In my garden, the Fatsia Japonica is enjoying a late flowering attracting wasps and bumble bees - normally well tucked up by this time of year. This evergreen plant adapts well to wetter winters/hotter summers and is exceptionally low maintenance. It is classed as an Architectural Plant which are increasingly attractive to UK gardeners as they struggle with unpredictable weather patterns.

To explore these plants further, I decided to visit one of my favourite nurseries - Architectural plants in Nuthurst, near Horsham in West Sussex.

This unique place greets you with an attractive Colonial “office” and was established by Angus White in 1990. Lamenting the fact that the average British garden looks very unimpressive in winter, Angus put together a special selection of exotic looking evergreen plants that he knew would survive the UK climate and yet provide year round interest . Some spiky, some with big leaves, some tropical looking and some rather weird but all are evergreen and as an horticultural group they are called “Architectural”.I love the way Anguus describes what Architectural Plants represents in his beautiful glossy brochure:

Over 20 years, the nursery has established itself as one of the best known in the country. It is an inspirational experience to wander around but take plenty of money as the choice of high quality plants is very tempting.Many of the plants are now propagated at their own nursery near Chichester to ensure reliable plants, adapted to growing in the UK .

To help you decide, the nursery operates an innovative traffic light system which uses red to denote non-hardy specimens, orange for half-hardy and green for those that will withstand any conditions .There are always plenty of assistants around to help plus there is an incredible amount of information available in the delightful cafe area where you can sit and enjoy the excellent range of free refreshments and read about the different plants.

One of my favourites is Trachycarpus Fortunei with attractive red bark which looks stunning on its own or in a planting scheme.Visit http://www.architecturalplants.com/ - or pay a visit and experience this amazing place for yourself .

Palms are perfect for this dry, hot weather as they require hardly any water to survive once established plus they bring something unusual to your garden.

Despite their prominence in hotter climates, palm trees are very hardy plants and most will thrive in the British climate.They are slow-growing but can grow up to 20 or 30ft depending on the variety.

Choosing a palm tree
Before you buy a palm tree, you should think about the location where it will be planted, as different species have varying requirements. Additionally, the height of the mature palm tree, as well as the spread of its fronds should be considered to ensure that it fits well with its surroundings. Another major factor is if you are looking for a hardy outdoor  palm tree or an interior palm.

If you’re looking for palm tree for your garden, the Chilean wine palm is an excellent choice. With a huge rounded trunk, it can grow up to 15m tall and thrives in bright, sunny areas. Its canopy can spread up five metres and its lovely angular leaves make this palm tree a fantastic focal point for any outdoor space.

For indoor situations, consider a Kentia palm tree. Excellent for bright indoor locations, such as conservatories or entryways, it grows to a height of about two metres and produces flowers in the summer for an extra splash of colour.

Caring for your palm tree
Palm trees are easy to grow and simply need good soil plus protection from frost if not hardy.

When planting a tropical palm tree, the plant should be pre-soaked before putting it in the ground, especially if planting is occurring during a dry spell. The hole should be significantly larger than the root system, as the loosened soil around the palm tree will allow better root penetration.

To get the most from your palm tree, it should be watered and fed on a regular basis. It’s best to apply fertilisers during warmer months when the palm tree is actively growing. Since they are usually shallow-rooting plants, palm trees should also be thickly mulched.

Palm trees don’t require much in the way of pruning and this task usually simply requires the removal of dead fronds and suckers. While fruit-bearing palm trees can be a pretty addition to a garden, the fruit can also be messy, so some gardeners may choose to remove the fruit before it ripens.

Buying palm trees

There are many different palm trees to choose from and it is a good idea to visit a specialist nursery to make sure you get professional advice on the best variety for your garden. Hardy palms such as dwarf fan palm trees, Chusan palm trees and the Jelly Palm, have distinct characteristics and an ability to survive our not-so-temperate winters.

There are many UK nurseries specialising in palms offering a choice of shapes that provide interest whatever the english weather might bring throughout the year.Here are three with nationwide delivery service:

EAST SUSSEX

http://www.athelasplants.co.uk/palm-trees-c17

http://www.bigplantnursery.co.uk/palms.html

RICHMOND, LONDON

http://www.palmcentre.co.uk/Outdoor_Palms.aspx

Palm trees are a common sight in many english gardens. Martin Gibbons, who set up the Palm Centre 21 years ago in Richmond, has witnessed how the changing UK climate has made Palms more popular. “Some species of palms that couldn’t survive an English winter when I started are now completely fine”. he says. Read about my visit to Martin’s mecca for Palm trees :

http://www.myglobalgarden.com/blog/the-palm-centre-ham-near-richmond-surrey

In the next few days, I will reveal plants that withstand any condition in celebration of the huge range of weather conditions that the UK has experienced over the past few months.October/November saw exceptionally mild temperatures of around 11-14c in the South East followed by absolutely freezing conditions over the past week with temperatures down to -4c in some rural locations.

First choice is a delightful long leaved plant with a gorgeous emerald green colour called HEBE PARVIFLORA ANGUSTIFOLIA

Apparently this plant is not named after Angus, although I reckon it has the same versatility and long-lasting qualities as it bears the strap line of:

IF YOU KILL THIS, GIVE UP GARDENING.

These plants are ideal for screening if planted together as can grow up to 6ft .They bear attractive small flowers in Autumn and Angus describes them as “simply the most useful and one of the prettiest plants in the nursery. Happy anywhere - including dry shade where nothing else will grow.”

http://www.architecturalplants.com/plant.html?code=HPAC

Architectural Plants combine year round interest, attractive foliage and many like Phillyrea Latifolia are low maintenance and very hardy. Angus tells me that this plant is exceptionally popular at his nursery .It has the feel of an olive tree but he suggests it is more beautiful as the leaves are intense making it ideal for topiary.It originates from Japan where it is called “Niwaki” which means small treehttp://www.architecturalplants.com/plant.html?code=PLSP

The third suggestion for low maintenance, high impact winter plants is Euphorbia melliflora - more commonly known as Honey Spurge.This plant provides instant gratification with attractive leaves similar to Oleander . It grows to about 8 feet in 10 years but needs protection in a rural winter environment if temperatures dip very low.http://www.architecturalplants.com/plant.html?code=EMNR

This is highlighted by the amber traffic light on the information board- see below. This brilliant system created by Angus White is a simple method of indentifying plants that are not so hardyhttp://www.architecturalplants.com/hardiness_codes.html

Try visiting a truly inspirational garden located in the centre of Norwich in the East of England which is open to the public on Sunday and Monday.

Will Giles’ Exotic Garden blossomed during the July heatwave and is now enjoying the monsoon style rains that have arrived during August.

In his own words the garden is “just reaching its peak with gigantic foliage and sumptuous flowers to tease the senses.”

Here is Will’s latest blog to tempt you.

http://www.exoticgarden.com/blog/the-garden/august-bank-holiday-weekend-%e2%80%93-rain-or-shine/

Good weather has returned just in time for the Bank Holiday weekend.Here is the view along the sea front this morning - plenty of sunshine and a tropical feel to the view with the beautiful palms by the pier.

Will rainy summers become a thing of the past for the UK?

This  fascinating forecast for the next 100 years suggests that we will have a more Mediterranean climate and vineyards will flourish but that flooding will become an even bigger issue for parts of the country. Challenging times ahead for everyone - especially gardeners?

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/turned-out-nice-by-marek-kohn-1984401.html

Latin name: Phyllostachys nigra

Description: Highly architectural plants giving stature to the garden as well as flowing form. Clump-forming and normally well behaved bamboo with green canes (culms) when juvenile, turning jet-black with age. Although this is currently the most popular bamboo, there are contless others that are well worth trying. P. bambusoides ‘Allgold’ for instancer has bright golden yellow to deep orange canes – an absolute stunner!

Hardiness: Hardy to -15C and lower

Height: 4-8m

Position: Full sun position with plenty of air circulation

Soil: Well-drained garden soil that doesn’t get saturated in the winter

Water: Water to establish, then fairly drought tolerant when mature

Usage: Bamboos are attractive all year, hence should be planted in a dominant position, though their eventual size must be taken into consideration

Latin name:

Description: Elder is a well known shrub in our hedge rows, but there are several highly garden worthy forms and Sambucus niger is certainly one of them. If pollarded (cut to the ground) yearly it will produce up to 2m of fresh growth. ‘Black Lace’ makes a striking plant for the back of the border with its very finely cut, almost black foliage, which is the perfect foil to the pink-flushed blooms in early summer. Another favourite is ‘Aurea’ with golden yellow foliage followed by fragrant creamy white flowers in early summer. Both are great foils for dark green plants.

Hardiness: Hardy

Height: 1.5-2.5m if pollarded yearly

Position: Full sun to dappled shade

Soil: moist fertile soil

Water: fairly drought tolerant once established

Usage: On its own or at the back of a border

Latin name:

Description: Glorious evergreen shrub and one of the first flowering plants on the planet, making it another plant that was around at the time of the dinosaurs! This impressive magnolia can get rather large, so needs to be positioned well. The oblong, pointed, glossy, dark green leaves are velvety-matt brown on the under sides. The fragrant, large, bowl-shaped flowers (20-30cm across), are absolutely stunning, appearing intermittently from mid-summer to early autumn.

Hardiness: Hardy to -15C and lower

Height: 4-8m

Position: Full sun to dappled shade with protection from wind as the branches break easily

Soil: Any well drained soil with added organic matter

Water: Fairly drought tolerant once established

Usage: Superb as a specimen shrub or tree and also takes well to being trained against a south or west facing wall