Today's video is a visit to Shane Bilson's garden in Stoke on Trent, a fantastic jungle stream garden and beautiful pond planted up with a variety of hardy exotic plants, beautiful flowers and some really rare specimens I haven't seen before! Shane is a professional gardener who enjoys experimenting with unusual plants and creating a subtropical paradise in his garden - well, maybe considering the climate on the west side of the Pennines 'rainforest' would be more appropriate! With high levels of rainfall year-round and often brutally cold winters (below -10 this previous 'mild' winter!), Shane knew moving to this colder area would present gardening challenges, but in just three years the garden transformation he's achieved really is remarkable - the stunning back garden stream area is just one year old! We talk about creating a garden stream, how Shane built his large garden pond and obviously, all about his incredible bamboo, Aralias and the plants which we both find fascinating. I hope you enjoy this chat and exotic garden 'summer' tour with Shane, not only is the hard landscaping and planting inspirational but he's also hugely generous with his knowledge and has some valuable planting tips and overwintering inspiration for those of us growing palms, Schefflera, exotic trees and shrubs in colder areas. Above all, I really think the combination of easy low-maintenance perennials, quick and cheap flowers plus majestic rarities like Brassaiopsis and Kalopanax Shane has put together is not just botanically interesting for real exotic plant enthusiasts, but a beautiful and tranquil space that anyone can appreciate.
Bamboo UK Facebook Group - the best group for growing bamboo in the UK, cool varieties, identification advice, plus division, maintenance and control tips: https://www.facebook.com/share/wxKGjWJHxywzBsrS/?mibextid=K35XfP
0:00 Intro
1:26 A beautiful pond build transformation, big rocks & hardy exotic plants in the front garden
9:09 Giant blue bamboo Borinda grossa KR5600 & UK cold hardy Butia eriospatha feather palm
11:48 Growing exotic plants in a challenging cold area with high rainfall - north west UK
13:46 Brassaiopsis mitis, hispida, creating UK garden microclimates & hardy flowers for summer colour
20:38 Shane's jungle stream garden transformation, beautiful pond and how to find your garden microclimates
24:56 Colourful, easy exotic evergreens, Borinda papyrifera blue bamboo and Gunnera pond side planting
33:55 Fatsia japonica winter damage & care plus how to protect Musa basjoo banana plant from winter freezes
37:31 Sambucus nigra, Kalopanax, ferns & flowers - combining exotic plants with lush, hardy 'common' plants
41:30 Building a jungle stream - construction tips, design inspiration & planting ideas
49:05 Tough exotic plants for cold gardens - Tetrapanax papyrifer 'Rex' winter damage, hardiness and recovery
53:25 Traschycarpus nova, Chusquea gigantea, Brassaiopsis fatsioides, garden microclimates & how to get more fruit from a fig tree...
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Thanks,
George