In article
, Farm1
writes
No. I've seen pics of "tropical" gardens in London and all sorts of
other places. Lots of tropical style palms, musa etc and I hate the
look of them in temperate climates. It's sort of like building a
Hacienda in the middle of a bunch of Eucalypts. Just looks wrong,
wrong,wrong.


Sounds like a gross generalisation but I'm afraid I do to. I would
even consider moving somewhere oop North or West if it came to the point
that climate change stopped me growing what I consider to be temperate
climes plants! I would not enjoy a gravel garden in place of a lawn, nor
spiky hard architectural plants rather than the gossamery(?) Salvia
uliginosa or Verbena bonariensis. I think there might be a place for hot
and tropical in say a formal front garden so people don't hang about
out there but in the back garden temperate plants makes one want to
linger and relax etc.

Can't see many of the tropical plants being that beneficial to our
wildlife either.

However it takes all sorts and I'm accidentally growing a tray of what
appears to be, cactii from a packet of seeds that some told me were
hardy plants so I need to off load them!
--
Janet Tweedy
Amersham Gardening Association
http://www.amersham-gardening.net