How to Build a Tropical Garden for £100!
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- Today I look at my ideas on how I'd plant a tropical jungle garden packed with colourful exotic plants like palm trees, bamboos and bananas with a £100 budget. It's definitely possible to create your own leafy paradise without spending a huge amount and if you're a beginner to tropical gardening, hopefully you'll find some helpful plant ideas and design suggestions that you can use this spring.
Obviously there is no strict formula or plant list, creating a lush tropical look can be achieved with lots of kinds of plants. Feel free to swap plants you like the look of into this list, maybe ferns, Miscanthus grasses, lots of annuals like sunflowers, dahlias, nasturtiums or even some of the more exotic looking vegetables, they can all create a tropical garden with impact around a few key structural exotic plants.
If you've enjoyed my content and would like to say thanks for the price of a coffee then please head over to my Ko-fi, any kind donations would be appreciated and put towards creating more exciting content (or treats for Max if you wish!): ko-fi.com/geor...
Thanks,
George
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Great advice George, I buy lots of my plants in reduced section, b & q are a good one,last year got a 5ft nigra bamboo for £5 😀
Nice one, that’s a bargain! Well done 😃
£5! I hate you so much right now 😂
Tropical garden, Jurassic Park shirt, AND a dog?! The algorithms are really getting too specific now (thanks for the great info!)
Haha I'm happy to tick those algorithmic boxes! There has been another dog addition and a couple more Jurassic Park T's added since I made this video so I hope you enjoy some of my recent vids too. Thanks for your kind words and all the best with your garden plans!
Sassa! Sits for 5 yrs then goes mental. Brilliant jungle effect, as long as you can control it's spread.
Haha yes, great suggestion - a LOT of plant for the money potentially but you're playing with fire there unless you have a root barrier aren't you!
Thanks George I love Tropical gardens And especially for $100, Thanks A lot for the information!😀
Thanks, great to hear it was helpful!
This is excellent George! I only stumbled across your channel today and i love your passion! That and the fact that you're in the not far from me so the climate shouldn't be that different. I have recently acquired a bit of pasture land with some woodland. Its basically a field for now but I plan to create a woodland/food forrest, plus just generally just play around with it!
One thing I'm thinking of doing is creating a few mini gardens, so one of em may as well be a tropical one! Maybe I'll start with the plants you've listed in this vid. Keep up the good work.😃
Thank you very much Colin! Wow, that sounds like quite the project, a woodland garden is definitely an exciting opportunity and I like the idea of themed areas too. This is one of the earlier videos I made but a lot of the same principles still stand 😃 Good luck with your experimentation and garden journey!
Thanks for this. I've just moved into a house with a garden after years in a flat. For £114 I managed to get a good selection of plants based on your advice.
Hi and apologies for the delayed reply. Great to hear you've moved into a place with a garden and I hope planning and planting it bring you a lot of joy. Pleased to hear you've got a good selection for the money. I know a lot of plants have gone up in price considerably over the last couple of years but the principles of knowing what to start small, using fast growing filler plants and also choosing some plants you can easily propagate can still help you create the effect without spending loads this year.
Something I've added is himalayan Honeysuckle, they're absolutely fantastic and exotic flowers, the stems are amazing and nice fruits the birds love
Thanks Tony, that's one of the plants on my list for when I add climbers to the fences nearer the house!
I've just found your videos and I am loving them. Thank you so much for the great advice on this one.
Thank you very much, I appreciate it!
Brilliant video as ever George, thank you. I completely agree about repeat planting, it just looks fab I think.
Thanks Emma, I appreciate it! It’s a little tip that gives a lot of impact!
I bought a little fatsia begining of last year. For £7 it was pretty small. Potted it up into a bigger pot and now its Atleast trippled in size in the shade
Excellent, that’s the perfect example! They grow into a £40 plant very quickly 👍
I find that Fatsia cuttings root really easily too if you want to increase your plants even more. Gunnera manicata grows very rapidly and is good for propagating by division. I also bought a little tetrapanax about 3years ago at a very reasonable price which has grown quickly and sent out runners (easily detached and not invasive) which has given me 3 more plants.
They're all great ideas and very true, it's really handy that such amazing looking big leaved plants are so easy to propagate! I'm a big fan of all three!
How do you take Fatsia cuttings?
Need to see more of Max. Can he not have his own wee garden. Macs corner.
He’s in some more recent vids and will be making more appearances as it warms up I’m sure 😂 The whole garden is Max’s garden, he treats it like he’s in charge anyway!
That’s my shopping list sorted 😁👏👏 can’t wait for summer🌞🌞. Who needs to go to far flung places when we can just step outside.
Thanks for another great video, love how you’ve trained Max to do the tidying will be needing that video too 🤣
Haha great, exactly! It actually feels almost warm in the sun today (just before it goes behind a cloud and the wind is still cold!). Max creates more mess than he does tidying, believe me 😂
Finally the detailed and precise explanations I was looking for to create a garden!!!! Absolutely love the chanel!!! Thanks a lot man. Greetings from Spain
Thank you very much Arturo, that’s really kind of you! Thanks for stopping by and I’m pleased you’re enjoying my vids. All the best!
Great video again and a plant I didn't know, the borinda blue bamboo. It's definitely on my shopping list.
Keep on with the vids through the summer to keep us updated.👍
Thanks Mickey! Yes, that bamboo is a beauty for sure, it gets tall very quickly too which I’m excited to see with mine!
I love your dog. Nice tail.Your palms look well as if rthey growing in my garden in Trinidad. . Try bamboo trees from the Caribbean. They do not die easily. Nice tee shirt.
Thank you very much! He’s got a brother now, another chocolate Dachshund with a waggy tail! Great to know the palms look good to you and I’ve got a good few bamboos here, they’re really tough and certainly fast growing ☺️
@@GeorgesJungleGarden Lovely to hear from you George you made a lonely old spinisters orphaned widowed day. Thank you for your warmth you and your people of beautiful lovely Wales. Hugs and Kisses.
Great video for the beginning tropical gardener!
Thanks, I appreciate it, that’s what I was going for! Then they can come to you for the inspiration! 👍😃
@@GeorgesJungleGarden haha thanks! But you got a beautiful garden and channel as well 👍🌴
@@TropicalGardening Thanks, I appreciate it. Keep up the great work! 😃
Really interesting video ! Love Tropical plants already have a Trachycarpus and Tree Fern , looking to get a lot more now 😊 thank u George
Excellent Caroline, it’s an exciting time of year for sure!
@@GeorgesJungleGarden oh yes and we have a new south facing garden to play in this year , after moving here last October 😀 can't wait !
@@carolinewilkes1048 Very nice, I can see you having a very busy spring 😃
Great video George. You're doing some great work there. Super video. Cheers 👍
Thanks, I appreciate it as always and it’s great to see that this one has been helpful to so many people 😃
Excellent infornation but we can only dream of such prices in 2023 😮
Thanks! Whilst it's true a lot of plant prices have gone up astronomically, particularly tree ferns, palms and big specimens, if you're prepared to start small then the main principles are still doable. I got some nice small Trachycarpus and Chamaerops for around £15-20 each last year, you can get Musa bananas for £10-15 and if you're prepared to go through FB marketplace there's all kinds of bargains if you get in quick enough. But yes, like a lot of things, the price increases have been steep and scary over the last few years!
nice vid,thank you!
Thank you very much for watching, I’ve got plenty of other vids on this style of gardening if you’re interested! 😃
Excellent advice! Thank you!
Thank you very much 😃
Great advice for us newbies thanks
Thank you very much, great to hear it was helpful!
Keep doing this George i will try to add things in my video's you missed or so :-)
Thanks Eddy, keep it up with your channel too! Since I’ve started my RUclips properly and been on with the garden again this spring I’ve hardly had enough time to watch many videos but keep it up, it’s always interesting to see how people do things their way! All the best with your 2021 garden plans 😃
@@GeorgesJungleGarden only here to help and long not as good as you do your videos
@@EddyFeyen Thanks Eddy, it’s all good! It’s great to see so many new people into tropical style gardening this year isn’t it!
@@GeorgesJungleGarden yes it is
Great advice , I am looking to make tropical garden in Vancouver Canada.
Thank you and it definitely seems to be a growing interest in Canada! Good luck with your project and I hope my vids help 😃
Really enjoy your viedos thx buddy stay driven !💪🏻
From a fellow gradener / farmer
Thanks, I appreciate it! Plenty more planned 😃
Thanks for your ideas. I am trying to find the video you were talking about "garden on a budget " I think.
Thanks Julie, it’s an older video I did called UK Tropical Garden on a Budget 😃
@@GeorgesJungleGarden I live in the sandwell area. I want to start a garden have no clue. Just found you and have been watching your videos.
@@juliematt1997 If there’s anything I can help with then just leave a comment on the relevant video and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can, it’s a great time of year to plan ahead for next year!
@@GeorgesJungleGarden
Thank you 😊
SO INTERESTING and fascinating. I'm a fan too of exotic plants, but as a beginner, since my Thailand trip. 😉 Thank you so much for tips and your channel. New fan from north of France 😉🇫🇷
That’s fantastic and thank you very much, I hope you enjoy some of my more recent vids too! All the best with your garden plans this year 😃
@@GeorgesJungleGarden binge watching yeah 🌴🌱🌿🐉 😅🤘🏻
@@BlackCrowLudo Haha thanks. I only started making them properly last year so some of the early ones are a bit basic in terms of me just talking to camera. Hopefully lots of helpful info though!
Thanks, Started my tropical garden in Lincoln last summer and looking to expand this summer, so finding your videos really helpful, especially as we are in the same area, so conditions are about the same. I have a large borders to fill so last year it was about the cordylines and palms, though lost half the small palms over winter and the bigger one that survived looks like it got wind burnt a couple of weeks ago that I am upset about, but there is still green on the stems so hoping I can save that one somehow. Anyway keep up the good work.
Thanks for the great feedback Shane. Sorry to hear about your palms, what sort were they and what variety is it that got wind burnt?
@@GeorgesJungleGarden phoenix canariensis is the one that I think got wind burnt, think the two that totally died were the same, though lost the labels and going on sight, though still have 5 in good condition. going to replace with Trachycarpus fortunei as have two waiting to go in. Didnt cover anything over winter so will be next winter. The red cordylies are ok, bit lighter brown in places but hopefully they will pick up. Now looking for larger leaf plants and things that will grow tall quickly. Did have 3 musa Basjoo but think they have totally died, but got 6 more banana's on order and again will protect over winter this time. Been a learning curve and planted with no real plan but looking ok so far.
@@rehomedwithlove My red and variegated Cordylines are both the same, they take damage at the temperatures we had but should bounce back soon. Musa Basjoo can get away without protection in mild winters once they’ve got a bit of size to them but I’d definitely protect them their first winter or if we get temperatures as cold as we had this winter forecast. As for the Phoenix, unfortunately they will need protection up here, especially when they’re small, they’re nowhere near as tough as Trachycarpus and -5 to -7 can see them off. I’ve just put a video up on growing Ricinus from seed, that’s something tall and fast growing you could try this summer while some bamboos etc fill out.
Thanks for the video. George. I bought a small cordyline for a fiver years ago and that is such a big tree with so many shoots, i've no idea how to trim back anymore. And ny tips on how to help banana plants survive would be great.
Thanks for commenting! Is it the old brown leaves you’ve trying to trim back, the overall height of the plant or how many individual shoots it has? And sorry for another question but what banana plants is it you have?
Good video George , useful once again , I went mad yesterday and bought a pair of the trachycarpus palms the same size that was behind you in your video 🤦🏼♂️
Thanks Phil and nice one! 😂 I get it, we’re not patient creatures! Most of these tips are to help out people just getting into tropical gardening and can’t justify the cost of bigger specimens but if you’ve got the money then go for it 👍
Love your informative videos , very inspring and helps in a lockdown to give much happiness and ideas to people who can't wait to get started in the garden
Thanks, that’s great to hear! I’ve worked all the way through but couldn’t wait to get out and started this weekend either! Such an exciting time of year 😃
Good advice, I have planted Fargesia Murielae in the ground and they are clumped and look cool. They have been split over the years so 3 plants are now 9
Thanks Paul and nice one, that’s what it’s all about!
Thanks, your videos are inspiring. I’m really picking up some tips.
Thanks David, that’s appreciated 😃
Great vid and you’ve got me thinking of banana plants
Thank you! I've done a video looking at Musa Basjoo and Ensete Ventricosum Maurelii, Basjoo are the 'hardy' banana to grow in the UK and can stay outside all year.
@@GeorgesJungleGarden will watch now 👍👍
@@2702simmo Thanks, I hope it helps!
Really helpful video definitely subscribing to this channel can’t wait to see your garden this summer!!
Thanks Rich, I appreciate it! I’m excited to see it too! It won’t be ‘finished’ but it would be great to get most of the structure in by late spring / early summer 😃
I bought all my plants just before winter for much cheapness. 60 quid bamboos for a 5iver etc. 👍
That’s a great shout! It’s always good to have a rough plan but if you see any bargains then go for them!
Nice video thank you for sharing this video with us my friend
Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate it 😃
I took your advice - I'm slightly inebriated!😁😁😁love your garden!
Haha thanks Anneke, great to know you enjoyed it! 😃
Beautiful
Thank you!
Good advice for people new to tropical gardening.
Thanks Bryan!
I really would love to make a geodome, it would protect them, but if I don’t? There’s a video on here of my garden, I can show it to you, it’s very exposed but Shetland gets less sun...
Some of mine get protected, others don't, but it varies depending on where you are in the country. I like the geodome idea but I imagine it might have to be heated to get anything more borderline through winter. There's still some tough exotics that are well worth growing though!
Have just started watching your videos and this one has been amazing help thank you 🌴🌱🌿
That’s great Karen, thanks for watching 😃
I don't know whether you've covered Chamaerops Humilis , but what is your opinion of them? They seem fairly hardy, but in my opinion they never seem to really shine in our damp climate. Also, have you ever come across Cordyline Indivisa ? I grew some from seed years ago, quite an interesting species as opposed to the usual Australis. They don't form branches either which I think gives them a more exotic appearance as opposed to C. Australis.
The days are getting noticeably longer, so the fun is about to start again !
Completely agree on the last point, about half an hour of daylight per day gained every week now! Chamaerops humilis are fantastic, very tough, hardy, wind resistant and can really cope with a dry, sunny spot. They grow well, but slowly and unfortunately some plants are prone to spotting whereas others just aren’t! I had an indivisa but it faded away, they’re very fussy but I’ll definitely try again in a different spot! They’re certainly exotic looking with the wide leaves and single stem like you say.
I'd love to see a video on how to divide plants as you regularly mention it and I'm scared ill kill them. I want to divide some bamboo, ferns and a phormium (if thats the correct spelling!) But I'm worried I'll kill them. My garden is really coming together using all your tips, I have a reasonable budget but there's a lot of garden to junglify!
I’m not sure I’ll be dividing plants any time soon but for the bamboo now is a great time, you can be pretty rough with them and hack / saw a good sized clump of rhizome off. Ferns would depend on the variety, they’re not something I divide regularly. If you look at the base of the phormiums, you’ll see it’s made up of lots of fans of leaves. You don’t have to split them if you don’t want to but if you’d like to then you need to dig the plant up, and cut between the fan sections and make sure each has a good clump of root. If I can think of a plant to do it with I’ll get a video, I know what’s it like to have to fill an area now!
@@GeorgesJungleGarden fab thanks for the advice. I'm going to give the phormium and bamboo a go this week, fingers crossed!! At least ferns are relatively cheap i can just buy some more young plants and enjoy watching them grow 😊
@@victorianicol-smith9436 Nice one, good luck!
Love the jurassic Park t-shirt!!
Really great video
Thanks Victoria! 😂
The T-shirt is definitely appropriate garden wear now the T-Rex is up 😂
I’m looking for ground cover for under the larger tropicals, the Coleus in your video was an interesting suggestion. Last year I used Ferns and Begonias but ideally want something with better spread. Any other suggestions George?
Some ideas that come to mind would be the Coleus obviously then Persicaria, Hostas, lots of Heucheras, Iresine Herbstii, Colocasia Pink China, Mind your Own Business (the plant!), smaller phormiums like Yellow Wave, Pachysandra, Farfugium... it all depends on your conditions and the look you’re wanting to create 👍
@@GeorgesJungleGarden Fantastic, plenty for me to research now. Cheers!
@@flamingmonkey No worries 😊
I'm new to your channel and loving it! I'm on a mission to find some Musa Basjoos but have heard that you should dry store them - Is this plant something you can keep in a large container to move easier? Display in summer and then drystore in winter? I didn't think itd be so difficult to find them, but I've got three people dotted across the UK searching their garden centres with no luck thus far. One day, one day I will have some!
Hi and thank you! Basjoo are generally root hardy when bigger but if you keep them potted, it’s easier to bring them into a greenhouse/ conservatory etc for their first winter. You don’t dry store them like an Ensete as such but you certainly want to keep them on the dry side over winter. I’d look online, not sure if Turn it Tropical still have them but you’ll certainly find some somewhere! A lot of these more tropical style plants aren’t widely available in most garden centres unfortunately but I think they’re heading that way!
Can I do this in Sandness, Shetland? It’s windy there apparently but I really want to plant cherry trees, jungle plants, moss, ferns, crying willow, and I have 100sqm garden for the first time in my life. I got an old little church for 35K there and want to make it beautiful. I heard Banana leaves get shredded in the wind so I will keep that inside.
Hi, you can definitely do something along these lines, the exact plants depend on how cold you get in winter really, what types of minimum temperatures do you usually see?
Hi , I love Garden🇺🇸
Thank you! 😃
aaa this is my dream but im from finland and it's SUPEr cold here during winter (like -20 to -25 celsius) so im not sure if its possible but at least i can get a greenhouse hahah
That is mega cold and might restrict things a bit but with some winter protection some exotic looking plants might be doable! Some reliable hardy grasses and hostas etc could work well too!
Great video - not Dorset prices for sure (Fatsia seen today was £29.99!) - good advice though. Subscribed. 😁
Thank you Angie! I think it depends where you go and the sizes you buy but garden centres often charge a premium for these kinds of plants, especially if you’re lucky enough to live somewhere like Dorset! If it’s a nice plant and a good size then it’s not completely ridiculous but B&Q had some nice ones at £8 👍
Hi. But how you protect all these plants during winter since you have so many? Greetings from Romania 😀
Hi and good question! The key is to have a good base of plants that don't need protection in our winters and then a lot of plants that are summer bedding. That way you only really have to protect a lower percentage of plants in your garden - the less hardy ones that stay in the ground. A lot of the time it's about creating a tropical effect rather than having a garden full of plants that need a lot of care to get through winter.
love the garden and love the shirt xp
Haha thanks 😃
How big were your Trachys when you first bought them? Nice video thnx
Thanks, I’ve bought a range of sizes from 2 leaf seedlings up to 1.5m trunks, my main 5 were bought with around 1m of trunk 👍
I had one green and two purple Cordylines and a variegated Phormium Tenax in a sheltered garden on the southwest (Netherlands USDA 8B) and they all died this winter after a long frost followed by a lot of rain. Will give it one more try this year but I think Cordylines need to go inside during the winter. The Phormium might have just survived but I'm not sure yet.
Hi Justin, with both these kinds of plants, the straight green forms are definitely tougher than the variegated or brightly coloured options, but none is bulletproof. Personally I don’t feel that the USDA zones and interpretations always translate well for European weather but I’d probably guess the weather that caused them to die wasn’t typical 8B cold? What minimums did you see out of interest? I hope they make it obviously and spring can be a great healer, they’re plants that can potentially come back from stumps / the ground.
@@GeorgesJungleGarden Hi George, I guess it wasn't your typical 8B winter; we had 10 days of -10 Celcius. The plants seemed to cope pretty well but when it started to thaw we also got rain again. I noticed the leaves started to loose color first; almost as if it was sucked out. After that the leaves became spotted and I think it was a fungal infection. It seems Cordyline and Phormium are susceptible to this and don't like wet weather. I also had a Yucca bright star that suffered the same fate as the Phormium and the Cordylines. Drainage is good here, I think it's just the winter humidity and maybe the combination with that unusual frost but I'm not sure I'm going to try these again. This is the first time I ever had a garden and this is my second summer with a garden so still trying to figure out what works and what not. I think my biggest problem is that my garden is on the south-west so it gets scorching hot here in the summer sun but the garden is to small to really have trees which I need to provide shelter for undergrowth that can't take that kind of sun. So that is a real challenge.
@@MrBaconwhopper 10 days of -10 is going to push a lot of those plants, that duration of cold can be very damaging. Lots of plants can take the exposure you describe but it’s finding tough ones that can cope with those temperatures as well, what are your usual winter lows?
@@GeorgesJungleGarden Yes, that might have been the problem. I don't think we have seen temperatures in the Netherlands in the winter for a long time; had to do something with a cold front that came from the north pole. Most winters temperatures will usually drop just below freezing for a couple of nights and hover around or above zero during the day time which is something entirely different than this. I will give the Cordylines another try this year and see what this years winter does. Thanks for your thoughts.
@@MrBaconwhopper I’m pretty confident that’s right, I know I had some minor damage on plants this year that would normally sail through with none. It’s a tricky one planting for a certain climate and it’s definitely a case of weighing up the risks and looking at average and colder than average winters (although some years like 2010 were so extreme here that the vast majority of exotics would likely be wiped out but gardening too safe ruins the excitement!).
Thanks George. I now know how to spend my £100. Do you know where I can get a small Tracycarpus like the one you showed in the video. I tried Hardy Palms but they might have sold out.
No worries Jimmy, it was your comment that gave me the vid idea I believe so thanks! Our local Tesco actually had some outside last year, you might have to do a bit of EBay searching or Facebook marketplace until some of the bigger places get their stock in.
Great videos, can you do one specifically about arid gardening? I have been trying to do a faux-desert mixing more traditional UK hardy succulents & Mediterraneans with more exotic looking succulents. However so far it's been a mixed bag, my soil is a dry mix of grit and sharp sand but even then I've lost ground-planted Aloe brevifolia and a lot of Sempervivums to rot over the winter, water getting stuck in the rosettes and then not evaporating due to not receiving much more than an hour or two of direct sunlight over the short winter days.
That said would definitely recommend hardy Opuntias, they've handled the winter incredibly and really give an exotic look. I have Opuntia humifusa, Opuntia fragilis and Opuntia polyacantha, unfortunate we don't see more of them in the UK when they can do so well here.
Thanks Dan! I do like the hardy Opuntias and might get some one day! I’ll probably do an arid video when I plant up that section of the garden, yes. From what you’ve said, is the area the plants are in raised?
@@GeorgesJungleGarden Yes, raised about 1-1.5 feet up with rocks bordering it. It is in a sheltered east facing position though so that might be it, I think some rosette succulents need to be either in a clear south facing position where they get maximum sun, or really best just to have a cover on top in winter like you suggested for the agaves in your other video.
@@danwilson5160 I’d be tempted to look at the overhead cover yes, as a lot of these plants could cope with low light levels over winter ok if they had to. In fairness last year was particularly hard for succulents with the huge amount of rain before Christmas then a lot of fog and humidity followed by the freezes and lots of frost. Even very hardy varieties might suffer in that!
@@GeorgesJungleGarden Yeah hoping future winters are better. With Sempervivums I think it might be a matter of species & cultivar because I have some that are doing great and others that got destroyed by the rain growing inches apart. Just hard to find info on what which ones do best, might just be trial and error in the end. So far I think the longer the leaves the more vulnerable they are because the water pools within them more readily
@@danwilson5160 I think that’s a really good point about the leaves and you’re correct, it’s hard to find a lot of info but there are some specialist nurseries that could make suggestions? I imagine they’re a plant that sells better if they look more impressive and colourful, hardiness and overwintering success is secondary for most customers...
Great y
Beautiful content
I'm New friend ❤️
Thank you 😃
This is very interesting, however why have you got a straight path up the middle? If the path went side to side you could have rooms of different interests?
Thanks Simon. The summer planting will spill out from the various borders a bit more so you can’t see down the garden as clearly. It’ll hopefully make more sense from a design perspective when I put up a video showing the whole garden, the path does meander from one side around the shed and the raised bed around the fire pit will be central with a path to one side. The original plan was to have a central island with the bamboo walkway leading up to it, but the main reason that plan changed was because we like having a long straight area to throw the ball up and down for Max! It’s a case of design principles vs practicality and the other factor is that the garden is around 7m wide so I didn’t want to lose that jungle feel by walking too close to the boundaries (it’s hard to plant densely within a 1m or so border on the fence side). Completely get your point though!
Can any of the plants mentioned be kept in pots/containers or do they need to be in the ground? Thankyou
Most prefer to be in the ground, grow better and take less care that way. But some are more suitable for pot culture, have you got any particular plants in mind? Phormiums, Chamerops and seasonal displays are great in pots.
Hi George, where should i buy bamboo and banana's from i have about 25 tracky palms i think about 8 are dead ?????. What do you suggest for south facing ?, George i would love for you to visit my garden and give me some advice i would pay you, maybe you could take some cuttings as your on a budget as your getting married, We have about an acre of land including a separate field with a fishing pond and there are all sorts growing there, we have been in this house four years in October. I can honestly say i hardly know any of the names of our trees and plants lol, Anyhow thanks for sharing your knowlege x
Hi Yvette, not sure about your Trachycarpus, they’re usually a very tough plant but you might have had it colder than us and it could have been a testing winter if they’re small. Bamboo I’d go to Scottish bamboo for, bananas maybe Turn it Tropical or Grow Paradise have some small ones in. I would come but I’m really busy this year unfortunately, I work a lot of hours and literally every bit of my free time goes into getting my garden sorted or doing these videos. Sorry! A lot of these plants work well for South facing as long as you’ve got an idea of how well draining your soil is. Cool Tropical Plants is a website that might give you some ideas but you’re definitely better sketching out some rough designs too, it sounds like you’ve got an amazing site to slowly work some tropical style plants into!
Which bamboo won’t spread too much in the ground George?
Hi Paige, they all spread to an extend but you have clumping bamboos and runners. Clumping bamboos slowly and predictably get wider over time and a lot don’t get too wide at all but the running bamboos can be ‘invasive’. As a general rule, Phyllostachys are runners, Fargesia and Borinda are clumpers so safe choices. Fargesia robusta ‘Campbell’ is one of my favourites but it’s always worth googling them to see how big they get and make sure they’re suitable for your garden.
Hi George! Just wondering at 17:00 minutes into your video you have some bamboos and cordyline - I'm very new to tropical/exotic gardening and I'm interest to hear about why you planted these plants where you did. I'd have been inclined to place the bamboo closest to the fence with cordylines in front. Will the bamboos soon screen the cordylines from view when they grow? Really enjoy your videos. Thank you!
Hi Judi and thanks! Interesting question, I had to go back and look! All the plants at the back (which do look very similar to cordylines currently) are actually small Trachycarpus Fortunei palms which will eventually grow a good bit taller than the bamboos. It is an experimental type area though! If you Google places like the Lost Gardens of Heligan you’ll see that these bamboos and cordylines can interact quite well when they’re planted together, personally I just try to imagine what the plants will look like in 10 years in my head and plan towards that but there’s no right or wrong way. These particular bamboos won’t get as tall as cordylines anyway 😊
I can’t find fatsia spider web cheaper than about £16 each is that reasonable? Thanks G 👍🏼
If they’re nice looking plants then that does seem to be around the current price for them so reasonable, yes. You can get the plain green Fatsia japonica for a lot cheaper but the Spiders Web plants are a great way of brightening up a shady spot.
🙂
Thanks for watching Ann, I hope you've had a great weekend.
Hi mate, is there any chance on a video on plant care? I've not mixed soil before and just about to receive some more plants after watching your video, banana plants, palms etc. know idea how often to water or who to listen to. Love your content!
Hi Matt and thanks! I’ll be uploading more vids in my Tropical Garden Basics series looking at watering and feeding the different kinds of plants very soon. I have done one of growing plants in pots and containers if that’s helpful? I’m presuming you’re growing in pots if you’re mentioning mixing soil?
Hi mate, thanks ever so much for the response. Yes they are mostly in pots but I could do with a real idiots guide (don't worry if it's not your thing bud) but, how to mix soil for certain types with a demo, how so I know what needs watering and when? I've heard or liquid or normal fertilizer, how do you do either in a pot or the ground. As you can see, I'm largely clueless and the internet is full of contradictory information.
@@mattq5474 The basics vids should address those questions but what particular plants are you thinking of? The absolute best single thing I can recommend is to learn a bit more about the plants you’re looking at then the care sort of becomes intuitive over time but if you want to give me some examples I’ll try to help you out 👍
@@GeorgesJungleGarden hi mate, Trachycarpus wagnerianus, Trachycarpus fortunei , Phoenix Palm, Cordylines and an ensete maurelii. Please don't spend time on me mate. I would just love to see videos on mixing soil, how to know when to water. I'm still not entirely sure what John Innes no2 is lol but I got some for my palms! great channel man
@@mattq5474 Thanks Matt! Either a good peat free multipurpose or Jacks Magic would suit them all but John Innes is great for the palms, it drains well and the number just defines the nutrients and drainage etc it comes with. In terms of watering, if they’re in small pots, pretty much every day when it’s warm, maybe every few days when it’s cooler and give them a good soak 👍
Nice plant info, but aren't you forgetting something? That T rex is great.
How do you mean? Every garden needs a T-Rex?! 😂
@@GeorgesJungleGarden My grandson would love it, so would i for that matter.
@@maxthecat14 They are amazing things and fit in with the jungle planting so well!
@@GeorgesJungleGarden did you make it?
@@maxthecat14 It was an EBay bargain but I believe the plans are widely available so I’m sure somebody will be making them!
I mean bro, just Trachzcarpus fortunai alone costs more than 100£. I mean i have a small garden about 100sq meteres and i spent at least 200£ annualy. And i am not in UK.
Things have gone up a lot but equally a lot of the same principles stand. If you're willing overlook the bigger specimen Trachycarpus etc, there's a lot of exciting hybrids you can buy in smaller sizes for £20 that'll grow quickly and free up a lot of money to spend on the annuals and filler plants. But yes, for instant impact and bigger specimens then you certainly have to spend more money earlier on.
Its good to know I'm on the right track, thanks 👍🏽. China rose Coleus is beautiful, I love those colours.. however, Isn't red dragon knotweed? And why is it a bit late for Canna's?
No worries! China rose is such a zingy looking plant and the pinks really stand out in front of other the other greens. Red dragon is related to the giant knotweed but nowhere near as invasive, it’s very easily controlled but equally will spread nicely if you want it too. The only reason I say it about cannas is that unless you’re using the boiling water method they can take a while to germinate so I didn’t want to encourage people to start them in the next month or so and struggle to get them to a flowering size this year. That being said, there’s still time if you’re pretty quick 😃
@@GeorgesJungleGarden ahhh...I get you now👍🏽 thanks. Yes I tried the hot water method about three years ago only 2 out of 8 germinated. They were doing really well in pots until it snowed this winter I was ill so never got to protect them whether they'be survived remains .....I went really budget and planted some coleus seeds, hope they'll be ok🤞🏽
@@spr1997 Oh right! I had really good results with the boiling water method but I guess there’s a lot of factors like the freshness of the seeds etc. Coleus are good to grow from seed but can take a while to get going in my experience. Fingers crossed your cannas make it, yes 🤞
Great video again. Gonna help so many people knowing that it doesn't have to cost thousands to get the tropical look. also looked at a multi trunk trachycarpus yesterday but wondered if the foliage would impede with each other and end up tatty. any thoughts?
Thanks Danny! Interesting one, I’m going to try planting a multi trunk (with Trachycarpus they’re actually multiple plants close together) anyway as they’re tough plants and a bit of leaf bashing won’t be the end of the world. How about using Waggies, they could resist the wind and look a lot tidier?
@@GeorgesJungleGarden unfortunately alot of the garden centres near my are very basic so was lucky to find the trachycarpus. And find thepalmtreecompany quite pricey though it's about a 10 min drive. Most of my plants are through ebay.
@@OssyDL I don’t blame you. I was thinking of getting a few small Waggies and planting them close together, you definitely pay a premium for ‘ready made’ multi trunked specimens!
@@GeorgesJungleGardenthey want 60quid for it so not too badly priced at 80cm tall. I do have 3 young waggies so might try that instead as I am worried about the space I have especially once I plant my laosy giant out. I just get giddy when I see a plant I want ha ha buy it then find a space to squeeze it in.
@@OssyDL I know that feeling! I’m sure it’ll look great! I bet you can’t wait for spring and to see everything grow 👍
Hello really useful videos thankyou. Can I ask I bought and kept in a pot a Ensete Ventricosum Maurelii last summer but it only grew by an additional foot from 3ft to about 4ft. Any idea what I was doing wrong as I expected it to grow to a tall specimen?
Hi Shirley and thank you, do you mean the overall height of the plant or the ‘stem’ height?
The overall height was about 4ft from top of pot to tip with about 4 or 5 leaves each about 2ft long. The plant did have a chunky trunk and looked compact in pot with a couple of inches space all around trunk,, could this have been the reason? Otherwise the plant looked healthy other than the expected leave damage due to windy weather. @@GeorgesJungleGarden
@@shirleyfuller7443 I expect you’re probably right, the only time I had near equivalent growth to in the ground with a potted plant was when I had one in a big 160lt pot. Try it in a bigger pot this year and I guarantee it will grow more! 😃
Thanks George. I'll give it another go and keep my fingers crossed.
@@GeorgesJungleGarden
@@shirleyfuller7443 No worries, I’m sure it’ll be fine 😃
Great and helpful videos.
I have been looking for coleus china rose but cannot find a supplier of plant and seed.Where do you buy yours from please?
Thank you! I get mine as plugs from Dibleys nurseries, they’ve got loads of varieties 😃
Hi I have a South facing backyard here in the North East, I have quite a few tropical plants all in pots, unfortunately they don’t seem to be growing in height much after about 3 or 4 years, also they are going brown, I’m forever pulling or snipping off the leaves, do u have any advice plz?
Hi Elizabeth, what kind of plants are they please? A lot of these plants can be restricted in pots long term unfortunately and unable to hold too many green leaves but I'll help out if I can!
are sugar canes or giant reeds good for tropical style gardens?
I grow Arundo Donax which is a giant reed, I’d say so, definitely!
Fantastic advice
Thanks Deborah! 😃
Do you leave your musa bajoo in the ground over the winter?
Hi Sean, generally, yes. I prefer to keep small plants potted for their first year then they stay in the ground after then. The amount of protection depends on how cold the winter is.
@@GeorgesJungleGarden I left mine in the ground but it turned to mush over the winter 😟
@@seansmith445 This was a tough winter, even with some basic protection. Was it a young plant?
@@GeorgesJungleGarden It was actually several years ago but yes it was a small plant, that was likely the problem.
@@seansmith445 When they’re small, the ‘stems’ aren’t as chunky and there’s less mass below the ground for the plant to grow back from unfortunately. They’d be OK in a mild winter but smaller plants definitely struggle in anything colder in my experience. Very tough when they get to be a big clump though.
Hi George. I am from USA. I want to know where to buy those tall tree ferns you show. It would have to be shipped to the USA. Could you list so garden centers you know they can ship? What are their e-mail address. Can I get one from Australia?
thanks
Lynda
Hi Lynda, I don’t know any USA importers unfortunately - I’m sure I’ve read there’s issues importing them. Over here they’re pretty much sold out everywhere and there’s talk of restrictions on getting them out of Australia next year so personally I’d speak to other more local growers who managed to get them and see what route they took - good luck and I hope you manage to track one down.
@@GeorgesJungleGarden Thanks so much.
@@LyndaRab No worries, good luck with your search!
This is really handy thanks. We’re hoping to landscape our garden this spring. How would you adjust for other set budgets eg £500, £1000? Would you have the same proportions, still 2/3 tough, structural plants? Or add more of the personal taste plants? Would you just buy bigger versions to start with? I’m hoping to have coral/orange/salmon pink flowers Eg geums, dahlias do you have any tips on those? We’re going to get a small greenhouse to over winter.
Is it too late to start canna seeds off in southern Scotland (thinking they’d go outside later here)?
Also a video on Hardy, tropical looking plants for dry, windy conditions would be great for us.
Nice one, thanks Jenny. Tricky question, it’s entirely personal taste really and factors like garden size etc. but I would do plenty of research and if you are going to get some larger specimens I probably wouldn’t get Trachycarpus as they’ll grow well from smaller plants. Dahlias are great, I overwinter some and grow others from seed (like Bishops Children). It’s not too late for Cannas if you buy them soon and use the boiling water method to germinate them quickly, but with some varieties it might be touch and go as to whether they’ll flower this year, especially in Scotland. I’ll be doing some videos on plants for certain conditions probably later on in Spring 😃
Where do you purchase your small Bamboo from please?
Hi, some are from garden centres, some from Scottish Bamboo, others from Pan Global Plants and some from Kimmei bamboo (before Brexit etc!).
@@GeorgesJungleGarden ok thanks 🙏🏻 will have a look on sites 😊 just not seen any for around £15 in our garden centres 😭😤
@@ukpalmtrees232 It can be a bit hit and miss depending on where you live but it’s definitely a good time to hunt them down online and start looking at planting them out!
Id brather have a jungle tropical garden t
Any style is possible with the budget I suppose, with a lot of ricinus plus canna seeds, grasses and a few Musa basjoo you could definitely have a full on jungle in one summer!
@@GeorgesJungleGarden yea just been saving up to buy a bunch of plants and seeds but i was also saying like yea id brather have a jungle like garden then a nice fancy car but loving the garden looks rly relaxing keep up the good work and u should put a small waterfall with a little river would be amazing
@@kingganja4714 Nice one, I’m with you. Good luck with your garden plans this year! I’ll definitely get some water involved at some point soon 😃
So basically spend a hundred pound to have a tropical garden in 5 years time. Sure may as well just buy a load of seeds in this case..
I appreciate where you’re coming from and the most crucial part of this video in terms of instant impact is the £20 of seeds (which is enough to get a vibrant and colourful tropical garden in itself) so I do agree with you there. The banana plants will be imposing plants in their first and definitely second year for sure. The other £60 is for the plants that might not be the stars of the show at first but by the time that five years come round will be worth so much more (visually and financially) than the original investment. There’s no right or wrong way, this is just my balanced advice on how I’d personally do it and the compromises I’d make. If the budget was significantly lower then the Ricinus could make good alternatives to the Fatsia, seed grown cannas could replace the bananas but personally I’d still like to get some small structural plants in to enjoy over winter 👍
@@GeorgesJungleGarden Good video anyway. Informative.
@@RD-wn9iw Thanks, I appreciate it 👍