Deciding on a planting theme can be a real help when it comes to choosing
which plants to grow. I'm going to show you how to create a tropical garden, but
whatever theme you end up choosing, one simple rule will help you get it right.
Well designed gardens have plants that cover three categories, feature, filler,
spiller and the best thing is that this rule can apply to any scale of garden.
The feature plant should be the focal point usually giving the garden height
the filler provides the next layer and fills out the design and lastly the
spiller is often something like a ground cover. A great tip to accompany our
golden rule is that within this layout to add diversity mix and match plants
that offer fragrance, foliage and flowers. I'm gonna be keeping things really
simple today, our plants are gonna go into some pots so that on the deck we
can arrange them best to fit into the space. I'll kick off with our star
jasmine. So we've set up our pot with a really good base layer of pot power which has
got everything you need for growing in pots.
Next one.
And the last one.
Right, so those look like they're at a good level, now we just fill it up with some more
pot power.
Keep in mind this pot power will reduce a little bit over time so put in a
little bit extra and then just a little pat to secure the plants in their pot.
Don't forget a quick water and let's get them on the deck
So I've chosen the Australian frangipani as our feature for its lush, evergreen foliage.
It's the tallest one at the back. Our next layer down is our fillers so we've got some lovely
Vireya's as well as our bird of paradise with the flowers and the bold foliage
and then the last layer down is our spillers, so our star jasmine for its
beautiful fragrant flowers and these beautiful bromeliads for all year round
colour. And there we have it, I'm pretty happy with that feature, filler and spiller.
If you're planting into the ground, add some organic compost to the soil
and mix it through the existing soil so it doesn't burn the roots.
Make sure you factor in the full-grown size of your chosen plants when planting and leave
enough space around them for growth. Some tropical flower varieties are Vireya's
which are amazing in bloom and grow to around 1 to 1.8 metres, the classic
tropical hibiscus with a number of varieties and the bird of paradise which
is hardy and brings a lot of structure to a garden. If you're after fragrance
gardenia are great as a ground cover or can fill out to a small shrub, Australian
Frangipani are easy to grow and attract Tui's in spring. For a fragrant
climber, stephanotis grows to around 4 metres or star jasmine
a popular climber or ground cover. In terms of foliage, Cannas grow well and
offer a wide range of different coloured leaves and flowers. The Puka is an
iconic New Zealand native that has huge glossy leaves or tropical cordylines
which are great for adding colour without a flower. Make a bit of a plan, then take
your plant choices in store to check they'll do well in your region.
It's a pretty simple regime when it comes to watering and feeding tropicals and it's
mainly focused around summer. Water well and often to keep the soil moist.
An application of mulch should also help with this
feed them monthly over summer. Most like a slow-release fertilizer like Nitrophoska,
but a few, like gardenias, prefer something more acidic you'll know if you
need a more acidic fertilizer if your leaves are turning yellow.
With those two simple rules - feature, filler, spiller and foliage, fragrance, flower - garden designs
should be a whole lot easier. I'm a big fan of the tropical theme as these plants
stay green right through winter but the same principles apply to any garden
design. So go get stuck in, it's Easy As.