvement yet.

I managed to set up the soaking hose in a first bed (and more crucially, to connect it to the tap and timer). Only 3 more to go 😂 then I will tackle the piece de resistance: irrigation for pots. It looks like a right faff, so I will probably do them in batches, a few a day until I’m done.

I have been thinking about an irrigation system too, so any tips would be very welcome.

@ungarden I'm very envious of your loquat, is it a tiddler or a good size? I bet its another find from that fab garden centre you have. I really really want one but haven't seen any locally and all online are pricey with the postage.
I spend far too much time sitting outside with cups of tea planning and deliberating and not enough time getting on with the gardening. Isn't that one of the best simple pleasures though?...sitting outside on a sunny day with a lovely cup of tea, can't beat it.
I've always had the best success with grass seed sowing it in October, would you believe? I know that's no good to you now.

@Koulibiak My bananas are not co-operating this year either! My ensete is actually doing okay but my basjoos are really ropey and not doing much. They spent winter in the conservatory, I split off the (quite big) pups a few weeks ago and potted them temporarily. The plan was to plant them all out but I would like them to show some growth first. My dwarf cavendish has not survived winter despite being brought in earlier than all the other plants.

I have finally finished the largest of my new raised beds, it took a while to build and ages to fill. I am leaving it to settle for a couple of weeks before planting. I hope it doesn't need topping up too much, I have spent a fortune filling it. I'm itching to get it planted but perhaps the wait is a good thing as I keep changing my mind about what to put where.

I'm now busy preparing a smaller raised bed and a new ground level bed. I have quite a lot of plants waiting in pots ready to go in the ground. The smallest of the raised beds will be an arid bed, it is 90% built, no rush to finish it as I don't have many plants for it yet. I fancy an agave or two and a yucca linearis or rostrata.

I've found several self-sown ferns in the garden today. All of them have kindly plonked themselves in good spots where they are welcome to stay. I have also found a zillion baby fennels, many of them in the paths, perhaps I won't leave the seed heads on the big one this autumn. They did look decorative over winter though.

@Koulibiak you could just buy really tiny trees and make the growth future yourself problem. That's what I do 😁. Admittedly I still haven't gone for the Dawn redwood of my desires, but do have tiny bronze loquat, gingko, monkey puzzle, different hazle species, black elder, fruit trees and acers. I do genuinely only have a small garden, so no idea how they have all been fitted in. They mostly aren't in the tropical section.

@PsychedlicSally im not at all an expert on irrigation, having only started my set up yesterday, but here is how I approached it. (Sorry this has turned into War and Peace!)

1. You need a diagram or mental image of how everything will connect.
2. Unless your tap is right where you need to start the irrigation, you will need to connect the soaker hose to a feeder hose (which is just a standard 1/2 inch hose), and connect the feeder hose to the tap. In my case, my tap is on my tiled patio, and obviously I don’t want to soak the tiles twice a day.
3. If you are doing multiple beds, you will need a lot of hose connectors.
4. both the feeder hose and soaker hoses can be cut to size easily with normal scissors.

It helped me to watch a few YouTube videos by irrigation system brands, but in the end I decided to buy individual components and assemble the system I wanted (also much cheaper - I’m thrifty).

The components I used are listed below. I’m not endorsing any of them but just to give you an idea.

1. A four way tap splitter. In retrospect 3 might have been enough, as you can get timers with built in tap splitters (ie one timer controls two or three hoses). https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001J1UABS?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_3&th=1
2. A timer. Having read lots of reviews, I decided to buy this one, which can be controlled from my phone. It was easy to install and to pair with the app. Would have been even quicker if I had read the very clear instructions and not wasted time trying to pair it using the SmartThings app (wrong app - it uses Smart Life). https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DR92PZKL?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
3. A standard hose. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0001IWLMG?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
4. Soaker hoses. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DX28CK3L?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
5. Something to keep the soaker hoses in position. I used tent pegs (lots of them). https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DRWPJN3N?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
6. Mulch to cover the soaker hose. I just buried it in my existing mulch (bark chips/strulch).
7. lots of hose connectors. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07PQ73ZKC?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

Mistakes I made:

1. In an ideal world, you would set up irrigation before planting. It can be a bit tricky to snake the soaker hose between big plants, and not to damage tiny seedlings. But it’s doable.
2. not having quick clip hose connectors when I started.
3. once the soaker hose was roughly in position, I started pegging it at the end of the hose. Big mistake - it turns out there were kinks in the soaker hose, so I had to unpeg everything and start again from the beginning (ie at the point where the soaker hose connects with the feeder hose).

I still need to figure how best to disguise, and hold in position, the feeder hose that is now snaking across my patio. I’m going to try Gorilla tape - it won’t look fantastic, but I will position pots strategically to hide it as best I can.

Thank you for asking the question, this has given me a very well earned break from planting, mowing the lawn etc! Now back to my trowel 😊

@Koulibiak Thank you so much for all that very useful information, much appreciated.

I would also have a problem concealing the hose on the patio, where our outdoor tap is. It would need to cross at least one garden path as well. I think I might concentrate on the business end of the system and rig something temporary up to feed it for the time being.

I have finally got over my creative block, after much tea drinking and staring, to start planting the 3x3 ish metre bed. The loquat was the solution - it was tall enough to avoid being in the shade from the neighbour's wall - I needed more height, but just couldn't figure out a way to get around planting something tall in a shady area.
That meant I was able to position the massive tree stump I was given and started the first layer of planting - Libertia chilensis - short enough (and evergreen) so you can see the massive stump spikes rise up behind it - it's quite dramatic looking, an ensete and a shuttlecock fern in the background. I might add some green mondo grass to finish it off.
How's everyone else doing?

@ungarden your new planting sounds really striking and tropical.

All is well here. All the soaker hoses are set up, and the garden has been fed with chicken manure. I have planted out all my seedlings (zinnias, morning glories, solenostemons, nicotianas) and other plants. I dug out new beds a few months ago, so everything is still looking a bit bare right now, but I’m hoping this will change once the seedlings have started growing.

I also transplanted some brugmansias, persicaria and ferns.

My Tetrapanax, pseudopanax, trochodendron and Schefflera are all growing well at the moment. Not to the point where I have an established canopy yet, but hopefully moving in that direction.And my phoenix palm is about to flower - usually this means a growth spurt is coming

I’ve set up a drip irrigation system for all the pots in my front garden, it was quick and straightforward once I got the hang of it. I still need to do the pots at the back, this will be a bit more involved as I’ve got about 40 pots and they are scattered in different areas, so I need to figure out how to camouflage the micro tubing.

On the positive side, the garden is looking very tidy, now that I’ve cleaned the patio and I no longer have seedling trays all over the place.

Our local plant fair is this weekend, I might buy some bits if anything catches my eye. And I’m going to the Chelsea flower show next week, hoping for inspiration and more tropical plants.

I got a shuttlecock fern, three tricyrtis and a fiddle leaf fig from the local plant fair, so I can do some more planting tomorrow. The fig is about 5feet tall, and was only £3 so I am going to try planting it out for the summer, and leave to Future Me the hassle of what to do with it in the autumn ☺️

Does anyone have any suggestion for deep, dry shade? I have a space at the back of my border that is completely overshadowed by a huge cordyline. I have tried various ferns underneath but none of them took so I’ve moved them. I also have a Fatsia there, and that’s not doing too well either- it’s much smaller than my other fatsias.

Ideally I’d like some low shrubs as I’ve got a hanging chair nearby and the area around the cordyline just looks a bit sad. Is there such a thing as a tropical looking shrub (flowers not essential) that likes dry shade?

@Koulibiak I have previously had success with ferns and liriope muscari in dry shade, very dry as massive leylandiis over hung and took what little water reached the ground. Specifically, Dryopteris atrata and Polystichum tsus-simense ferns though I did have to water them about once a week. I think there are other dryopteris ferns which tolerate dry shade as well.
Not very exciting but I hope that helps.

I have a massive cotoneaster in dry shade. Not tropical but the birds love it.

@PsychedlicSally thank you, I had dryopteris and cyrtomium ferns there, but they looked very forlorn 😂 and are doing much better since I moved them. It’s a really unforgiving spot - on top of the shade, the soil is poor and somehow DDog has adopted it at his “office” where he goes to stand guard on the foxes, and tramples it several times a day. Hence why I thought a shrub might stand a better chance - but I may be after a unicorn…

@Beyondburnout all suggestions welcome! I will look up cotoneasters. Thank you

@Koulibiak how about putting a circular edging around the Cordyline, you can get Corten steel rings, mulch with gravel - so it looks like lack of plants is deliberate, you could plant through the gravel with some shade tolerant succulents. I love the desert jungle contrast.

@ungarden that’s a really interesting idea, thank you. I need to do some research and visualisation.

Another thought @Koulibiak- planting shade tolerant in pots - easier to keep a container watered than battle with the Codyline. The plant could take an occasional “holiday” when it’s looking like it needs some TLC

@ungarden thank you for the suggestion - I really appreciate the brainstorming! I’m a big fan of pots, but in that particular location I feel like I need something at ground level. I’m mulling things over - I’ve got some hakonechloa which I could possibly use in that spot, it’s meant to do well in shade. I foresee several cups of tea in the garden while I think things through ☺️

How is everyone’s garden growing? As always, there are highs and lows here.

My eremurus (foxtail lilies) have come back and are just starting to flower, they are over 2m tall and look a bit alien and definitely exotic.

I’ve started moving most of my houseplants outside, I don’t feel strongly about them so not fussed if they don’t survive. But the tradescantias and asparagus fern have been out for a month and are living their best life as pot fillers and spillers - they have exploded and look very cheerful. Tradescantia pallida looks especially good, a deep purple and tons of new growth, it provides a good contrast to the canna Pretoria it’s planted with. The calatheas are being a bit diva-ish as one would expect, I don’t know if they will sink or swim but I’m past caring about them, they are so needy. The crotons and dracena are fine, I will plant them all out in the ground or in outdoor pots shortly.

None of my eucomis have come back🙁, it’s a bit puzzzling as they are meant to be hardy. Thankfully I planted a few new ones in a pot so will at least have those.

My dahlias and ipomoea are flowering. I managed to catch DN’s gardener and let him know that I’ve got ipomoea growing along the shared fence, so he doesn’t nuke it with Round up since it looks like bindweed 😂

The trochodendron, pseudopanax, tetrapanax and schefflera are all growing well, as are the musas, brugmansias, cannas and gingers.

My little star Jasmine has finally decided to grow and is about to flower.

The zinnia, cobaea, nicotiana, coleus, Californian poppies and cleome seedlings are mostly still small, but not dead (yet) and I think the zinnias and Cal pops will start flowering soon.

Overall there are lots of positives, but it feels like the garden is in its ugly duckling stage: not quite there yet, lots of gaps but harbouring the promise of things to come. I think mostly it needs more height - which hopefully will start happening as the shrubs and palms get bigger and a canopy takes shape. I’ve got to remind myself that it’s only the beginning of the third summer and lots of things are still getting established.

I’m loving my irrigation system - it is so practical and easy to turn on/off while in bed, depending on the weather forecast. It’s a very satisfying bit of kit.

I’ve got tons of aphids at the moment, but I’ve seen the first ladybirds so I’m hoping they will sort the aphids out pronto. On the plus side, very few slugs and snails so far this year.

Another visit to our local garden centres and B&Q (for the ilex balls) this morning. I came home with 3 Carex lime, 6 ilex balls, 3 Cirsium rivulare Atropureum (impulse buy)- aka deep red thistles, some succulents, and a tall grass - that should keep me busy this weekend.
Things are starting to take off with the rest of the garden, lavender, salvia & iris are flowering, verbena is close to flowering, the libertia is in full flower dancing in the wind, one ginger is doing well - the other is too busy building it's root network to appear above the soil. I've finished my evening drinks area enclosed by Fargesia bamboo. Bananas and ensete are making gentle progress.
Mixed results with the tree ferns, one is seriously lagging behind, the other is looking amazing and a very small one might be dead.
After 3 boxes of grass and a generous use of the sprinkler on a daily basis - my grass has finally decided to make an appearance.
It still needs height and more lusciousness and I need patience - I started planting my garden one year ago, I love doing it but I still want it done!

Have you watched the video from middle sized garden with the guy from Architectual Plants - I have a stumpery and a fernery, I think I might need a blobbery too! I'll leave the link here!

Is anyone growing an echium (ecceum?) the massive spires shaped plant? I just bought a small one and am wondering where to plant it. Does they spread out a lot if they are happy? Can they cope with a bit of shade?

@CurrentHun i don’t have echium sadly, because I bought eremurus instead by mistake 😂. Is yours fastuosum or pinanana? I think they both like full sun and dry conditions.

I had a funny chat yesterday with a neighbour who wanted gardening advice but seems to think she doesn’t have room for more plants. I could easily fit 20 new plants and shrubs just in her front garden, and hundreds at the back ☺️

@ungarden you always have the best plant hauls! Off to learn about blobberies now…

Eremurus coming into bloom

Wow the Eremurus looks beautiful.

I think I have the Piniana type of Echium. I’m excited that it might turn out to be really tall one day, but need to think about how to get it into full sun before it gets planted out.