Wealden Times | WT186 | August 2017 | Wedding supplement inside

Garden
Some like it hot
Jo Arnell goes in search of exotic-looking plants that thrive in the great British weather
The garden can be a sultry place in August; it’s often warm
and humid, sometimes thundery, but (fingers crossed)
it can also be hot and dry. The light is different at the
end of the season and the fresh, clear colours of early summer
are softening and deepening. It’s time for a change of tone and
for richer, deeper hues. You could start small and just give your
houseplants a holiday, as many will appreciate a breath of fresh
air. Just be careful to put them somewhere shady and don’t forget
to bring them in before the weather starts to cool. For more
long-lasting impact there are some exotic looking, but surprisingly
hardy plants out there to ensure that even if we can’t get away
for a lush and steamy holiday, we can create a relaxing outdoor
space, even a little patch of tropical paradise. It is good to know
(especially for those of us in a permanent holiday mood) that we
can turn up the heat in the garden borders, whatever the weather.
Practicalities
Many of the large leaved, high impact plants come from areas of
high humidity (hence the large floppy leaves and big bold flowers
to attract tropical pollinators) and need plenty of moisture to keep
them looking good. Containers will need lots of watering and
borders will benefit from a deep, damp mulch of organic matter.
If the winter is frozen and wet there may be casualties, as these
plants are eking it out at the edges of their comfort zones. Cannas
and some Dahlias will need to be lifted and stored over the
winter somewhere frost-free, where they will wait in a dormant
state as they retreat into fleshy rhizomes for the colder months.
Unless you are able to offer protection to tender plants over the
winter it is best to stick with hardy plants that have a jungle look,
rather than dicing with the properly tropical. There are plenty of
lush and leafy plants that will look good all year round and
Top left: Day Lily Top right & bottom right: Dahlias Bottom left: Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’
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