Timelapse of building a Poly Tunnel at the Exotic Garden Norwich by Chris Ridley

Since I returned from hosting a two week cruse around Madeira and the Canaries with 49 guests in tow, I have been spending pretty much all my time getting the garden prepared for winter and bringing in all those cherished tender exotics – always a big job and getting bigger every year as everything keeps growing! It took two days to bring in my ever expanding collection of Bromeliads which now totals well over 150 plants of which some are now absolutely enormous – I’m not exaggerating, one Aechmea is now over four feet across and darn heavy! Of course they all have to be cleaned, re-potted, preened and all their funnels drained of water, then artistically placed in my 30×10ft Polly tunnel which now resembles (with all the other exotics) part of the palm House at Kew. Seeing as they are going to be there for approximately half the year, I do like it to be a show piece as I will be spending a lot of time in there over the long dark winter months – I love going in there on Christmas day!

Last week while I was working on the garden with several volunteers in tow, my good friend and photographer Chris Ridley was trying out a new steadycam rig for his HD camera. While we were working away enjoying the late autumnal heat, Chris spent several hours silently gliding around the garden with his camera making a film. A week later the film was complete – after 15 hours editing, 5 hours processing and 8 hours uploading his 3 minute masterpiece was finished. I was amazed that he could make a film about the garden in late October and make it look so – good!

It may be short but never-the-less perfectly formed, so here it is for your edification and enjoyment…

Around the beautiful Exotic Garden from Chris Ridley on Vimeo.

All new Phormiums will be protected this winter...

Around ten or so years ago I stopped protecting my large clumps of Musa basjoo as most of the winters during that period never fell much below 2-3C and well within their tolerance. The cold winter before last cut mine down to the ground, something that has never happened here before. They never-the-less lived up to their common name ‘the root hardy banana’ as dozens of new shoots came up with a vengeance along with the older shoots which soon grew back up to around 8ft tall in the summer.

new shoots in the spring...

Last winter, with the aid of plantsman extraordinaire Jamie Spooner, all the bananas were wrapped by bending down the foliage from the tops of all the trunks to form a skirt around each one, then bamboo canes were placed around the clumps about 1ft from the stems then horticultural fleece was wrapped around and finally filled up with loose straw to about a one foot above the stem tops. Over the structure was placed a sheet of plastic firmly secured with waterproof tape to keep out the winter rains. I do not use bubble wrap to protect plants as I have found that it tends to make them sweat on hot days, hence fleece or sacking is preferable as it lets the stems breath and keep dry. This method can be used for any plant that you think will suffer from being frozen solid!

Several people thought I was going rather over the top last autumn, suggesting that the winter before last had been a one off! For the few hours’ work it took, the result was that all the clumps came through the coldest winter in living memory, rising to huge proportions this year with several stems well over 12ft tall with a similar span.

Many plants reach their greatest size in stature and foliage just before the first hard frosts cut them down, though when it does this is the sign that action has to be taken.

Colocasia esculent and fontanesii still looking good...

Some enthusiasts prepare plants early by bringing such plants as Cannas in whole or cutting them down before frosts appear. I prefer to wait until frost has cut them down for me, then I have no qualms about cutting off all the top growth and storing the large root systems in slated trays using composted bark in-between them, then storing them in a dry frost free place for the winter months checking occasionally for any mould which must be removed.

Colocasias and Cannas are stored under the bench for the winter months at 5C

Over the next few weeks and hopefully before any really cold weather appears; my good self and a dedicated team of helpers will be bringing in and preparing all those tender exotics for their winter vacation under protection. My Conservatory and Polly-tunnels are now lined with UV stable bubble insulation and all the heaters, thermostats, propagation benches etc checked and ready for the winter, so without further ado as the sun is shining, I’m going to start bringing in my ever expanding collection of Bromeliads – I’m sure many of them are twice as big as they were last year!

Some of the Bromeliads under cover ready for winter...

This is sadly my last article of the season for this year in the EDP; though I will be back next year when spring arrives with lots of new stories. For those of you on the internet though, you can follow my weekly blog right through the winter. Whatever the winter throws at you and your garden – have a good one and stay positive, spring always returns…

Nerine bowdenii ‘Stefanie’

It’s that extraordinary time of year again when so many autumn bulbs are coming into bloom to grace our gardens with their abundant though often delicate autumn colours. The Nerines, Colchicums, Amaryllis belladonna, Autumn Crocus, Cyclamen and autumn flowering snowdrops, yes snowdrops! There are also Scilla Autumnalis and Sternbergia lutea for the even more adventurous!  Of course for those who like colour on their windowsills in the winter it is time to plant Hyacinths, daffodils (Narcissus ‘Paperwhite’) and I must not forget those ridiculously large flowered bulbs associated with Christmas Amaryllis Hippeastrum, with cracking large blooms that look like  flowering loud speakers!

One of the most beautiful flowering autumn bulbs has to be Nerines, the most commonly grown being Nerine bowdenii also known as the ‘Gurneys Lily’. They are now in full bloom here at the Exotic Garden and really enjoying the warm weather. This delectable autumn gem flowers from September to early November, depending on weather conditions and are on the early side this year. They flower over quite a long period and look exceptional when established, as with time they can form substantial colonies. The green strap-like leaves emerge after flowering and survive the winter undamaged then die down completely as summer returns. In their native South Africa they hibernate through the dry period before the rains return. Each tall stalk is topped with five to ten trumpet-shaped, shocking-pink flowers with six recurved petals with flamboyant wavy edges.

Last year I purchased a few big forms named Nerine ‘Zeal Giant’ from Bob Brown at Cotswold Garden Flowers. It certainly lives up to its name as it has large clusters of up to twelve deep pink trumpet-shaped flowers each one 9cm across with swept back petals, all on long stems totalling 80cm in height –  absolutely marvellous!

Nerine ‘Zeal Giant’

Another more diminutive but equally beautiful hybrid purchased was Nerine bowdenii ‘Stefanie’, a much shorter plant reaching up to about 60cm tall with tight bunches of 5-6cm spidery pale pink flowers with a slightly darker line down the centre of each recurved petal. This fine hybrid will flower to perfection from October to November.

Nerine bowdenii ‘Stefanie’

A number of species can be successfully grown under glass – one of my favourites being the floral firework -   Nerine sarniensis also known as the ‘Guernsey Lily’. This rather interesting common name is said to be from a consignment of bulbs from South Africa destined for Holland which were cast from a sinking ship in 1659 off the coast of Guernsey which subsequently took root. Whether this story is botanical legend or not, this highly desirable Nerine has been cultivated for more than three centuries on the Island of Guernsey and continues to be grown there today for the cut flower market. The bulbs begin active growth in early autumn with the emergence of the flower-buds, followed shortly after by the foliage. The upright stalks carry seven to twelve flowers with erect stamens which are particularly conspicuous due to the recurved petals. The most desirable forms have exceedingly showy intense red flowers, though Nerine sarniensis can also be found in colours ranging from crimson to scarlet and from pale pink to deep rose-pink and there is also a rather delectable pure white form.

Nerine sarniensis also known as the ‘Guernsey Lily’

For sheer stature nothing can beat the beauty of Amaryllis belladonna, another South African native with great garden worthiness. It is also known as the ‘Belladonna Lily’ and ‘Naked lady’ because it comes into flower like the Nerines well before its foliage appears and like the Nerines it is completely dormant during the summer months. From dry ground in early autumn the large bulbs produce pale brown flowering spikes from 1-2ft tall, from which clusters of 2-12 large funnel-shaped flowers are formed that can be from 3-4ins across with six recurved petals. They can be either white or pink to purple in colour. There is nothing like a group of these or preferably dozens of them growing in a hot sun baked position preferably against a south facing wall where they will excel.

Did I mention autumn flowering Snowdrops? I was reminded of these when I had the pleasure of visiting Nigel Colborn’s garden in Lincolnshire last week when I was giving a lecture to the South Lincolnshire Hardy Plant Society. Galanthus reginae-olgae and Galanthus peshmenii flower from September to October and certainly make you look twice! They look just the same as the late winter flowering ones and are equally as beautiful, though a true galanthophile would know the difference!

Galanthus reginae-olgae

Then there are the autumn flowering Crocus such as Crocus kotschyanus, with beautiful pale lilac, open goblet-shaped blooms with creamy-yellow stamens from September to November, followed by narrow, green leaves. This is a stunning autumn-flowering crocus which is ideal for naturalising in a dry, sunny spot in the garden.

Crocus kotschyanus

Pulchellus is another species with pale lilac with darker veins and fragrant as well – perfect for naturalising. Speciosus is another beauty that is lilac-blue with darker veining and flowers from September to November. There are of course many more worth hunting out to grace your garden at the twilight end of the year.

If you like your Crocuses to have huge outsized flowers, then you have to grow Colchicums for their sheer audacity and size of blooms. Colchicum autumnale is also known as ‘autumn crocus’ or ‘naked ladies’ and is the best known species.

Colchicum autumnale

It produces purple, pink or white flowers that resemble the crocus but much larger and flower from September to October. After flowering they produce a rosette of dark leathery wide green leaves that can become rather untidy, so best grown where they can do their own thing undisturbed! Several other species are available such as Colchicum speciosum, C. album, C. corsicum and C. agrippinum. C. autumnale is often sold in full flower as a bare bulb. If you purchase them as the flowers are going over you can often get them for a much lower price as garden centres like to get rid of them as they look as though they are dying, but are perfect for planting.

There are so many bulbs that flower at this wonderful time of year that we are almost spoilt for choice and with such a warm weekend, why not venture out and see how many autumn flowering bulbs you can find!

A fabulous Begonia I obtained in Madeira as a small root about six years ago. If anybody know the name of this one please let me know.

Detail of the same the Begonia

The late Christopher Lloyd memorably said ‘If I was reduced to growing only one genus, Begonias would be it.’ I too find this genus absolutely fascinating and have been growing Begonias for decades and never cease to admire there beauty.

Begonias are in a genus of about 900 species of perennials, shrubs and climbers. It is a very diverse family of plants which can be fibrous rooted like the well-known bedding plant Begonia semperflorens with its blowsy flowers or it can be tuberous rooted like those ever-popular types with their enormous waxy, almost plastic-looking blooms in day-glow colours. Then there are those which are grown for their foliage, like the showy-leaved Begonia Rex that line the shelves in the house plant section of garden centres. Luckily for lovers of this handsome family of plants, there are several that are hardly enough to survive most winters in the warmer parts of our gardens.

One of the many Begonia rex hybrids...

The best known hardy begonia is Begonia grandis ssp. Evansiana. This delicate looking though tough begonia is tuberous rooted from which red branched stems emerge from mid-to-late spring according to weather conditions. It grows to about 20in tall with a 12in spread by mid-summer though once established colonies many feet across will grace your garden. The broad fleshy leaves of this hardy Begonia are pale green above and flushed red with prominent veining underneath on red leaf stalks. In high summer and right through the autumn, delicate pink 1-1½ins wide flowers are produced from the leaf axils in nodding clusters well above the foliage. The flowers and leaves look especially attractive in the evening when the sun shines through the foliage and flowers at this time of year. I must admit, I thought that last winter’s big freeze had seen them off as the ground was frozen solid for weeks. Luckily though this tenacious begonia started to re-sprout from mid May here at the Exotic Garden. I was so please as this is such a beautiful begonia with amazing hardiness!

Begonia grandis ssp. Evansiana

Not quite so common but equally attractive is Begonia Grandis Subsp. Evansiana Var. Alba, a very attractive white-flowered form that is well worth seeking out. In the autumn when the leaves start to turn yellow, small bulbils are formed in abundance in the leaf axils (where the leaf attaches to the main stem) which fall to the ground, thus forming new plants and creating a colony. These can also be collected and grown on for planting in other dappled shade parts of the garden. They also make excellent container plants.

Several hardy forms have been discovered in recent years by Bleddyn and Sue Wynn-Jones, of Crûg Farm Plants in North Wales, on their plant-hunting expeditions in Taiwan and other parts of Asia. One in particular – Begonia grandis ‘Sapporo’ – is a very hardy form of this species from Sapporo, capital city of Hokkaido on Japan’s north island, where the winters can be severe. This gem grows to a height of about 35ins tall in its native habitat, with erect stems that are red at the nodes, which in turn produce bulbils in the leaf axils in autumn. It is very distinctive in foliage and form, with large, palmate, dark green leaves which are a striking shade of dark red underneath. The pink flowers are borne in terminal sprays, opening from reddish buds in late summer then continuing to bloom until first frost making this another excellent hardy begonia for the garden.

Begonia grandis ssp. evansiana ‘Pink Parasol’ also collected by Bleddyn and Sue from Shikoku, Japan, where it grows to a height of 35in with luxurious palmate leaves and  bearing sprays of pink flowers, opening from reddish buds from mid-summer to first-frost. It also produces bulbils – or as they should be more correctly called – advantageous tubers.

Although only hardy in the warmest gardens, Begonia sutherlandii is always popular at the Exotic Garden as a container plant that is overwintered frost free. This beauty is a dense, many branched, clump-forming, tuberous begonia, growing to a height and spread of about 18in with bright green, slightly toothed, lance-shaped leaves up to 6ins long, often with red veining. Throughout the summer, panicles of pendant bright orange flowers up to 1in across are freely produced. This delightful begonia also produces bulbils in the leaf axils. It makes an excellent container or hanging basket plant. I find it’s rather prone to powdery mildew – greyish white patches forming on the leaves. If untreated the whole plant becomes rather unsightly, so prompt action should be taken by spraying with a suitable fungicide.

Begonia sutherlandii

If on the other hand you feel like being rather brash with your planting – something I always enjoy – then try planting out some of the more tender species and varieties for the summer. A drift of Begonia rex in a moist shady corner will always turn an eye. Many of the more unusual houseplant types can be kept in containers and grouped together in varying sizes to create a tropical looking setting. Just remember to keep them out of the sun and moist at all times. Some years ago I bought quite a few cane types, those that can become tall with stiff fairly upright stems that can become hard and woody with age. My favourite cane-type has to be Begonia luxurians (Palm Leaf Begonia) from the rain forests of Brazil. It is a tall shrubby cane-like begonias growing from 4 to 8ft tall over a few years. It is clothed with large slightly hairy leaves that are palmately dissected (finger-like) into narrow leaflets, the whole leaf easily being 1ft or more across with distinct red centres and coppery undersides giving the whole plant a ridiculously exotic appearance. From early spring to autumn it produces terminal clusters of small creamy white flowers with a slight scent. This monstrous begonia is hardy down to 0C though I store it with all my other more tender begonias at around 5C.

Begonia luxurians

There are many other Begonias worth growing outside during the summer’s months which grow really well in our cool summers as long as they are over wintered frost free, so have a go it’s always good to try something new in your garden.

My Begonia carolinifolia is not a whopper!

Massed pots of cane-begonias

Tink is rather tired of plants as he can’t eat them!

Have a great weekend in your garden and enjoy the glorious autumnal weather – I know I will!