This area is a
record of my own garden, created in the hope of inspiring others in the cultivation of
some of the more exotic plants that can, with a small amount of care, be grown in some of
the colder areas of England.
The garden is
situated in Norwich, Norfolk, about 20 miles from the East coast of England and although
within the city boundary is still subject to frosts and windy condition as is most of East
Anglia. Dimensionally it is approx. 30ft wide and 110ft long running on an East/West axis,
shaded by the house in the morning, high beech trees during the afternoon and conifers in
the early evening. Mid summer sunlight is quite good and during the winter after the
beeches have shed their leaves (mostly into my garden) light levels are reasonable,
although not ideal for all exotic plants.Shade loving plants do well, plants that require
full sun are a bit of a challenge and have to fight for space on the North side of the
plot where they have to compete for moisture with a 6ft high pyracantha hedge. Soil is
good, a reasonably sandy loam with a neutral pH, good drainage and easy to work.
On the whole not the best plot in the world but a long way from being the worst.
SUMMER 2000 (You can tell the year by the
rain)
How do I define 'exotic'?
Basically anything
that adds to that feeling of being in a warmer climate than actually exists, it may be the
size and shape of the foliage, the colour of flowers or even the shadows cast, the one
factor certainly not involved is hardiness of the planting. In the right setting cabbages
can give the feeling of 'exotic'.
Most of the plants
remain outside all year round and with a few exceptions, have to survive with no
protection whatsoever, some are treated as annuals.
The plants page on this site is a list of some of the
plants that are currently growing in my garden and the list is linked to photographs of
some of the plants and also cultivation notes.
