Matthew Biggs Diary

1st January 2006
Draw the curtains, throw a log on the fire sit back and dream of summer. It's the best advice I can give you now Christmas has passed and we hunker down through the worst winter months. What ever the weather, don't be dispirited, it's the perfect time to get out the books and magazines and search for inspiration and ideas to develop your own garden. Much of the time I leaf longingly through books about gardens and plants; few people have totally original thoughts, there was only one Gaudi and Dali - though I'm certain that many gardeners have great ideas but don't have the courage to try them. Most modify a style, incorporating their ideas and remembering the cost! For several years I've been waiting to plant an exotic border but it's taken longer than expected to complete the hard landscaping where I'd like it to be. The site, as you can see 'has potential'! To create a lush exotic border you need a mass of leaves and brightly coloured hardy or tender plants. Prevent the border being bare in winter when tender plants are kept just above freezing in the greenhouse with a few strategically placed evergreens like the classic hardy palms Trachycarpus fortunei or carefully trimmed 'Box', then once the danger of frost is passed you can fill the gaps with tender plants, annuals and houseplants. Plants should be packed tightly together either in pots or planting them temporarily in the ground until just before the first frosts of autumn. Large leaved plants like Tetrapanax papyrifera with giant fan like leaves and brightly coloured 'Canna's' are 'must have' plants and there should always be a place for the hardy Banana Musa basjoo can be unprotected in winter in milder climates, though a good mulch of well rotted compost 3-4" deep is a good insulating layer over the roots. One of my favourites, Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii', is a tender banana with fabulous green paddle shaped leaves edged with dark purple-black that is beautiful vibrant and vigorous. Houseplants, standing outside for a summer rest can join the carnival too. Acclimatise them outdoors, in a sheltered spot for two to three weeks from mid April or when the danger of frost has past, bringing them indoors at night. 'Cheese Plants', 'Syngonium', 'Dracaena's', 'Bird's Nests Ferns' and large leaved Begonias all add to the look and flourish, providing you remember their individual needs by keeping them away from scorching sun. Buy large leaved 'Yams' from a supermarket or greengrocers and grow them on in a warm greenhouse before putting them outdoors, pots of annuals are useful too, particularly wiry stemmed Verbena x bonariensis beloved of butterflies that seeds freely or Escholtzia californica with iridescent orange flowers. I've started making plans; if you wonder where I found my inspiration, it's the garden of a pal of mine Will Giles, (www. exoticgarden.com) who's promised me some plants! Have a look at his website - tropics are much closer than you think! Happy gardening!