Green Fingers? How About Getting A Little More Exotic

One of the most wonderful things about having your own garden is being able to carve yourself a little paradise of your own and gardeners the world round have started to get more experimental, more exotic and more daring in their designs.  

Each year cities across the world host garden shows, such as The Chelsea Flower Show in London, UK.  This is an opportunity to see what the most renowned designers have come up with, full of clever and unique uses of space and ever more striking blooms, a walk around any of these shows is like taking a world trip around the best gardens.

Oriental themes are very popular but recently there has been a rise in tropical foliage features.  There are loads of ways you can get these looks in your garden.  Whilst identifying types of flower is easy for some, if you aren’t a landscaping expert you may need a little help so resources like With Our Aloha Hawaiian Flower guide will help you identify the different species although remember some plants won’t take in certain climates, so do plenty of research to avoid disappointment.

Positioning and preparation is vital when working with exotic flowers.  Sunny and frost free sheltered areas are useful however if this doesn’t come natural to your garden you can recreate the jungle conditions that tropical plants adore.  You need well drained soils enriched with organic matter or, even better, a mulch.  Use purpose built canopy’s to give shade, try to add plenty of tropical style trees or ferns to recreate that forest feel.

When landscaping the tropical look try to stay away from harsh man made elements and think about natural objects instead.  Use uplighters to highlight the shape of beautiful tree’s or shrubs.  Planting needs to be dense so to make the most of the look choose a range of heights from tall to ground level plants.  Different foliage and the exotic flowers will give you an array of exciting colours, just ensure you plant these in the spring so they are well established when our harsher winters arrive.

The Japanese Banana has fantastic large, dramatic leaves and will fill out gaps with relative ease.  Opting for more traditional plants to mix in with your more exotic ones can give a simple and visually pleasing treat to the eyes.  Think about dahlias and lobelia, agapanthus, jasmine and honeysuckle.

Summer is the time for enjoying all your hard work, when the garden will spring to life.  If you are potting plants there is the advantage of being able to move them indoors when the cold weather snaps.  You must insure you give any tropical plant lots of protection in the winter season.  Make good use of horticultural fleece or using straw to protect them from freezing temperatures.

Get excited about your garden and create your own adventures.  Regardless of size, with good planning you can achieve the perfect space for relaxing that will warm your soul and impress any visitors you may have.  Also you will have a perfect setting for carnival feel garden parties!