Lovely garden! I’m in Leeds and been growing pink China for a few years, they thrive in full sun but love their feet wet so I water them every day and feed weekly.
Oh and the Tetrapanax, dig them up in autumn when the leaves have dropped. Get as much root as you can but be careful, they are fragile. Pot them up and try keep frost free until spring.
New subscriber, enjoyed the tour and seeing your garden mature. Some of your plants are so far ahead of mine. Love the shade border. Envious of the scabious, I can't get mine that size and its no where near flowering, I've tried it in 3 different areas over the years. Can only just see my pink china shoots but it's been such a cold spring in the East. I would recommend you leave the T-rex pups to get bigger before removing.
Thanks! I seem to have been lucky with the giant scabius - I cut back and moved a few of them and even they're fowering (albeit much shorter). I will hold fire on the tetrapanax pups and see how they go over summer.
Just a tip for next year. You need to move the Gunnera that is next to the Eucalyptus tree - As the Eucalypt will be taking most of the water and starving the Gunnera. When eucalypts get bigger not many plants will grow directly under them as the soil will be too dry.
Yeah these two can't be long-term bedmates for sure. Short term the gunnera should be ok with regular watering as I've buried a large plastic sheet beneath it to act as a reservoir. Long term either one or both will have to go. Will probably coppice the eucalyptus at some point too.
Thanks so much! The arid bed is around 20-30cm deep with pure gravel plus some broken up building rubble. I used Yorkshire cream 10mm on top (chosen for the colour) but underneath is 10mm pea gravel (chosen as it was the cheapest gravel at that grade). The only organic matter in there is that which was in the rootballs of the plants that I planted in.