Wealden Times | WT244 | September 2022 | Winter Interiors Supplement inside

Great Dixter’s exotic garden
Totally Tropical
Work with nature to create a lush oasis in our unpredictable climate, as Jo Arnell explains
Making a tropical garden or border means
choosing plants that will give the impression
of the humid tropics – a lush-leaved oasis
dripping with ferns, bananas and exotic blooms. Looking
around as I write this, I’m finding it hard to imagine
such a place in my drought ravaged borders. Jungly
plants need lots of water in order to stay in tip top
shape – something they make clear from the size and
floppiness of their leaves – me, save water? If the weather
stays dry and you are determined to create a lush looking
space – and the thought of that is almost too enticing
– you might need to create a micro microclimate and
find a few large leaved tropical-looking plants that will
manage in a parched patch. Luckily there are some,
but even these will need some rain in order to thrive.
The Bare Necessities
An enclosed area – any small space surrounded
by walls or fences – will help to trap moisture,
especially if there’s a canopy of leaves above
and plenty of ground cover plants below.
A jungle is similar to a forest, so try to find plants that
will occupy different layers. Most of our houseplants
come from the shady tropical places, which is why they
can live in the relative gloom of our interiors, and why
they don’t much like the drying effects of central heating.
A pergola covered in vines and scented plants will create
instant height. Climbers will grow relatively quickly up
supports to help enclose a seating area, hide a shed, or
screen off a section of the garden. Use exotic looking
Campsis radicans, Passiflora, or scented climbers like
Jasmine – evergreen Trachelospermum will give you the
best of both worlds with jasmine-like flowers and dark,
glossy evergreen foliage, often tinged with pink in the
winter. Annual climbers like Cobaea scandens, Ipomoea
(Morning Glory and also Spanish Flag) and Thunbergia
(Black-eyed Susan) will scamper up supports in no time
at all and provide masses of exotic looking flowers all
summer long. These are tender annuals, so won’t survive
through the winter, but will do more in one season than
many longer lived plants manage in their whole lives.
Create the feeling of rain in your forest with a water
feature. The sight and sound of water is evocative and
refreshing – and can be relatively easy to install. You
just need a sump to hold the water and a pump (if
there’s enough light, solar powered). It’s the illusion of
a water source that will help to create the atmosphere,
even if it is emanating from a washing up bowl.
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