Transform your outdoor space into a botanical holiday haven, starting this Easter weekend!
Whether you favour flamboyant tropical foliage, Oriental order or a fern-covered folly, designing with plants to create a favourite holiday destination at home is a rewarding project. Yes, planning a garden makeover can seem daunting, but apply some basic principles and they can be sanctuaries of calm, excitement and wonder to relax in, play, entertain or explore.
First, think about style, functionality and budget. How will you use your garden? Will you eat outside, use the garden at night, grow your own food or rest and relax? Then consider proportion, balance and scale; what feels right? Will you need a path to reach a seating area? Should you use solar lighting or minimise light pollution for star gazing? Anything is possible. In terms of the best plants, test the soil and consider those to suit your climate that add texture, contrast and colour.
Now, grab a pad and draw out your ideas to scale. Here are few options to consider…
Totally tropical
Recreate the Caribbean, South America and Asia using plants with architectural foliage.
Inject drama into a space from large-leaved banana plants and colocasia, to colourful canna, cordylines and ginger lilies (hedychium).
Add height and structure with hardy, evergreen palms such as Trachycarpus fortunei (Chusan palm), Bismarckia nobilis or Butia capitata (jelly palm),which works well in a large container, making it ideal for small gardens and patios.
Some tropical plants do need winter protection but look glamorous for many months of the year. Plant in large containers to keep displays portable so they can be moved to a frost-free place in winter, but give roots space to thrive.
Desert delight
If your garden is sheltered from the elements and boasts a sunny climate, then a desert garden could be the way to go. Recreate the dry plains of Northern Mexico or Southern America with cacti and succulents. Enjoy Yucca gloriosa and Agave americana on well-drained gritty ground or raised beds.
Add hardy statement plants such as Mexican Nolina nelsonii ( blue beargrass tree) or North African Phoenix dactylifera (date palm). If planting outside is not a possibility, you could always dedicate a greenhouse or conservatory to sun-loving arid plants to bring a bit of the desert home.
