The Garden of Eaden: September 2023

Tropical gardens UK: What is the World's Hardiest Palm Tree

What is the world's hardiest palm tree? Well of course this is explained in full in this video, but there is more! English horticulturist Simon not only answers this fundamental question but also explains in detail why it is so hardy and how to easily grow them in your garden!

Even in northern European countries, there are limited choices as to what palms can survive even our 'so-called' mild winters. In the south of England you may be able to plants the more exotic species such as Phoenix canariensis, Butia capitata, Jubaea chilensis and the Washingtonia robusta but further north you have just the two species to choose from (although there are a few cultivars of such which are also tough enough) which you can trust to survive our British winters year after year! One is the more 'mound-forming' Chamaerops humilis, the other is featured in this video.

If you would like watch more content like this then check out our YouTube channel 'Walking Talking Gardeners'. It is absolutely free to subscribe to and you can unsubscribe instantly at any time. Click onto the notification 'bell' icon to informed as to whenever we publish a new video.

Thinking About Winter Hibernating Tortoises

With autumn now upon us, Lorna's thoughts turn to her two beloved tortoises (Speed and Gonzales). The nights are longer and the days are cooler so thinking about preparing both her tortoises and their winter accommodation for hibernation is going to be increasingly important. In this video we pick her brains to see what she is thinking.

It all about the telltale signs, which Lorna discusses in this video, as well as the conditions required to keep them safe over the winter period.

Tropical Gardens UK: My Exotic Garden Fails!

Most exotic gardens in the UK will look fantastic in a YouTube video, but that is simply because they are always (nearly always) dressed, tidied and swept to within an inch of their lives before filming commences. However, in this video English horticulturist Simon shows you behind the scenes of his tropical-effect garden exposing all of the mistakes, bad decisions and general gardening fails that he has experienced in this gardening year.

At face value you probably wouldn't spot them but living with these plants over the course of a year makes it easy to recognise you mistakes.

Five Mistakes to Avoid When Growing and Planting Hydrangeas

Hydrangeas are a mainstay of many a garden and why wouldn't they be? The huge, long lasting blooms come in a range (albeit limited to white, red, pink and blue) of vibrant colours that in themselves are usually enough to tempt opening the wallet, but they are also long lasting and and reliable. However, to get the best out of Hydrangeas there are a number of cultural red flags that you need to be aware of, so in this video English horticulturist Simon explains the five mistakes that you should try to avoid when planting Hydrangeas.

If you are looking to obtain your own Hydrangea 'Blue Danube' or indeed any other in the large selection of Hydrangeas that Suttons have in stock then check out this following link:

https://www.suttons.co.uk/search/go?ts=custom&w=hydrangeas

How To Get Rid of Fuchsia Gall Mite!

As far as garden pests go Fuchsia gall mite is up there with the best of them. Invisible to the naked eye and resistant to garden centre pesticides just what can you do to kill them off? Well, in this video English horticulturist Simon goes into detail as to what they are, what damage do they produce and what you can do to successfully control them.

The secret is to use nature itself by ordering in the predator of the Fuchsia gall mite which is a simple enough matter and something you can readily obtain from mail order suppliers on the internet. As with life nothing is guaranteed but this is by far you most effective solution. Good luck!

Exotic Gardens UK: How to Care for your Hardy Banana

So, you have acquired a hardy banana, but are not sure what to do with it now its in you garden. Well there is no need to worry as English horticulturist Simon explains everything you need to know in order to grow a first class specimen and keep it year after year.

Overwintering, watering, site positioning are all included and are essential to growing a quality specimen that will (probably) be the envy of your friends and fellow gardeners. Given a decent couple of years of mild winters and long hot summers then there is not reason why you could expect your banana plant to flower and produce its very own banana fruit! Not that you would be able to eat them as they will be jammed packed with stone-hard inedible seeds.

Tropical Gardens UK: My Favourite Exotic garden Plants

It is late summer, the tropical garden is in full swing so now its time to take a look at my favourite exotic garden plants. Everything (well almost) has managed to flower of perform in some way so which one are the stand out plants for this year in our opinion?

The obvious choice is the Hardy Japanese Banana which has turned in to a fantastic, mature specimen over the past year with the hope of it being even more impressive next season. However there are plenty of other plants that are absolute diamond in the garden if you look a little deeper into the displays.

How to Win a Cactus Competition

Winning a cactus competition is no easy feat. Of course, You need to be aware of the rules, but you never know what you will be up against regarding both the other competitors or the judges! In this video English horticulturist Simon explains what the judges are looking for and what you can do to improve your chances of winning your next cactus competition.

So if you want to find out about pot sizes, quality standards and what the judges are going to be looking at then this a great starting point. However, it is vital to read and fulfill the class descriptions and show rules otherwise you can risk finding yourself disqualified.

Tropical Gardens: How to look after Spider Plants Outdoors

Spider plants - Chlorophytum comosum and their cultivars, are one of the most popular of all houseplants. However they are often neglected which promotes weak growth and reduces ornamental value. To get the most of out your spider plants so that it creates an amazing exotic display consider growing it as a hanging basket plant in your garden. So to find our how to look after spider plants outdoors check out what English horticulturist Simon has done in his garden.

Small Tropical Garden Ideas

If you have a small garden and you want to create a tropical or exotic theme then it's sometime difficult to know where to start. So in this video English horticulturist Simon points out some of the ideas used in his garden for your consideration.

Space is always a premium in a small garden so one of the ideas that we like to use it plant upwards!This can include crown lifting any trees in the garden to bring in more light and reveal attractive branch work as well as decorating the exposed branches with suitable plants to create that tropical effect. Don't forget that garden lighting is another great way to bring the 'exotic' to your back door.

Shade-Loving Plants Care

Finding plants that will provide a great display in a shady border can be annoyingly difficult. Then once in the ground it can be hard to maintain them in top condition. So in this video English horticulturist Simon looks at a few choice, shade-loving plants and explains how to care for them.

Shade itself can be an issue with some plants requiring shade all day while others only need to be shaded during the peal hours of between 12.00pm and 3.00pm. Also its worth doing some research before planting in order the get the best effect. Regarding colour in shady borders, something that is often an issue, Simon shows you some of the best plants to brighten up any shady area!

Mistakes to Avoid Growing Camellias

Camellias are one of the best early flowering evergreen shrubs but there are just a few mistakes you need to avoid when growing Camellias in order to get the best flowering display out of them. In this video English horticulturist Simon explains what are arguably the most important.

Most Samellias are either cultivars or hybrids of two species, Camelia sinensis and Camellia sasanqua - both if which have evolved in the high altitude forests of China and Japan. So to improve the quality of not just the plant itself but also its blooms you need to provide growing conditions as close to the ones experienced on its native habitat as you can. Also try not to cut off the flower buds before they are due to open in the spring!

Camellia Flower Care

Camellias are among the best early spring flowering evergreen shrubs, however to get the best out of them requires some horticultural care. In this video English horticulturist Simon explains where they originate from and the environment within which they have evolved. All you need to do is mimic their home environment to get the best effect from these magnificent plants.

The key things for you to be aware of is to make sure your camellias are grown in an acidic soil, that they are grown under dappled shade, and that the soil is permanently moist but not waterlogged throughout the year.

Spider Plant Care - Chlorophytum comosum

Spider plants are one of the most popular of all houseplants but they seem to have gone out of fashion over the past decade or so. This is probably due to how sad they look when neglected. However given the right condition this can becomes an absolutely stunning specimen plant so if you want to know how to care for your spider plant then English horticulturist Simon will give you the low-down (whatever that means).

So in this video we discuss the environment from when the spider plant has evolved from and how to natch these conditions as best you can in our English climate.