Welcome! I'm a West Midlands based tropical gardener in the UK, having only discovered my passion for this particular style of gardening during the pandemic. With travel off the cards, I wanted to create a space for my family and I that we could enjoy and escape in, every time we open the back door. What began as a few potted plants has developed into a whole tropical project in my small north-facing garden. I'm forever learning so thought it might be nice to share what I learn along the way! I'm not an expert and I don't claim to know everything, but I'll have fun while I try.
Jeremiah 7:8 (KJV) They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
While you are here, please check out my church's RU-vid channel: www.youtube.com/@thechurchofgoduk997. We'd love to see you some time!
Hows your Butia doing claud? Mine has thrown out some stunted brown edged new growth, I havnt tested for spear pull but probably should, im hoping its just sulking in its first year in the ground !
@@Knapper94 Hey! Lovely to hear from you. My new growth is very slow to emerge indeed but I can see what looks like brown edging. It’s hard to tell. I’ve given it the spear pull test but it’s pretty rigid. For its second winter I plan to protect it again with fleece and an umbrella over the crown. Like you, I hope it’s just acclimatising. That said, one of these days I’ll need to move it😩 The plants and trees around it are sizing up and something’s gonna have to give!
Very nicely done! I struggle with keeping my potted plants watered especially if they get a lot of sun. How often do you water & how much sun were these plants getting daily. Really loved the red cannas
Hello there! It really can be a struggle keeping on top of the watering. During this season, in the West Midlands we’ve been blessed with frequent rain which has made the job much easier. I sometimes water ‘on demand’, using how the plants look as my gauge, I don’t have a watering routine. In extended periods of sun i try to water most evenings, but those episodes are rare where I live.
Hello there, thank you for watching. I get them from a variety of places. My lanterns I tend to replace each year, this year's colourful lanterns were from B&Q. My fence lights and uplights were purchased on Amazon and my hanging lightbulbs were from Morrisons. I talk about them here: ru-vid.comf0f7L1mfyzs?si=AFFt5P1tRxYAkkvy. Hope this helps!
Lovely video as always! How did the schefflera get on that was struggling? Also are you planning on protecting your cordalines that are in pots? Its our first year with some in pots and we a little worried. Thanks!
Thanks so much for your feedback! I’m sorry to say the schefflera alpina didn’t make it. I was gutted. It was happy in a pot and succumbed when planted out. Not one that I plan to replace though. I have a macrophylla which is doing well. As for cordylines, I protected my Charlie boy last year by tying up the fronds, covering it with fleece and then turning a pot upside down over the top to keep rain out. It came through winter beautifully. I plan to do the same again this year. Hope this helps!
Hi great garden. Everything is so late this year and now starting to take off. Hope we get some long sunny days so we can appreciate it before the late autumn.
But I love your voice. I always find your videos with voiceover so calming and relaxing more so than music. I’m a tropical gardener in UK and love your content but I also replay some of your videos before bed because your voice has a soothing tone for sleep! I mean In a good way ❤ You should consider doing a meditation video you’re a natural and you could just re use your garden video footage as the visuals. Just an idea. Tropical garden meditation relaxation videos ooh that would be so lovely 🥰
Oh thank you for your lovely comment 😁 I had never considered my Brummy accent to be calming, you’ve made my day! I’ve tried to do a mixture of narration/music/none of the above to give the channel variety but your feedback is very much noted and I’ll give the meditation vids a think! Thank you for watching and all the best with your garden, you’ve chosen one of the best styles of gardening out there 😉🌿🌿
Thanks so much, it's great to see them reach their potential. The canopy is growing quickly and I'm enjoying the evolving heights. Thanks for watching, I'm glad you like the music too!
I steered clear of house plants when I first got into tropical style planting, but I could only withstand the temptation for so long! I'm only dipping my toe at the moment, but these are a few of my faves and it's nice to get them outside when the weather warms up😁
@@Berzyberz tropical plant love received and sent back!☺️❤️ It’s been so much fun, and become even more rewarding as the garden has evolved. Thank you for the kind words and encouragement 🌿
@@GrowTropicalMK there are a few in here that I love! The buddleia flowers reliably and has such a vibrant colour that fits well with the tropical style planting around it.
Tropiclaud, you did that, the birth of your garden is it’s absolutely beautiful, tropical gardens are my favorite and I too have a tropical garden. oh yes and the picture of you is also absolutely gorgeous.
@@101candlelight6 Thank you for your kind words! Yes it’s been a labour of love but truly worth it as the garden keeps evolving. I hope your garden is thriving 🙌
@@101candlelight6 Barbados!! What a beautiful place you live in. Welcome! Our weather is so very different here and we try to grow plants that withstand the wet and cold. It’s a challenge, but very rewarding when we can at least get the effect. Thank you for watching!
@@tropiclaudyou're welcome, yes we have hot, hot and hot even during the season, we get a little bit of relief in December. Can't imagine gardening during the four seasons but you do it so well. Happy gardening and an awesome weekend from a new subscriber.
@@bossprincess7694 aww thanks for the feedback! Shorts don’t suit everyone when it comes to gardening, but nice to have the variation available on the channel.
@@djjluvv Hey there! Thank you for checking in! It’s doing really well, you can glimpse it in this short ru-vid.com3z7wZmsdmUE?si=Ux_cfyLDRWY-KXox but I hope to do a fuller update tour soon. I still have it in a pot and it’s happy in dappled shade. I’ll be bringing it in as soon as the temp dips!
Hi fellow midlander Steve and Michelle here from sunny Worcestershire Love keeping updated n your videos We are currently on a similar journey in creating a jungle style garden We would love to hear your feedback on our videos and look to share some knowledge Hope to hear from you
Hello there! Please forgive my delay in replying, I’ve been enjoying my summer hols, thank you for your lovely comments. Always good to hear from tropical-style gardeners working in a similar climate. Will definitely take a look! 🌻❤️
Your sago palm looks nice and healthy I think it will throw out a new set of leaves if you move it out into the sun. I have 2 that look about the same size as yours the one that gets more sun has a full new set the one in semi shade is just throwing out a new set. Good luck with your wonderful garden as hopefully we get some sunshine.
Thank you for the garden tour. I do like your videos. 3 of my 4 ensete maurellii have exactly the same damage (in Dublin) but they are improving with each new leaf. Latest leaves look very healthy. No idea what is causing the problem. The plants are 3 and 4 years old, planted out in the same spot each year and always been perfect until now. Weird
It’s strange isn’t it? But more common than I realised this year. I’ve put it down to just being an odd, inexplicable year. Summer is not out yet so hopefully more time for the good leaves to push out. My last two are looking better. This is why gardening is AMAZING, always something to learn, experiment with or to dabble in. Thanks for your comment, stay tuned!
I love seeing your updates. That Gunnera is going to need a move for sure. You packed such a lot into one space. My Colocasia are slow this year both the hardy ones and the ones I stored for winter.
Hey there! Ah, I appreciate the empathy, good to know my Colocasias are in good company. I may shift the gunnera into a 70L planter that’s currently free, later in the season. For now, I love seeing it under the rhus and the contrast it gives. Thanks for watching and for your lovely support.
@@Tropical-sun you’re absolutely right. I have my work cut out in getting hubs to agree to that! But the time will come soon enough. Thank you for your lovely comment
Hi your garden still looks stunning and the amount of time and effort you put in has paid off. I thought I was the only one who had trouble with growing Colocasia this year have Mojito for first time and Jacks Giant. Neither of them has put in much growth. This time last year Jacks Giant was living up to its name.
Thank you so much for your kind comments and empathy! My Colocasia look very sorry for themselves which is particularly frustrating if you go through the effort of overwintering them etc. I have a Alocasia macrorrhiza which is not imposing at all, so I feel your pain with jacks giant! This is one of the reasons why having a variety of hardy plants that know and love our weather is really important to keep the garden looking full. Thank you for watching!
Your gardens looking lush despite the lack of summer. Your Schefflera Taiwaniana is a real stand out plant. The Persicaria Virginiana Variegata will grow into a stunning plant when it fills out.
Thanks so much for the lovely feedback, it means a lot. I’m enjoying the Schefflera T, it’s really sized up in a relatively short amount of time. I first saw the persecaria virginiana on your channel, I was totally sold! Thank you for your inspiring content!
Thank you so much, I did indeed protect it. I covered it with a cheap umbrella to protect the crown and then wrapped in fleece. It seems to have worked well. I may do the same this winter.
We have the same prob with slugs, I think the mild winter plus all the pots with the damp little areas they create arent helping. But other than that I love it and I have my eyes on a Rhus tree now because of your videos. Thanks
You’re so right, our slug and snail friends have had the perfect conditions to thrive in this year. 100% grab a rhus if you can. I’m told that they can throw up pups but I don’t mind that at all, I’ve not seen any yet. Their leaves turn to a gorgeous array of sunset colours in the autumn so there’s so much to enjoy. Thanks for watching. Have a lovely weekend.
