<h4>You're browser does not support iFrames - here is an exerpt of the content</h4> <a href="http://www.exoticgarden.com/blog/the-garden/big-is-better-large-leaved-plants-are-a-must/">Click here to read the article in full</a> <div id="attachment_812" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 401px"><img class="size-large wp-image-812" src="http://www.exoticgarden.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/1-_DSC0103-391x585.jpg" alt="Agapanthus africana, Howea forsteriana frond (Kentia palm) and Ipomoea Carolina Bronze" width="391" height="585" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Agapanthus africana, Howea forsteriana frond (Kentia palm) and Ipomoea Carolina Bronze</p></div> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline">EDP article for Saturday Sept 4<sup>th</sup> 2010 </span>(plus extra radio bit!)</p> <p>OK – so we haven’t had warm sultry days and pleasant evenings, and the nights are pulling in fast with three days of more-or-less continuous rain in recent weeks! Last Sunday was almost a washout here at the Exotic Garden with only 28 hardy garden enthusiasts arriving fully clothed for everything that Norfolk weather could throw at us! In the garden we experienced dark skies with heavy rain and high wind blowing all the containers over followed within half an hour by pleasant calmness with blue skies and the suns warmth on our faces. The old adage that you can experience all four seasons in one day is certainly true in our delightful climate. I could be miserable about our recent weather, but I’m not – instead, I would rather be ever optimistic that September will be a good one – please!</p> <p>The clement weather this week has allowed the garden to be revitalised with much tweaking, tidying and dead-heading giving the garden its second wind (no pun intended) for its Autumn show of exotica. Most of the containerised plants are still producing sumptuous growth after such a drenching and thanks to all the feeding they are green and vibrant. One of the main stays of the garden over the years that has revelled in such a good soaking is the humongous ‘Elephants Ear’ <em>Colocasia esculenta</em> ‘Mammoth’. This large aroid has produced apple-green leaves up to a staggering 84cm long by 60cm wide over the last few weeks and will probably get even bigger over the next month or so, taking cool nights well, only to be cut down by the first frosts in November.</p> <p><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-813" src="http://www.exoticgarden.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/2_DSC0057-585x391.jpg" alt="" width="585" height="391" /></p> <p>For those of you who haven’t grown this whopper – a little description is needed. <em>Colocasia esculenta</em> is a staple diet for millions of people in equatorial regions of the World though they are thought to have originated in Malaysia and surrounding areas. The leaves are eaten as well as the tuberous root system, which has to be boiled to break down Calcium oxalate, which is a sharp needle-like substance which is unpalatable and painful if you get it in your mouth. Although I knew this, I never-the-less tried a very small piece which I immediately spat out as my mouth filled with what felt like tiny shards of glass! As to what they taste like boiled – I still have not had the pleasure…</p> <p>Staying on a big leaf theme, a plant that is always considered a jaw-dropper is the ‘Rice-Paper Plant’ <em>Tetrapanax papyrifer</em>, and what a monster it is!</p> <div id="attachment_824" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 595px"><img class="size-large wp-image-824" src="http://www.exoticgarden.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/3-%E2%80%98Rice-Paper-Plant%E2%80%99-Tetrapanax-papyrifer_DSC01431-585x391.jpg" alt="‘Rice-Paper Plant’ Tetrapanax papyrifer" width="585" height="391" /><p class="wp-caption-text">‘Rice-Paper Plant’ Tetrapanax papyrifer</p></div> <div id="attachment_815" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 595px"><img class="size-large wp-image-815" src="http://www.exoticgarden.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/4-%E2%80%98Rice-Paper-Plant%E2%80%99-Tetrapanax-papyrifer-on-left-with-Colocasia-fontanesii-and-fatsia-japonica-on-the-right_DSC0142-585x391.jpg" alt="‘Rice-Paper Plant’ Tetrapanax papyrifer, on left with Colocasia fontanesii and Fatsia japonica on the right" width="585" height="391" /><p class="wp-caption-text">‘Rice-Paper Plant’ Tetrapanax papyrifer, on left with Colocasia fontanesii and Fatsia japonica on the right</p></div> <p>I have been growing several clumps for about ten years, enjoying their massive leaves which easily get up to 1m (3.3ft) or more across, somewhat resembling an exceedingly large <em>Fatsia japonica</em> leaf though less shiny and more pleated with a slight whitish bloom on the undersides. The leaves are held on long petioles (leaf stems) also up to 1m (3.3ft) long. The whole plant easily grows to 3m (10ft) tall, though it can reach double this height in our climate if well fed and protected from the prevailing winds which can desiccate the foliage. Unfortunately it wants to flower during the winter months here; hence they are soon blackened by frost in late autumn. My largest plant came through the winter without protection only losing about 30cm (1ft) of its top growth.<strong> </strong>This fine plant is endemic to Taiwan, but widely cultivated in Eastern Asia where it is evergreen, though deciduous in this country due to a weather condition called winter! Rice paper itself is not made from rice as commonly thought, but is in fact made from the pith of this rather handsome plant.</p> <p>Continuing on the big leaf theme, a plant that I discussed with great enthusiasm in May of this year on my blog is <em>Schefflera macrophylla.</em> I purchased my plant in the spring of 2009 and overwintered it frost free in one of my Poly tunnels, then planted it out after much head scratching in front of my house to the left side of the entrance so I could easily admire its beautiful form and architectural grace. The leaves are now up to 75cm (2.5ft) across, consisting of five large leaflets up to 45cm (1½ ft) long by 20cm (9ins) across on brownish purple petioles (leaf stems). All through the summer and into the autumn fabulous new growth is produced in abundance covered in pale ginger indumentum (velvet-like covering) which looks stunning against the rich dark green leathery foliage. Although considered hardy I will definitely be protecting it this winter, just in case we have repeat arctic conditions. My specimen is about 2m (6ft) tall, though in the wild it can grow up to 7m (23ft) in height – very exciting indeed!</p> <div id="attachment_816" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 595px"><img class="size-large wp-image-816" src="http://www.exoticgarden.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/5-%E2%80%98Rice-Paper-Plant%E2%80%99-Tetrapanax-papyrifer_DSC0003-585x391.jpg" alt="" width="585" height="391" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Schefflera macrophylla</p></div> <div id="attachment_817" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 595px"><img class="size-large wp-image-817" src="http://www.exoticgarden.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/6-_DSC0006-585x391.jpg" alt="Schefflera macrophylla surrounded by other exotica..." width="585" height="391" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Schefflera macrophylla surrounded by other exotica...</p></div> <p>Trying to finish with another big leaved plant, I almost forgot the stately ‘Windmill Palm’ also known as the ‘Chusan Palm’ <em>Trachycarpus fortunei </em>and<em> </em>backbone of any exotic garden in a temperate climate like ours or Washington State in the Pacific North West. I know it has fairly big leaves, but seeing them every day I had forgotten how big the fronds actually get, so I went into the garden and measured a frond on one of the palms closest to the house to be amazed that it has fronds 120cm (4ft) across that are almost round! My tallest specimen was planted about 18 years ago as a trunk-less juvenile and is now towering over the garden some 7m (20ft) high with around 5.2m (17ft) of thick hairy trunk. It flowers every year producing a thicket of small plants around the base, with one seedling already 1m (3.3ft) tall. Chusan Palms are tough old things, easily taking temperatures down to -17C (1.5F) though small plants would take considerably less until they form a trunk.</p> <p><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-818" src="http://www.exoticgarden.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/7_DSC0002-2-391x585.jpg" alt="" width="391" height="585" /></p> <p>There are eight different species of Trachycarpus, one of the smallest leaved forms being <em>Trachycarpus wagnerianus</em> or ‘Miniature Chusan Palm’ which looks like a smaller version of its big brother, but more suited to a windy position as the stiff leaves tolerate strong winds, whereas the large leaves of <em>T. fortunei</em> tend to become rather tatty in windy areas.</p> <div id="attachment_823" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 595px"><img class="size-large wp-image-823" src="http://www.exoticgarden.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/8-_DSC00321-585x391.jpg" alt="Trachycarpus wagnerianus or ‘Miniature Chusan " width="585" height="391" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Trachycarpus wagnerianus or ‘Miniature Chusan </p></div> <p>I don’t like to say it, but I suppose autumn has now begun, I just hope for all our sakes it’s a good one as winter here lasts such a long time.</p> <p>On Saturday August 14<sup>th</sup> I was a phone guest for half an hour on the Gardening With Ciscoe Show with the inimitable Ciscoe Morris – a big gardening radio and TV star in Seattle Washington USA on 97.3 News.Talk KIRO FM – It is now available on a podcast that can be heard on <a href="http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=577&a=19885&p=30&n=Gardening%20w/%20Ciscoe" >http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=577&a=19885&p=30&n=Gardening%20w/%20Ciscoe</a></p> <div id="attachment_821" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 595px"><img class="size-large wp-image-821" src="http://www.exoticgarden.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/9-Will-Giles-on-left-Bob-Lilly-center-and-Ciscoe-Morris-rightCaribean-stuff-0731-585x391.jpg" alt="Myself, Bob Lilly centre and Ciscoe Morris on the right, doing a live two hour phone-in on the ‘Gardening with Ciscoe Show’ at the Puyallup Fair in Washington a few years ago, while on on a lecture tour of the Pacific North West." width="585" height="391" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Myself, Bob Lilly centre and Ciscoe Morris on the right, doing a live two hour phone-in on the ‘Gardening with Ciscoe Show’ at the Puyallup Fair in Washington a few years ago, while on on a lecture tour of the Pacific North West.</p></div>
