Boring? I hope not!

I was on one of the many forums I go on, finding information and new ideas for my tropical look garden. There was a discussion about the types of plants people use to get the effect. I mentioned that I used a lot of annuals. The response I got from one member was :-

'Boring'!

It quite flummoxed me, so much so, I never even responded.
Since then I haven't blogged, and to be honest, I have commented that much on the forums either. I thought, maybe it is boring and people won't be interested. So I continued in the garden but just followed the forums.

I know I am lacking structure in the garden over winter and it is something that I would like to improve. But due to the frost pocket I live it, I have lost a lot of rather expensive plants over the years.

I saw a garden a couple of years ago that had a lovely Loquat 'Eriobotrya japonica' in it. An impressive plant/shrub/tree with very large leaves that looks very at home in a tropical setting due to its large leaves. So I bought 2!!! Well, it was buy one, get one free.

They where slightly bigger than I had anticipated, but once planted, especially since the neighbours, have had the top half of the garden's fence done, I think the look quite good.

What I hadn't really thought about, was actually how big they will get, but with judicious pruning, I am hoping to keep them an 'OK' size.

Having planted these, and bearing in mind how many seeds I have sewn this year, (keeping costs down)

I realised how much you can do with seed grown plants and how amazing it is that something like this

Can grow to something like this, that is taller than me (5ft 10) in just 5 months!

Plus, I don't have the hassle of lifting heavy pots or digging out heavy plants to move them into the warmth of the frost free greenhouse for winter. The other advantage of course, is, I can try different seeds as well as my favourites. 

But then this last year I did dig a couple of plants out...

Cyphomandra corymbiflora, was dug up in the autumn, although it is big and wide it is also light so easy to move.

A bit of a challenge for me to overwinter as there where so many leaves, every time you knock against it, it gives of a very strong smell.

I also dug up my Sonchus arboreus ' Tree dandelion', and Solanum betaceum 'Tamarillo', both have been badly affected by whitefly

this was back in February, they are on the right and I have had to remove most of their leaves and spray them to eradicate the whitefly. Which I didn't, but I think I have saved the plants, we will see.

Note to self:- read up on how to reduce whitefly in greenhouse!! 

Its been a tough old winter, I have lost most if not all of my elephants ears, there corms are mush. Yet the cannas I forgot to get out seem fine. We will see.

So do I have a boring garden? No, I don't think so, it might be empty in the winter, but in all honesty how often do we go outside at that time of year and by growing annuals I can bring in a lot of different types of plants, it might not be everyone's choice, but it suits my garden.

Plus I have my arid bed, which has come through the winter remarkably well, more in my next post.