If you like a bit of jungle gardening, as I call it, this blog is for you. (Or it could inspire you!)

In my own garden, I created different areas. I am a plant-a-holic and love colour so most of the garden is a riot of colour.

But I also created a secluded area with leafy plants, which I find nice and calming.

Leafy being the word, as a few plants dominate: (In order of the pictures) Gunnera manicata, Persicaria polymorpha and Cardiocrinum giganteum.

The first one is a real jungle looking plant, but will do in northern Scotland as long as it gets some shelter for a few winters. Originally from Brazil.

This Persicaria can be a nightmare (spreading like mad) if planted in a shady spot. It seems to look for a place to be happy and romps off. I am also growing it in the sun and it has hardly spread at all. I love it’s impact of huge stems and beautifully scented flowers. And the beasties go mad for it, as for most Persicarias. And then there is Cardiocrinum, the Himalayan Lily. It might take a few years to flower but boy is it worth it. Imagine a lily on a stem – 2 metres high! If you want to see lot’s of them in flower go to Cluny House Gardens (near Aberfeldy, http://www.clunyhousegardens.com) – stunning. They like dampish woodland conditions, but I’ve seen one growing in a sunny spot (near Inverness) too, against all odds.

I enjoy these monsters in my garden, as I do the wee delicate plants too – if I could only find them in all that jungle…

Enjoy the greenery!