Planting up the Exotic

Before

Thurs 13th June
Weather: It went up to about 16°C apparently, but felt colder.
Worked with gardener Graham to clear an area in the Exotic garden for planting, taking up old Hedychium plants and some very old roots of a Yucca, and potted on anything that looked like it still had life.

After

In that area we planted Colocasia esculenta & a banana Musa basjoo

Fri 14th June
Weather: Hot
I did more planting in the Exotic Garden, the Yucca elephantipes came out again, this time smack bang in the middle of a bed alluding to the feel of a desert island, Dahlia 'Twynings Number 8' with dark read leaves put in a bigger block and a more prominent position this year (they were a little overcrowded last year),  & an Arundo donax.

What the island looked like a few weeks after.

Sat 15th June
I gave a tour to some Finnish people who were interested in gardens.

Mon 17th June
Weather: Cloudy & a bit of rain at first, then hot sunshine. Went up to 18°C.

Taking out smaller plants of Musa basjoo.

Planting continued in the Exotic Garden - Senecio petasites, Arundo donax, and Impatiens sodonii (pink one). We took out some young banana shoots, which had to be dug as close to the main plant as much as possible so it would come away with enough roots for them to survive.