Recommend me some exotic trees for the UK

longwalks1

We will be after several large (5ft and taller) trees for our garden once its finished, but want something a little exotic/foreign looking if possible. I've always like tree ferns (dicksonia antarctica) but know they need looking after and wrapping up in the winter.


Can you suggest any other trees that are winter hardy, preferably evergreen as we are fairly new to gardening so dont really know what to look for


Many thanks in advance

elsien

Would help to know where you are and the conditions, for starters.

Somewhere sheltered in Cornwall may have different suggestions to an exposed coastal area in Scotland.

longwalks1

elsien wrote: »

Would help to know where you are and the conditions, for starters.

Somewhere sheltered in Cornwall may have different suggestions to an exposed coastal area in Scotland.

Sorry should of said, Hertfordshire, SE England

tori.k

Bamboo, Fatsia Japonica ( spiderweb is fantastic) cordylines, Trachycarpus wagnerianus would be a pretty safe bet, Musa basjoo (banana) would also pretty hardy but it would most likely die back completely over winter unless protected
Wind burn is the enemy of hardy exotics, most places usually best to create it on a lower more easily sheltered level Hosta like empress wu mixed with shuttlecock ferns (deer fern are very interesting) throw in some canna or crocosmia for colour gives a great easy exotic look if you can add in some marginal pitcher plants to complete the look.

Debbie_Savard

Mahonia Japonica, Himalayan honeysuckle, acuba japonica

Have a look at the videos from Yorkshire Kris and his exotic garden - https://www.youtube.com/user/YorkshireKRIS/videos

harrys_nan

I have an Australian tree fern, keep it in a pot.
I always cover the head with straw and bend the leaves over the head and then put a fleece cover over it, I also bubble wrap the pot. I have had it a few years now, both in Devon and here in the Midlands, but I this winter may have done for it, I have one fern coming out and although I can feel others inside they are not growing and if I rummage inside I can see they are Brown. Going to leave it until next year and see what happens.

Farway

If you go for bamboo, be sure to do extensive homework, some will take over the street

coffeehound

Eucalyptus are fast growing with an exotic appearance.

Davesnave

coffeehound wrote: »

Eucalyptus are fast growing with an exotic appearance.

....And if you have a lot of space they're great, but if you don't, expect only 5 years out of one before you need to fell it.


I cut down one of mine this spring. It was about 5 years in the ground and over a foot across at the base. Made a very satisfying thud when it hit the ground and about 5 barrow-loads of firewood.

Paulownia tomentosa is good as a small tree, and then felled and stooled thereafter....unless you want the same problems as with eucalyptus.

Oh yes, and like Freddie Krueger, the one that bit the dust in April is coming back! :eek:

Davesnave

Or, not a tree, but what about a plant I posted elsewhere yesterday, Persicaria alpinum....
https://ibb.co/dD6Bn8


My wife's rightly looking puzzled about the alpinum bit!:rotfl:

Farway

Davesnave wrote: »

....And if you have a lot of space they're great, but if you don't, expect only 5 years out of one before you need to fell it.

I cut down one of mine this spring. It was about 5 years in the ground and over a foot across at the base. Made a very satisfying thud when it hit the ground and about 5 barrow-loads of firewood.

Oh yes, and like Freddie Krueger, the one that bit the dust in April is coming back! :eek:

If they are pollarded regularly then you get juvenile leaves forever, very useful for sort of tropical, and I'm told flower arrangers love them

However, turn your back and it's chainsaw time again