Looking for inspiration

[tropical-pete]

Wow Freddy - looking good! As I similarly said on another thread, I love watching people turn a blank canvas into a tropical garden, and as they're such fast growing plants, the mature jungle look comes quickly. Keep us posted!

Thanks, take care

Pete

[darran]

If that side is in full sun then I love Trachelospermun (sp?) - neat, evergreen and beautiful scented jasmin like flowers! To be honest there are loads of other very nice evergreens, just stay away from Clematis armandii, its beautiful but would just be too large for your fence within a few years.

[kentgardener]

....just stay away from Clematis armandii, its beautiful but would just be too large for your fence within a few years.

I can second that. Luckily Ian did the grunt work of removing the Armandii from here a few weeks before the garden became my sole responsibility.

Planting it seemed a good idea at the time (5 years ago) - but a few years later it soon became VERY big, requiring a MEGA twice yearly prunning.

Cheers

John

[Petefree]

Hi Freddy
there are some lovely evergreen climbers you could try.
As Darran says, Trachelospermum is nice and has scented flowers - there are a few to consider: Trachelospermum jasminoides (dark green, glossy, evergreen leaves - sometimes tinged red in cold weather); Trachelospermum jasminoides variegata (as above but green/cream variegated and a bit less vigorous); Trachelospermum asiaticum - again dark green and glossy.
Fatshedera x lizei is a good one - would need some tying in to the fence, but big glossy leaves, green or variegated forms available.
For something a bit less ordinary, maybe some of the Holboellias?
Or Itea ilicifolia - not a climber but an evergreen shrub best grown against, and tied into, a wall or fence. Nice evergreen leaves and very long catkin type flowers.
Pete

[darran]

not a climber but an evergreen shrub best grown against, and tied into, a wall or fence.

Another good choice of wall shrub is Clianthus Puniceus, it looks very exotic and again amazing flowers in the spring.....I think this list will keep growing


edit - forgot to mention that sadly its also a magnet for snails.....they like it even more than hosta's!

[Cathy]

Oh... and if you have narrow paths, have carefully placed containers along the path into which you can put bamboo sticks. These are invaluable to knock the spiders webs out of the way as you walk through your jungle!

Hi Helen

I just laughed at your comment as for years, I have always kept bamboo canes by our back door for clearing spiders/webs Just lately, the webs are like cheese wire ...and the size of the spiders enough to make a girls wear a woolly hat
I also stick a short can in the spout of watering cans to avoid getting snails stuck up there. Talking of which...
...the other day, after a spell in the garden, I went for a shower and found that what at first I thought to be a seed, was in fact, a tiny snail crawling up towards my neck it must have fallen in whilst I was cutting off shredded Musa leaves ...whatever next just one of the hazards of being an intrepid jungle gardener!

Cathy.

Cathy.

[themes]

This year has been a good year for spiders..good or bad news depending on which side of the camp u are on. I have been wading my way through spiders webs (they seem to really love palms..esp butias for some reason). I thought I was the the only one to use bamboo canes to remove these webs ( I usually end up eating many webs inadvertantly..they are very difficult to spot hence the trap..until it has blanketed your face). Great minds think alike..or is that loonys in the assylum..anyways.

[Cathy]

I thought I was the the only one to use bamboo canes to remove these webs...
...Great minds think alike..or is that loonys in the assylum..anyways.

Hi Mo and I thought I was the only one, and SoOh clever to think of it! ...and all the time, I was just being a little mad

Cathy.

[themes]

Cathy,

Nothing to worry over.. I think madness is a biproduct of artistic eccentricity..thats the version I reassure myself with..and NO One is saying any different

[Petefree]

...was in fact, a tiny snail crawling up towards my neck it must have fallen in whilst I was cutting off shredded Musa leaves ...whatever next just one of the hazards of being an intrepid jungle gardener!
Cathy.

...ah yes - they thought the rare west country vampire snail was extinct but clearly Cathy has rediscovered a relic population!
Be afraid, be very afraid...

Pete

[MarkD]

Looking good Freddy the transformation is lovely

[freddy]

Hi folks, thanks for those plant recommendations. I'll look into those and let you know which one/s strike my fancy, and no doubt, there WILL be questions Cheers...freddy.