The expert tips and tricks to creating a tropical oasis in a very British garden

There have been times during this last summer when a tropical lifestyle has looked the best way to conduct ourselves, with outdoor garden activity restricted to the morning and the late afternoon. But let us not be deceived: this is not a tropical country, and it is not about to become one. Anyone dreaming of generating an exotic atmosphere at home should first remember the three cooler seasons and take it from there.

Those who live in most of the south of England, and much of the west coast of Scotland, will have the best chance of succeeding with this form of horticultural theatre. Others will have to do their homework more thoroughly, and rely on those prime considerations of shelter, aspect and drainage.

A piece of ground which faces west or south-west will be the ideal, safe from the fear of morning frost. Free drainage is essential, as sitting wet through the winter will soon sort the sheep from the goats. And when it comes to the choice of plants, fret less about the things you saw along the prom in a far distant land and more about those good doers which create a tall, rich and luscious effect. There’s no shortage of candidates.

A piece of ground which faces west or south-west will be the ideal, safe from the fear of morning frost. Free drainage is essential, as sitting wet through the winter will soon sort the sheep from the goats. And when it comes to the choice of plants, fret less about the things you saw along the prom in a far distant land and more about those good doers which create a tall, rich and luscious effect. According to Guy Watts, owner of Architectural Plants, who has given these matters much thought over the years, there’s no shortage of candidates.

Think evergreen, tall and shiny, and you have your first theme. A second one is that the leaves should be big and distinctively shapely. And for a third, plant richly and densely. This needs to be a little world of its own, removed from the run of the mill.

For the bones of this private paradise, choose reliable evergreens with dramatic leaves. A good start would be the Chusan palm, Trachycarpus fortunei. It likes this country, and it grows a foot a year, so it soon looks the part. Fatsia japonica has travelled in my lifetime from the kitchen windowsill to the garden, and it projects just the right combination of visual drama for our purpose: big, shapely, shiny evergreen leaves, exotic flowers and fruits, and a willingness to grow in apparently unpromising situations. And to push the boat out somewhat, you may wish to try the loquat, Eriobotrya japonica, a vigorous evergreen with a certain theatrical quality. In its native climate it produces delicious fruits, but you can forget that. There are limits.

Since you’re feeling adventurous, you won’t be able to resist a banana tree in your exotic garden. An easy choice, and widely available, is Musa basjoo. It is true that those splendid leaves get shredded in stormy weather, but that happens in its native clime too, so such an appearance lends a whiff of authenticity to the scene.

There are other evergreen shrubs which will fill in the spaces of our new regime, and they need not be tropical at all. We are, after all, creating stage effects and not actually living a life of fly-whisk and flip-flops. Our old and valued friend the bay tree, Laurus nobilis, is one of the best doers of all, and will stand unmoved after a severe winter has clobbered those around it.

Once this enclosing screen is complete, there are plenty of suitable choices for smaller plants of suitable character to decorate the space. Some of them are half-hardy, and will enjoy their annual excursion from the glasshouse to the open air from May to October. These include our old friends Canna and Dahlia, and their fellow refugee from the British seafront, Cordyline indivisa, the definitive tropical plant in the mind of the most cautious British gardener.

And don’t leave it there: the Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) of your Christmas windowsill enjoys its summers in my garden, and its cousin the Nerine will flourish and brighten up your autumn in a favourable spot, quite happily left in the ground. The otherworldly fleshy pleasures of the Aeonium can always be found in a summer plot in your private paradise, but do keep it in its pot ready for retrieval. This isn’t the French Riviera.

As you can see, the possibilities are not endless, but with plenty of forethought, judicious planting choices and a willingness to be simultaneously adventurous and realistic (we are British, after all), wonderful possibilities form in the mind and on the ground. This style of gardening isn’t for everyone, but it has become familiar enough for a number of nurseries to specialise on a large scale in the making and planting of exotic gardens, and not least in the supply of specimen plants to speed the desired image of instant maturity.

Among these is the long-established Architectural Plants of Pulborough, West Sussex, whose owner, Guy Watts, sums up the whole process as ‘understanding risk, and creating something extraordinary that works for that specific garden.’ It is just that combination of reason, romance and practicality that leads to the making of great gardens. Time to open your notebook.

Visit the Architectural Plants website for more information and expert advice.