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Gardening

Ideas how to make. Tropical Caribbean Style Garden

(36 Posts)
NannyKisses Tue 30-Jul-19 12:36:29

I have a blank canvas as you can see in the photos attached. I really would like some help in designing a Tropical Caribbean Style & vibe Garden. All types of Tropical flowers & palm trees. A bar, a feature sunbathing area in one of the many types of sun loungers or sun lounger swings. A water feature, a lovely seating area, an area for bbq & pizza oven, a place for my 6 chairs & round table. Maybe a small pool either in or above the ground & maybe a Jaccuzzi too. Any ideas all welcome. Many thanks x

tanith Tue 30-Jul-19 12:46:08

? hmmm!

Elegran Tue 30-Jul-19 13:30:17

First thing to do is to move to the Caribbean. After that the rest is easy. The sun shines all day there. Everything you stick in the ground will grow and flourish, and you can spend your days in your pool or sunbathing in your lounger.

annsixty Tue 30-Jul-19 14:00:25

Is this a hotel you are opening?

Hope it isn’t anywhere north of the Wash.

phoenix Tue 30-Jul-19 16:37:32

What photos?

If you want to fit in that many features and areas, just get a designer in.......................

EllanVannin Tue 30-Jul-19 16:58:22

Room for a pony ?

Elegran Tue 30-Jul-19 16:58:34

That must be a big garden. Must be somewhere warm, too.

lemongrove Tue 30-Jul-19 19:28:14

There are no photos.
Sincerely hope you don’t live in the North!❄️☃️

NannyKisses Wed 31-Jul-19 19:50:38

Hi. Iv done my research & many palms flowers plants can survive in uk down till -6

I was just hoping there would be some nice people out there would would have some helpful ideas.

I used to love my holidays especially to the Caribbean & Asia. But sadly now I’m too ill to travel that far

I would just like a tropical garden that would remind me of my holidays, a bright cheerful zen place where I could remember my holidays. And have friends over because I can’t get out often. X

lemongrove Wed 31-Jul-19 19:55:44

Nanny I think your best bet would just be to google ‘ how to create a Caribbean garden in the UK’. I have no knowledge of what can survive in a hard Winter.

NannyKisses Wed 31-Jul-19 20:00:32

A tiny bit of my front Garden proud to say I planted myself x

tanith Wed 31-Jul-19 20:03:37

Could you get a garden designer to plan it as it’s sounding very involved with all that you want to do.

lemongrove Wed 31-Jul-19 20:06:18

Wow, lovely, you obviously have green fingers.?
The only tropical plant that I think does well ( seen on tv)
Are palms of all types.
We have more shrubs and cottage garden style, so not at all up on tropical things.

NannyKisses Wed 31-Jul-19 20:07:29

Thank you Lemongrove. I have done that & find many photos but really what I’m looking for I had 4 saleman came round to give me quotes. Each one had no photos of anything near what I’m looking for but they all wanted between a 2k to 5k deposit.

I have to be very careful with money & this will be the largest thing I purchase before I die X

NannyKisses Wed 31-Jul-19 20:12:45

Thanks both. Tanith I this my last post answers your question. My front garden is cottage style. I just wanted my back Garden in my last few years to be full of my favourite things x

NannyKisses Wed 31-Jul-19 20:14:28

Some things I like x

Farmor15 Wed 31-Jul-19 20:15:30

Banana plants can grow in our climate, though no bananas, and need protection in winter. Cordyline looks like palm tree but isn’t, so much more hardy. Gardener’s World, featured some tropical style gardens

m.youtube.com/watch?v=MbD3nLVFxdE

m.youtube.com/watch?v=vJEJHPQA3C8

www.gardenersworld.com/plants/plants-for-a-jungle-style-border/

If you search online for tropical style garden you’ll get ideas. From your photos, you need to start with lots of plants. The other things can then be fitted in. It won’t be cheap, as these type of plants tend to be expensive, unless you can get some from friends. We have banana plants from a friend and cordyline seedling from neighbour’s garden.

Callistemon Wed 31-Jul-19 20:16:35

You can grow banana plants quite successfully in the south of the UK if your garden is sheltered.
At the moment I have some frangipani growing in pots but they may need to come inside or at least into the greenhouse over the winter.
Palm trees would survive in southern areas but be prepared to wrap them in fleece in the winter - it's not the cold, it's in case snow drops on the top of them and can rot them.

I'd love to have a tree fern but they are so expensive for anything of any size and they grow so slowly. They need to be covered in sacking over the winter.
www.housebeautiful.com/uk/garden/plants/a555/10-tropical-plants-you-can-grow-in-the-uk/

A friend has a lovely tropical garden but has to move some plants in pots into somewhere warmer in the winter and it can get a bit much as you get older.

Are you in the south?
Have you been to the Lost Gardens of Heligan or anywhere similar to get some ideas?

Callistemon Wed 31-Jul-19 20:18:01

Farmor it was out cordyline which had grown into a tree which got snow in the top and rotted!
However, it did have some babies around the edge so they are now in pots and surviving a bit of neglect!

merlotgran Wed 31-Jul-19 20:20:31

This man is sadly no longer with us

But his garden has featured on Gardeners World a few times and you can also find some videos on YouTube.

Plenty of garden design advice online as well.

Whereabouts in the country are you?

Hetty58 Wed 31-Jul-19 20:26:49

I think that you could design/draw it yourself. Visits to nurseries that specialise in tropical plants will be useful for advice on hardiness and design. If you want a garden really crammed with plants you only need to consider the pond, seating area and paths. The rest is plants with tall specimens at a distance from the house.

I like dramatic plants so have various bamboos in tubs and lots of Fatsia Japonica, some very tall. Tree ferns are easy to plant, only needing a trunk-sized hole and the hardy banana plant always looks exotic. I've always wanted a monkey puzzle tree (maybe one day?)

Just go for it and have fun!

Callistemon Wed 31-Jul-19 20:29:03

I think the thing with a tropical garden is that it needs to be fairly well packed, not spaced out.

Farmor15 Wed 31-Jul-19 20:32:30

I was thinking the same, Callistemon. Looking at the photos, the first step would be to fill the corners with biggish plants, with big leaves.

NannyKisses Wed 31-Jul-19 20:34:29

Thank you so very much for all your help. The utube are very helpful. I just wished I could find a good landscape or a gardener with ideas as I have some good ideas too. I can’t say thank you enough.
Any more help is always appreciated x

NannyKisses Wed 31-Jul-19 20:50:46

You are such lovely thoughtful people who I really appreciate.

I live in near the Cotswolds.

I used to live in Essex

This is the end of my Garden. Which I love, but in the winter there are no leaves just branches.

I have quite a square garden do you think I should mirror each side ? Or make separate areas x