It continues to be really mild in the South of England and many gardeners have not yet bedded down tender tropical and exotic plants for the winter . Temperatures of 15c are forecast for this weekend which is amazing for November. Apparently it is warmer than it was in May this year. Another sign of our confused weather patterns?
Now is a good time to take cuttings to produce even more beautiful tropical and exotic plants for your garden next summer. Will Giles has uploaded a short video on his new Exotic Gardening video channel which shows how simple and easy this is to do. Your garden might even end up looking as wonderful as this fantastic display from his garden this August. Notice how Will packs in loads of plants and creates depth and texture with different shaped leaves and splashes of bold tropical colours . http://vimeo.com/31725718
Another interesting site for hardy tropical and exotic gardening in the UK is Hardy Tropicals, managed by the delightful Dave Brown from Kent. This useful site and forum promotes the use of Exotic Gardening in the UK and other cool temperate climates. Great place to connect with exotic and tropical gardening experts if you feel confused by the choice and care required to get the most out of these fascinating plants. Be warned – they are addictive and are often expensive which is another reason to take cuttings or even grow plants from seed. In 1992 Dave managed to grow a Washington Robusta from seed. He shares its journey into a fine specimen and how it survived even the harshest of UK winters on the home page at http://www.hardytropicals.co.uk/
Tue, Nov 8, 2011
Climate Change, Exotic