3 Exotic Plants you're (probably!) NOT growing... but definitely should be!

[@shineamen3107]

Fargesia demissa "Gerry", what a cutie! :) I love a lot also the two Yucca you showed, great look! I didn't know that some Chamaedorea were hardy! Thank you, nice video!

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thank you very much, I thought they were a nice group of plants that have a lot to give whilst not demanding a lot. I hope you’re well on the road to recovery!

[@shineamen3107]

@@GeorgesJungleGarden Thank you very much George, full recovery done for 3 days now! :)

[@TheBarefootedGardener]

@@GeorgesJungleGarden how much did you pay for that Fargesia ‘Gerry’? Because that cultivar in the US is $500 for a 2 gallon plant! I love that plant though.

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

@@TheBarefootedGardener Wow, that’s crazy! I got it from Kimmei in the Netherlands (it’s one of Jos’ bamboos) and I want to say it was around £45 I think. It’s starting to become more available in the UK too so I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before the same happens for you. $500 is big money but I guess people always want a rarity!

[@DJSupaflyguy]

👌👌👌👌 that’s the bamboo an 2 palms at least I’ve got to get now.😂👍

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

😂 Sorry for the encouragement! Have you googled the bamboo? It’s got a cool look to it for sure.

[@DJSupaflyguy]

George’s Jungle Garden Just about to,😂 I’ve bought seeds from your last video the 1 you did after watching “the green planet”, I’m going to be skint soon if I keep watching them.😂

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

@@DJSupaflyguy Haha, it’ll be worth it in summer I’m sure! 😂

[@DJSupaflyguy]

George’s Jungle Garden Yeah definitely can’t wait 😂👍

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

@@DJSupaflyguy It’ll soon be here! 😃

[@ArchimandritePhilip]

You go from strength to strength George!

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thank you very much, I keep forgetting people I know watch the videos! I appreciate you dropping in. I’m really looking forward to improving the videos and garden this year, some quicker ones like this and some longer topic-based videos. Like everything I’m a big believer that you get out what you put in and you have to ‘do’ to learn and improve! I hope all is good with you.

[@ArchimandritePhilip]

@@GeorgesJungleGarden I've watched all of your videos with great interest and admiration of what you have done in such a short time. I love gardens and gardening and used to live in the tropics so I love what you are doing. However, I'm trying to learn how to garden in a temperate (and in Shropshire) cold, wet, at at height, thick clay environment). The area itself is 20 acres of mainly marsh and temperate rainforest (ancient woodland ) so one doesn't touch that but about an acre could be a more formal garden. So far most things get planted, they say their prayers, make their confessions and die! In Lincoln I have a minute terrace and am thinking how to develop that into something lush.

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

@@ArchimandritePhilip Thank you very much, that’s all very kind of you to say. I didn’t realise you’d lived in the tropics, I’ve never been myself but will have an adventure one day! As for your Shropshire location, you’re so lucky to be near ancient temperate rainforest, I’m jealous of that. As you rightly say, it needs leaving as it is and it’s something that a more formal garden would have to sit comfortably with. I guess in those conditions a fair amount of trial and error is required for more experimental plants and personally I’d go for a basis of rhododendrons and bamboos if you wanted a more exotic look then feature more of a seed grown summer display. Half hardy plants and clay soil in an area with high rainfall isn’t a great recipe but palms like Trachycarpus should be fine. As for Lincoln, I’m sure you’d got the patience and ideas to create a lovely space! I think the smaller the garden is, the more important it is that every plant means something to you or is beautiful for a lot of the year, I’d definitely prioritise those!

[@joezimmerman1089]

I can't find anywhere that sells Chamaedorea radicalis in the UK! I would add Trichocereus terscheckii, probably the most UK hardy tall columnar cactus as it can handle winter wet a lot better than the rest, and really helps capture the arid/mediterranean look alongside palms, prickly pears , yuccas and agaves.

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Ahhh, that’s frustrating, if I come across any I’ll drop you a link. The cactus is a great shout and something I might look at adding to my raised Mediterranean area when it’s complete, unusual plants like that definitely take the overall look to the next level!

[@slimytoad1447]

I bought my Radicalis from southern france, they wont ship to the uk anymore due to brexit

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

@@slimytoad1447 It’s a shame isn’t it, I think I actually got mine from Hardy Palms but they don’t seem to be widely available unfortunately.

[@ladyjrider666]

Nice to see short videos. Perfect for the time to drink a cuppa. 👌 Nice one

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thanks Jane, it was more of a necessity but I’ll make sure to put a good range of video lengths out this year 😃

[@slimytoad1447]

Thanks George, great video, i'm happy to say i have all of the plants featured !!

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thanks and nice one, you have great taste in plants Dec! 😂

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

How long have you had your ‘Gerry’ by the way, I’m presuming they size up pretty quickly?

[@chinesenoodles8005]

Yucca aloifolia is one I don't see many people talk about, gets a traditional trunking tropical yucca look and it can handle wetter conditions than the desert ones like rostrata, and is hardy to much below -10 C. As for tropical looking shrubs and small trees I don't see much, American magnolias like Magnolia tripetala are super hardy and nice tropical flowers, (is deciduous), and similar Magnolia ashei, hardy and evergreen, it can get bigger than the previous and has HUGE leaves, as well as beautiful flowers, both hardy to around -20 with tripetala going lower. Hope this is useful!

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thank you very much for the suggestions. I've come across aloifolia but didn't realise it can take on wetter conditions so it's one I might look into as I plant up the fire pit area! As for the Magnolias, more great options there, they're beautiful. One of our friends has an ashei hybrid and it's a lovely plant, definitely something I might consider as my shelter plants grow up more!

[@chinesenoodles8005]

@@GeorgesJungleGarden You are very welcome! I am testing aloifolia in my garden now in texas, it is native to texas but East texas where they get more rain, I have it in a dry spot where there’s isn’t irrigation and it is fine. They are from the southeast us but are from coastal rocky outcrops and inland sand deposits. So still the well draining soil but they are not picky about the amount of water. I hope they do well for you!

[@henrywaterhouse6291]

Nolina hibernica, great form to its shape, relatively fast growing, fantastic green all year and really hardy. Trouble finding ones that are actually hibernica though.

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

That’s a great suggestion cheers, your arid style area is going to look incredible as the plants size up!

[@henrywaterhouse6291]

@@GeorgesJungleGarden they seem to size up quite quickly, I think I've now got around a dozen or so of them, I think all from the same seed collection that Paul Spracklin made. The young pants just pop up every now and again. The last 5 came off eBay.

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

@@henrywaterhouse6291 Interesting! Something I’ll definitely look into when I develop the raised area round my fire pit, I’m going for a similar kind of style to your exotic bank but obviously on a slightly more modest scale!

[@henrywaterhouse6291]

@@GeorgesJungleGarden it'll be good to see it.

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

@@henrywaterhouse6291 Thanks. It’ll happen in its own good time I’m sure (you know what it’s like!) but I’m hoping to make some big steps towards it this spring…

[@garethvanderwesthuyzen6420]

I'd love a piece on ferns, highlighting the varieties which grow the largest and give that instant tropical effect

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thanks for the idea Gareth, I’ll try and get something sorted in spring when they’re growing. I don’t grow a lot of the biggest ones but ferns are an important part of my garden. I did do a video looking at a few interesting types last year but it’s certainly something I could build on 😃

[@garethvanderwesthuyzen6420]

@@GeorgesJungleGarden thanks George. I have a very large exotic bed and if I could fill it up with large, reasonably priced, ferns that are hardy enough for a Geordie winter I'd be on to a winner

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

@@garethvanderwesthuyzen6420 Nice one. I don’t know if they currently ship to England but there’s a site called Plants for Shade (Long Acre Plants), it’s helpful for seeing which ferns are evergreen/ can tolerate what conditions - it’s worth a look.

[@raphlvlogs271]

many tropical looking south American plants are actually quite cold tolerant because there are high mountains there that are naturally green

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Yes, it’s interesting isn’t it. A good few of our tough exotics - palms and agaves are from there, you wouldn’t have associated cold tolerance with those latitudes but being high up definitely brings the cold! Do you grow anything specific from there yourself?

[@Jdnfbdbjf]

Great recommendations, there are plenty of hardy cacti that do surprisingly well here which I’d highly recommend!

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thank you very much! Are there any specific varieties you’d recommend? I want to trial some after I’ve got my arid section developed around the fire pit. I think they really add a certain exotic quirkiness to Mediterranean style planting!

[@Jdnfbdbjf]

@@GeorgesJungleGarden I’d definitely recommend trichocereus terschekii which are hardy to around -7°C and then there are many great species of opuntia and cylindropuntia which are very cold and wet tolerant.

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

@@Jdnfbdbjf Thank you very much! Trichocereus was on my list anyway so good to have more feedback on its toughness. I’ll look into cylindropuntia, thanks for the recommendation!

[@missdimples1982]

Excellent video George. I can't believe how green it all looks still at this time of year

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thank you very much! Hopefully it’ll continue to keep growing that way, I’m really excited to see the bamboos develop end the palms fill out! Having a long, narrow garden really lets me experiment with different ideas and areas too so I can have areas that will look similar all year and other bits that are more of a summer display, it’ll just take a few years of work to get there! 😂

[@missdimples1982]

@@GeorgesJungleGarden That's the exciting part, watching it all form over time, creating your own piece of utopia

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

@@missdimples1982 Definitely! I’ve got an idea of what it’ll look like in 5 years or 10 years but nothing ever happens exactly like that, some things might not work out, others create magic you could never have predicted, all part of the fun! 😃

[@wesleyhackney]

You have some nice picks in this video. Definitely recommend clumping bamboo only. Here in Pensacola Fl the pindo and Mexican fan palm are popular I started adding the Cat palm this past spring it’s done well in weather this winter yet down to 30F plus I have a large Lady palm which really had a bamboo look that had done well in same temps. I am looking at some bamboo to put into a raised container garden bed not sure which to try first

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Interesting! I guess the group of plants that’s on the edge of popularity for you is very different. There are some tougher Fargesias but I’m not sure how they get on with your sun in all honesty. Lady palms are nice but not an option here unfortunately!

[@TheBarefootedGardener]

I’d stick to smaller subtropical bambusa, like bambusa multiplex, any variety, but raised beds aren’t ideal. If you have the space in open ground, bambusa tuldoides looks like an incredible timber bamboo.

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

@@TheBarefootedGardener They’re not varieties I’ve got experience with but I completely agree with you on the raised bed point, bamboo will take a lot more water to keep happy in those conditions.

[@saltlifess6226]

George, when you get a green house get some Heliconias! Then just over winter them in the g/h.

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

I might have to do just that! One day soon hopefully!

[@vincenzecalzone8666]

These are great suggestions mate. I've thought about trying a parlour palm outdoors as they're so widely available and so cheap. I'm definitely gonna give it a go hearing your thoughts about it. I agree with you 100% regards the linearis, so architectural with the positions of the fronds in that circular orientation. It'll look class for you near the firepit👍

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thanks Vincenze and the linearis is a beauty indeed! Do you just mean a parlour palm outdoors for summer? I was half thinking about that too, maybe a B&Q special to bring a little of the tropics to a shady spot.

[@vincenzecalzone8666]

@@GeorgesJungleGarden Yes, the parlour palm and some of those cheap red bromeliads to mix in true exotic stuff short term. They're cheap in Morrisons currently (the parlour palms).

[@vincenzecalzone8666]

@@GeorgesJungleGarden Do you know where that radicalis variety is available? I could put one of those next to the summer parlour palms to make an interesting area?

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

@@vincenzecalzone8666 Got you. Cheers for the heads up about Morrisons, I’ll have to look in spring!

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

@@vincenzecalzone8666 As for the radicalis, I got mine from Hardy Palms but I’m honestly not sure where you can get them from currently (sorry!). It’s quite surprising they’re not more widely available given that they grow well from seed here and are so tough!

[@cake-diver8991]

George, im trying to build a garden on what was a wasteland. everything is in pots until at least the hard landscaping is done. A problem im getting on a few plants, my bananas especially, ive got pests! How do you deal with them? Ladybirds don't much like my garden despite the marigolds and bug houses

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Hmmm that’s a tricky one, I generally just leave things to it here and the birds sort most things out. Could you try spraying them with soapy water, I’ve heard that works? Even setting a hose to a mist setting can blast them off but personally I’d never use chemicals.

[@jamesclayton3388]

George do you have a Trachycarpus takil?..

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

I don’t, no, I’m going for the hybrids and Waggies for the rest of the palm spots in my garden I think. Have you got experience with them?

[@brendanclark7879]

Great vid! Do you grow Chamaerops humilis in your garden? If so do you have a sense of how hardy they are? Considering getting one (based in the Southwest, UK but not coastal). Keep up the great work!

[@Jdnfbdbjf]

I grow them here in the West Midlands and they’re very tough ours have shrugged of -9° and they can definitely go lower than that!

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

Thank you very much Brendan! As the other reply says, they’re very tough and in the Southwest they will be a solid palm choice for you. I grow humilis as well as the ‘Cerifera’ and ‘Vulcano’ variants. They grow fairly slowly but still size up nicely over time. I’ll be doing a vid looking at them soon-ish as it happens!

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

@@Jdnfbdbjf Great to hear they’re tough for you too, they’re definitely a great option for a sunny spot without worrying about protection!

[@Jdnfbdbjf]

@@GeorgesJungleGarden I’ve got two in pots one is in sun and the other is in shade and currently doing great

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

@@Jdnfbdbjf Nice one, they are tough plants, very wind resistant and undemanding too 😃

[@palmsexoticsuk2194]

0/3 here I’m afraid 🙁 I must try harder!

[@GeorgesJungleGarden]

😂 There’s plenty of other fantastic plants as you know haha, these are just 3 of my personal choices!