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Graham Hutson

@bigleafbotanics

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A garden that shouldn’t be in the UK. Our little 8x16m pocket of exotics in South Essex.
Come for the plants, stay for the playlist.

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One of the most common things people say about this garden is how much time it must take to keep going. It’s true you do need a few minutes to spare to keep it looking nice, and now and then you need to put a shift in to keep the big stuff in check but on balance, the effort to enjoyment ratio is pleasantly in favour of the latter.

So much that I find myself looking for stuff to do. We just spent a day at Great Dixter, which is always a source of much inspiration and I’m looking around wondering if I can somehow incorporate a 16th century looking structure in here somewhere. The answer is probably no, but that’s the weekend’s task, should I choose to accept it.
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#junglegardensuk by @bigleafbotanics

I never really set out with a vision for how this garden would turn out. But I knew we needed to do something. It just wasn’t us.

We’ve been through a lot of stages to get where we are today, some of them huge projects, others as small as adding a new tree.

As far as polishing the metaphorical turd, it’s been a long and gradual journey, but I think it now resembles something more of a diamond now.

At least it does to me.
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#gardens
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#uktropicalgardeners
#junglegardensuk by @bigleafbotanics

Lawns are overrated. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. They are unimaginative, bleak patches of manicured greenery that suck the soul out of a garden.

Clearly a divisive statement but it’s a stand I’m prepared to make, having resigned my lawn to history.

If you’re wondering whether to make the leap, I can tell you, life is good on the other side.

You don’t need to build a pond. You could plant beds, build a rockery, I dunno, maybe a grotto.

Anyway that’s this month’s anti-lawn pitch out of the way. 😂
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#gardens
#gardeninspiration
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#junglegardensuk by @bigleafbotanics

So you’ve got this space outside your back door. A little parcel of land where you’ve got free rein to do whatever you want. Do you leave it empty, put a square of grass in the middle?

It’s your land, do what you like. But I guarantee you that if you turn it into something that makes your heart sing every time you walk into it, you’ll find a calm and serenity you never thought possible.

Gardens don’t always have to conform to norms. You don’t have to leave wide open empty spaces in case you want to pitch a tent or kick a ball around once every six months. Build something you’ll love year round.

Your soul will thank you.

And if you like kicking balls around, that’s fine too.
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#gardens
#gardeninspiration
#uktropicalgardeners
#gardensofinstagram
#junglegardensuk by @bigleafbotanics

I can think of worse things than gardening to be obsessed with, even if I don’t actually consider it my obsession. More a pleasurable habit.

There are other things to consider, like music, coffee and …

But there’s no denying it. The garden holds a special place in my life. I can thoroughly recommend you find a place in your life for a garden too. If you haven’t already.
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#gardens
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#gardensofinstagram
#junglegardensuk by @bigleafbotanics

We’ve had a crazy year in the garden. Ridiculous temperatures, truly tropical, even up to a few days ago.

And the tree ferns have obviously got very confused. I’ve never seen new fronds in October but this year we have two ferns putting them out.

This is a little disturbing, even if I am relieved to see life in the baby tree fern, which I’d given up for dead.

Any life is good life, right? Even if it is at totally the wrong time of year.
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#gardeninspiration
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#gardensofinstagram by @bigleafbotanics

One thing about a summer like we’ve had is it turns out you get figs the size of cricket balls. And there’s stacks of them.

But with a pond stretching across the garden, they haven’t always been easy to get at.

In the end the best tactic was to just lop off branches. A bit extreme? Anyone who has a fig knows they need a good lop every now and then anyway.

And with figs that good, sometimes extreme measures are necessary to get at them.
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#gardens
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#gardensofinstagram
#junglegardensuk by @bigleafbotanics

I don’t think there’s a gardening book in the world that would advise planting a new tree right under the rain shadow of a holly. Nothing grows under hollies.

So this strawberry tree (arbutus unedo) is going to need some nurturing.

But what a tree! Gorgeous peeling bark which goes a deep red in the wet, and those red fruits which don’t really look anything like strawberries but look fantastic in the autumn. How could I not get it?

There’s nowhere else it could go, certainly nowhere else it would like better. This is a sunny bed at least, and with plenty of water I reckon we could become friends.

Hang in there, little strawberry tree!
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#gardens
#gardeninspiration
#uktropicalgardeners
#gardensofinstagram
#junglegardensuk by @bigleafbotanics

There’s an easy way to make your garden feel bigger, and you don’t need any extra space.

Think in layers. Where you’ve got height, there’s space underneath to add another layer at ground level. It means you make great use of every bit of your garden, keep the weeds away and achieve a garden that looks full and lush into the bargain.

Think low growing grasses, ferns and in the cases of my pots, lavender.

The begonias, however, didn’t get the memo. They’ve now become the main attraction!
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#gardens
#gardeninspiration
#uktropicalgardeners
#gardensofinstagram
#junglegardensuk by @bigleafbotanics

It’s been bothering me for a while now, how I managed to plant not one but two varieties of bamboo in the ground that run.

I’d read the horror stories, I’d even dug up a particularly thuggish variety (sasa palmata nebulosa) so why did I leave the others in? The answer had to lie in the 2003 book titled Architectural Plants that I regarded as my gardening bible back in the day. And there it was, in black and white. “Nice tight clumps,” “suitable for the smallest gardens.”

No word of runners shooting off in all directions after they’ve been in the ground ten years. However another book, called Plant says exactly that. So I’d chosen to ignore one in favour of my preference.

To further confuse matters, phyllostachys is still for sale at garden centres without a word of advice or warning to this day.

So if you have bamboo that’s shooting up through your neighbour’s lawn, take solace in the fact it’s not your fault.

And if you’re planting any now, leave it in a pot.

If you’re wondering where to get the well behaved variety, I’ve added one to my ShopMy. Link in bio.
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#gardens
#gardeninspiration
#uktropicalgardeners
#gardensofinstagram
#junglegardensuk by @bigleafbotanics

There really isn’t enough room to swing the proverbial cat in here. Which is a relief to Tony. 😂

But small spaces can feel big when you make the most of what you’ve got.

Even a little garden can take you somewhere else.

Tony approves!
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#gardens
#gardeninspiration
#uktropicalgardeners
#gardensofinstagram
#junglegardensuk by @bigleafbotanics

It’s not about how many individual plants you’ve got, it’s about what you do with them.

It might be tempting to go out and fill your garden with hundreds of different plant species but in reality, you only need a few, and more of them.

Take grasses. Always look better in drifts if you have the room, and musa Basjoo, always look better in a grove. Give them time and they’ll do it for you. No need to splash out.

So when you’re planning your garden, why not think more about repetition and less about collecting every plant that ever grew.

I’m no expert, but it’s what I’ve done.
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#gardens
#gardeninspiration
#uktropicalgardeners
#gardensofinstagram
#junglegardensuk by @bigleafbotanics