Book Review - Exotic Planting for Adventurous Gardeners

'Exotic Planting for Adventurous Gardeners' by Christopher Lloyd and Friends is an unexpected bonus. Unexpected because the work was almost but not complete at the time of his death in 2006 and may well have been lost to his devoted followers if not for several of his friends who gladly picked up the reigns adding their own interesting chapters to his.

Among them are the novelist Frank Ronan who took overall responsibility for completing the text and Anna Pavord who contributes an opening chapter on exotic gardens in history. Erica Hunningher, who was also responsible for editing Christopher Lloyd’s other two books in the “Adventurous Gardening” series, edits the book.

Christopher Lloyd OBE VMH devoted his life to creating, and writing about his garden at Great Dixter. I well remember my horror when he decided to eliminate the roses from the rose garden, designed by Lutyens, and create in its place an Exotic Garden. But as in all things the old master knew exactly what he was doing - he delighted at the sound of the tearing old rose roots and then had a lot of fun planting the bold foliage of palms, arching New Zealand flax and stately cannas which were to become symbols of his ‘exotic’ tastes.

The exotic garden illustrated to the 'old school' that it was possible to have fun in the garden and to create dazzling colour from June until first frosts. For him shapes were everything but colour was also important. But was what he was doing really that radical? Anna Pavord points out that when Christopher planted tropical bananas, cannas and castor oil plants in the rose garden at Great Dixter, it was new and daring - "almost sacrilegious - even though exotic gardens were the height of fashion in the latter part of the 19th century."

What he did was to awaken in our hearts a new and expressive way to use tropical plants and importantly pointed the way to achieving the effect while at the same time using very few plants which were 'truly tropical'.

Illustrated with hundreds of photographs by Jonathan Buckley, the book both inspires and instructs. I particularly liked the chapter on ‘Succulents and a few cacti; which gave me lots of new ideas and has prompted me into looking at ways I can grow more of these in my own garden. There is also an excellent chapter on Cannas and Dahlias and Perennials and Shrubs.

Roy Lancaster contributes a chapter on 'Exotics in a suburban garden' while Ray Waite looks at 'Colourful and intricately marked foilage.' Mary Keen provides a postscript 'Tropical has become a cliché' and Helen Dillon has created an excellent Directory of exotic plants at the end of the book.

The great plantsman tells the story of his Exotic Garden at Dixter in that delightful, easy way we all loved so much. His common sense approach glows through every page and it is certainly a bonus for everyone passionate about their gardens that the book has been completed to become the third and final installment in his 'passionate gardener' series.