Todays shorter video is a look at three quick, easy, low maintenance and fast growing exotic filler plants. Perfect for covering up bare soil, replacing plants lost to the cold winter or padding out a summer display to create a lush jungle or tropical style effect. Starting off, I suggest Miscanthus x giganteus a huge exotic grass, perfect for growing alongside bananas, cannas, Tetrapanax, a fantastic choice for instant height plus summer screening and a great non-invasive alternative to running bamboo. I then talk about another incredibly hardy plant, well two – Persicaria ‘Red Dragon’ and ‘Purple Fantasy’, beautiful foliage plants that bring vivid colours and a great ability to give a border a dense, packed look in summer. These inexpensive and reliable plants can seemingly come back from any cold and are very easy to propagate and spread round your garden. Finishing off, I suggest Crocosmia corms. A more ‘common’ garden plant I know but lovely grass-like foliage, adaptable and with incredibly viivd flowers in hot shades that compliment other tropical style plants perfectly. Three trouble-free plants that can thrive in a variety of garden situations, can be moved around the garden if required and are also great budget tropical style filler plants if you’d rather start with plants this spring than growing from seed. I’d love to hear your suggestions though, there’s loads more I sure so feel free to leave a comment with your easy tropical plant ideas and I’m sure they’ll help others out!
0:00 – Intro
0:53 Miscanthus giganteus – a fast-growing & exotic looking giant grass
2:14 Persicaria ‘Red Dragon’ & ‘Purple Fantasy’, easy & colourful exotic foliage filler plants
3:45 Crocosmia corms – colourful flowers & lush green foliage for UK tropical style gardens
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Thanks,
George
22 Comments
Personally, I prefer Miscanthus zebrinus because its variegated leaves bring more "light".
Great tips, thanks. Do you have any recommendations on where to purchase the micanthus?
Thanks George, this answers my question about Gap fillers 👍.
Funny enough, I have had Miscanthus Giganthus in my shopping basket on various sites and for one reason or another never pressed buy. Now is the time to get on with it!
I bought both Persicaria recommendations based on one of your previous videos, purple fantasy is great tropical ground cover.
I thought you might drop Coleus a mention too (which I've kept as a house plant and taken 3 cutting from which are now starting to root in water). Not sure I could be bothered to do it every year. Sweet peas although quite cottage garden, in the right spot can form a wall of colour 2m high up a fence. Not completed my planting yet but for annual fillers last year I used some multiheaded giant sunflowers – 2.5m high, leaves as large as a dinner plate and a stem as thick as your arm! Big fan of ferns for filling a space too! Don't know how you keep churning out content with a new baby!
Intro was really 😅.
Thankyou George
Great video George, I'm sooo happy you mentioned everything I'm growing, must be doing something right at last. Sunshine at last let's get our gardens going again 👍
Another video, what a treat! ❤
I have a few Veronica’s that are tropical looking 😊
Thanks George, I all ready have plenty of crocosmia , it’s a plant that’s just keeps giving, like you I have lost quite a few plants this year, but will give the micanthus a go this year, thanks for the info. Paul.
And don't feel pulling out crocosmia and putting it on the compost heap / garden bin if they multiply too much… which can happen easily! 😉
I am now thinking about the miscanthus giganteus. I've got zebrina, but it isn't quite tall enough for me!
Iv been splitting my purple fantasy and red dragon today and planting it all around my cut back cordylines . So again you are going with sound advice .😂😂😂like I'd read your mind 😂😂just finished then your video popped up 👍🏻
Some great suggestions I have been working on adding Persicaria to my garden this year it’s a cool looking plant
Crocosmia are such an underrated plant, especially if you search out the slightly more unusual varieties instead of the standard Lucifer (althought it is lovely).
Crocosmia p. 'Cally greyleaf' in particular looks so unique.
I found purple fantasy was really easy to take 2 inch cuttings , put in a small pot of water and would send out roots within a week ready to be planted into soil pots. Made me so many extra plants. All said plants are now happily sprouting away in my garden. Coleus is also a fav of mine , kong rose I have growing from seed 😊
Great advice love the miscathus but stupidly didn’t bring any from my old garden but will be sourcing for this year as a priority have the crocosmia and the persicaria both did a great job of filling empty spaces last year and will definitely be required to work extra hard this year
A plant that I don't see in your videos and that would definately fit in a tropical garden is the Fuchsia Magellanica . It is resisting freezing temperatures a little bit like Musa Basjoo : too cold and it'll grow back from the base, a mild winter won't harm them. The flowering period is also very long.
Just got my ensete out of storage…both rotted…gutted 🙁
Miscanthus has to be in my garden! Do you know if it holds up as a potential wind blocker as well by any chance?
Kniphofia also need a mention!
I like different types of Chelone. For me they like partial shade, they bloom late August until a freeze. Also “fillers” for tough spaces could be waterfalls! Nothing like a babbling brook to enhance the Jungle effect even more!
Great suggestions. I'm growing that purple crocosmia from Mike Clifford this year. Just trying to get the bulbs growing inside the house