Take your indoor plants out!
Words: Matthew Biggs
Look at David Cubero and James Wong’s Tourism Malaysia Garden and the succulents among herbaceous perennials in Thomas Hoblyn’s Foreign & Colonial Investment Trust’s Garden and you could be forgiven for thinking that they had little relevance for British gardeners. Yet nothing could be further from the truth.
Although we forget their origins, the garden plants of the tropics are our houseplants but are rarely used outdoors. Most people's idea of giving their plants a 'holiday' outside is rather unimaginative: putting them in a pot on the patio. But why not plunge them in borders and add a touch of the ‘exotic’ as both the above gardens have demonstrated to great effect?
In the floral marquee, Rhodes and Rockliffe have a sumptuous display of foliage begonias, notably Begonia ‘Burle Marx', whose leathery, scalloped, moss green leaves are patterned with bronze, or Begonia ‘Etna’ which is so dark it appears to be black with red markings, like glowing embers. They would make wonderful additions to summer containers or hanging baskets in shade.
Alternatively you could add the new Streptocarpus ‘Harlequin Blue’ (Chelsea's Plant of the Year 2010) with baby blue and lemon yellow flowers or the massed cerise bracts of Bougainvillea ‘Elizabeth Angus’ in sunshine– both are stunning in house or garden.
It's time to break down the barriers, forget your preconceptions and make better use of houseplants – take your inside out and shake it all about!