The Garden of Eaden: August 2023

Tropical Gardens UK: Forgotten Islamic Exotic Paradise Garden at RHS Wisley

The walled garden at RHS Wisley has always confused me. As lovely as it is, it seems oddly out of place to the rest of the gardens with no information regards to its purpose or history. However, it has been beautifully designed, built, and to a certain extent planted - although not to the high standards seen elsewhere. Every other garden at Wisely has a clear purpose where they show case a particular garden style or a group of plants. The walled garden is just a very fancy, regular garden! Or is it? It seems to me that it may be something else, a forgotten Islamic Paradise garden no less! In this video I put my theory to the test.

However Lorna does not agree at all!

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Tropical Gardens UK: Small Exotic Garden Summer Tour

It's been a long time coming but finally our small exotic UK garden is worth looking at! So why not join us a Lorna gives our small exotic garden the summer tour treatment, highlighting the plants that catch her attention?

For the human eye, plant usually have the seasonal interest of ornamental flowers and at this time of year the garden will or at least should have good show. In this video we will point out plants of interest as well as give the names and a little bit of back ground. If you see something that we haven't mentioned but you would like to know more about then leave us a comment in the comments section.

Tropical Gardens UK: Exotic Garden Summer Tour at RHS Wisley

The exotic garden at RHS Wisley is one of our favorites and as such is one that we visit multiple times each year. Why? Because there is always something different on display to entice and excite you! So if you are looking to visit an amazing tropical garden or are just looking for ideas for your own then we thoroughly recommend it.

The thing that I like about most about the exotic garden at RHS Wisley is that it has been plants with a huge succession of interest that lasts from June right up until the first frosts. This means that you can have multiple visits during the growing season and still see a selection of new blooms and seasonal plants in their prime.

Five Easy to Grow Exotic Plants for Your Tropical Garden

If you are looking to plant up an exotic, tropical effect garden then this video is for you. English horticulturist Simon discusses five easy to grow exotic plants for your garden which you should definitely consider as part of your plant collection. Not only are they tried and tested specimens they are tough as old boots, some of which can cope with temperatures down to -12 Celsius!

So in this video we are looking at the following specimens: Musa basjoo, Trachycarpus fortunei, Ricinus communis 'Impala', Canna lilies and the amazing Tetrapanax papyrifer. All of which are superb specimens and can lift any garden border. The merits of each of the plants are discussed in the video.

Tropical Gardens UK: What is the World's Hardiest Banana?

If you are a fan of cold-hardy, tropical-effect gardens then the chances are that you would be looking to add a banana to your plant collection in order to complete that exotic look. Now there are usually several species and cultivars that you can readily purchase here in the UK but just what is the worlds hardiest banana and just how hardy is it? Well, English horticulturist Simon explains all.

There are four cultivars and species that should be on your radar and those are Musa sikkimensis 'Ted Tiger, Musa basjoo, Musella lasiocarpa and Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii'. In this video English horticulturist Simon discussed the merits of them all and reveals which one is the most hardy!

Paul McCartney's Childhood Garden at 20 Forthlin Road

If you are a fan of the Beatles then why not check out Paul McCartney's childhood garden at 20 Forthlin Road, Liverpool. Luckily, since the McCartney family left the property very little has changed in the garden over the subsequent years. We know this as Paul's brother Mike (a keen photographer even then) has a collection of images from that period on display at 20 Forthlin road from which a comparison can be made. Unfortunately due to copyright issues I am unable to show these photographs in this video.

So if you find yourself in Liverpool and fancy having a tour of Paul McCartney's childhood home then I would thoroughly recommend it.

Exotic Gardens UK: Tropical Plant Care

Exotic, tropical-effect gardens are known for their lush foliage but they can easily become overblown, run out of steam or simply struggle for nutrition. So in this video English horticulturist Simon takes a walk around the garden highlighting the various care and maintenance that can be employed to keep your garden looking fresh and shiny.

To keep plants looking fresh keep an eye on deadheading and creating space for any valuable specimens that may be getting swamped by neighbouring plants. Don't forget to provide support for those plants which require it and don't forget to upgrade that supports as these plants grow bigger as the season progresses.

Five mistakes to Avoid When Planting and Growing Canna Lilies

Canna lilies are a fantastic addition to any tropical-effect, exotic garden but to get the best out of them there are a number of mistakes that you can avoid to get stronger plants and earlier, longer lasting flowers. So check out this video where English horticulturist Simon explains five mistakes you need to avoid when planting and growing Canna lilies.

Firstly, when buying root sections in the spring, always buy from a reputable supplier as you can often be sold cheap tubers instead of the expensive fancy varieties that you wanted. Secondly, by them as fresh as you can in order to get your tubers in the best possible condition and keep them above 10 degrees Celsius once potted on to get them growing. For further advice check out the above video.

How to Deadhead Old Petunias Flowers

When it comes to flowering you can't deny that Petunias are a hard working genus. However if you let them go to seed then most cultivars flowering will come to an abrupt halt! Luckily this can be avoided with deadheading - although this is often managed incorrectly. In this video English horticulturist Simon explains they exact way to deadhead your petunias effectively.

Just remember pulling off the spent blooms may be removing the physical petals that make the flower but it does not remove the juvenile seed head that causes the problem of signalling the plant to stop flowering!

Tropical Gardens UK: How to Plant an Exotic Garden

An exotic garden is a great design choice for small gardens. However to get that tropical look with relatively hardy plants requires a little research, both for information and ideas. In this video English horticulturist Simon explains the thought process and plants that went into his exotic garden. Just remember that there are no right or wrong ideas in gardening so long as the final effect makes you happy.

For our garden we like to look at large architectural leaves, contrasting colour and habits. Also look at the various heights for that natural forest lok such as ground cover and mid height. |Take advantage of the existing plants, such as mature trees and dress them up with baskets to get that epiphytic look!

How to Deadhead Lilies

Lilies are an absolutely glorious genus of ornamental flowering plants and to get the most out of them year on year you should consider dead-heading them. In this video English horticulturist Simon explains why you would want to deadhead lilies and how to deadhead lilies with a touch of botany to boot!

The reason why you would want to deadhead lily flowers is to prevent the plant from directing energy from the bulb to producing the seeds and seedheads. Removing the seed-heads before they get a chance to form means that energy produced using photosynthesis can be used to bulk up the bulbs to help ensure a great flower display the following summer. To do this correctly English horticulturist explains how in this video.

Giant Tree Lilies - What Do You Need to Know?

Tree lilies are a fantastic group of cultivars, the result of hybridizing oriental lilies and trumpet lilies. As a relatively new group of flowering plants they are rarely seen in the garden centres except perhaps as a limited range pre-packed bulbs in the spring.

However, do a little research to find out your prefered cultivars and you should be able to find them quite easily through on-line retailers in pre-packs. Be aware that condition of bulbs will drop off

over time an so you should by them as fresh as you can in the spring. They may still be available over the summer but by then the bulbs will usually be quite desiccated. To be fair this advise can be applied to all pre-packed bulbs.