I am looking for something to plant outside, something very low
maintenence. I have no experience with gardening and don't know where
to go to find the perfect plant. I want something small, tropical, and
easy. Anyone have any ideas?

Reallly depends on your location, but there are some cycads that are
relatively low growing, definitely tropical looking and will stand the
weather in the UK. Local garden centres are a good bet to find out. Go
to a big one and they should have only things in stock that will
survive in your location.

"Shay" wrote in message
ups.com...
I am looking for something to plant outside, something very low
maintenence. I have no experience with gardening and don't know where
to go to find the perfect plant. I want something small, tropical, and
easy. Anyone have any ideas?

OK:

Size (height - width) ?
Aspect (sun - shade etc) ?
Your favourite flower colour ?

Jenny :~))

I agree we have a Fatsia Japonica growing happily in a fairly shady
spot and doesn't need any maintenance.

Grows pretty quickly as well to fill any space and I believe they have
white flowers at some point although our hasn't done so yet !

"Gardening_Convert" wrote in message
oups.com...
I agree we have a Fatsia Japonica growing happily in a fairly shady
spot and doesn't need any maintenance.

Grows pretty quickly as well to fill any space and I believe they have
white flowers at some point although our hasn't done so yet !


That appears to be three votes for the best easy exotic looking plant.
Once it achieves your desired height you can lop off the top, it then looks
a bit stupid for a few weeks but will flush out with loads of new very light
green growth.
The fluorescent white flowers are a bonus, very strange and alien . There
is also a variegated form but I do not know if it performs as well.




There is a variegated form which I have yet to try .

"Rupert" wrote in message ...

"Gardening_Convert" wrote in message
oups.com...
I agree we have a Fatsia Japonica growing happily in a fairly shady
spot and doesn't need any maintenance.

Grows pretty quickly as well to fill any space and I believe they have
white flowers at some point although our hasn't done so yet !


That appears to be three votes for the best easy exotic looking plant.
Once it achieves your desired height you can lop off the top, it then looks
a bit stupid for a few weeks but will flush out with loads of new very light
green growth.
The fluorescent white flowers are a bonus, very strange and alien . There
is also a variegated form but I do not know if it performs as well.

There is a variegated form which I have yet to try .

Make that four votes - but my variegated one died :~(
Jenny

"JennyC" wrote in message
...

"Rupert" wrote in message
...

"Gardening_Convert" wrote in message
oups.com...
I agree we have a Fatsia Japonica growing happily in a fairly shady
spot and doesn't need any maintenance.

Grows pretty quickly as well to fill any space and I believe they have
white flowers at some point although our hasn't done so yet !


That appears to be three votes for the best easy exotic looking plant.
is also a variegated form but I do not know if it performs as well.
snip
There is a variegated form which I have yet to try .

Make that four votes - but my variegated one died :~(
Jenny

Has anyone else any experience of the variegated form?
Dead or Alive.

"Shay" wrote in message
ups.com...
I am looking for something to plant outside, something very low
maintenence. I have no experience with gardening and don't know where
to go to find the perfect plant. I want something small, tropical, and
easy. Anyone have any ideas?
Fatsias can get a bit big -Hebe can be small evergreen and flower year round

On 11/2/06 10:00, in article , "Janet
Baraclough" wrote:

The message . com
from "Shay" contains these words:

I am looking for something to plant outside, something very low
maintenence. I have no experience with gardening and don't know where
to go to find the perfect plant. I want something small, tropical, and
easy. Anyone have any ideas?

If you garden in the UK, tropical plants won't be low maintenance.
Fatsia japonica will look exotic, but is impervious to cold and abuse
and needs no maintenance.

Depending on location, one of the stripey Phormiums would look good, too.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
)

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
The message
from "Rupert" contains these words:

Has anyone else any experience of the variegated form?
Dead or Alive.

Well, I've seen smallish variegated fatsia specimens in GC's. but I
have never seen one in a garden which had reached a larger size. That
strongly suggests to me that it's one of theose plants where the
variegated form is much weaker; maybe not as cold hardy?

That's what I suspect but was hoping someone would say it was as tough as
old boots.
I have two of these in pots which arrived a few weeks ago and look very
healthy. I guess they may be very cold hardy but I also think they will not
be as vigorous.

But in any case, I find the plain green form much more attractive;
its variegation works like camouflage and distracts the eys from the
handsome leaf shape.

Agreed but I intend to use this as an addition to the non variagted ones
and was hoping they might brighten a rather gloomey (funerial) bit of
woodland .
snip

I'm planning a fatsia hedge-screen.

My shaded location means they tend to perform more like a tree than a shrub.
Perhaps a pleatched fatsia hedge for me then :-)

The message
from "Rupert" contains these words:

Agreed but I intend to use this as an addition to the non variagted ones
and was hoping they might brighten a rather gloomey (funerial) bit of
woodland .
snip

Tru adding some climbers - wisteria, clematis, honeysuckle, Chinese
gooseberries, etc. and brighten things up from above?

I'm planning a fatsia hedge-screen.

My shaded location means they tend to perform more like a tree than a shrub.
Perhaps a pleatched fatsia hedge for me then :-)


There are quite a few shade-tolerant plants and shrubs - I think that
the castor oil plant is one.

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
Separator in search of a sig

"DaveJ" wrote
"Shay" wrote
I am looking for something to plant outside, something very low
maintenence. I have no experience with gardening and don't know
where to go to find the perfect plant. I want something small,
tropical, and easy. Anyone have any ideas?

Fatsias can get a bit big -Hebe can be small evergreen and flower year
round

How about Agapanthus in a sunny spot, and hardy ferns in the shade.

--
Sue

"Dave Poole" wrote
Rupert wrote:

Has anyone else any experience of the variegated form?
snip
I have two of these in pots which arrived a few weeks ago and look
very healthy. I guess they may be very cold hardy but I also think
they will not be as vigorous.

Expect damage at around minus 5C and the vigour is half that of the
straight species.

Dave, what about the plain variety 'Moseri'? I've got a small plant I
intend to plant outside this year and have read it's supposed to be a
more compact version with even larger leaves, but do you know how much
it varies from the species and if it'd be just as hardy?

--
Sue

JennyC wrote:
Make that four votes - but my variegated one died :~(

Make that five. Our's is looking gOOd. Not dead yet. Not variegated
either. But has flowers, lots of them. Put the yellow leaves in the
compost yesterday, before chasing my lil' kid with a handful of soggy
leaves )

What's the variegated one called? I think I've never seen one ....!

"La Puce" wrote in message
ups.com...

JennyC wrote:
Make that four votes - but my variegated one died :~(

Make that five. Our's is looking gOOd. Not dead yet. Not variegated
either. But has flowers, lots of them. Put the yellow leaves in the
compost yesterday, before chasing my lil' kid with a handful of soggy
leaves )

What's the variegated one called? I think I've never seen one ....!

They do seem to be pretty rare. I drove a long way to get one........it lasts
two years :~((

Fatsia Japonica Variegata

Pictures at:
http://www.smgrowers.com/imagedb/Fat...Variegata1.JPG
http://www.exotica.fsbusiness.co.uk/fatsia2.jpg
http://www.exotica.fsbusiness.co.uk/fatsia1.jpg

Jenny