A small U.K. tropical style jungle garden packed full of leafy exotic plants, lush growth and the beautiful sounds of a waterfall – visiting Simon Mabury in his tiny Leeds jungle really was a treat for all the senses! This is a new build garden transformation taking just three years with houseplants used as outdoor plants and outdoor plants decorating the space like houseplants! With some great tips for small garden design and planting, water feature build ideas, loads of inspirational hardy & tender exotic plant names & care tips, I hope this garden tour really is helpful for those of you with small gardens, back yards and balconies but really looking to create a tropical holiday vibe. Inspired by holidays across Asia, the vibrant green jungle planting features canopy plants like Tetrapanax, Paulownia and Dicksonia antartica tree ferns with a stunning Clematis armandii climber winding through the garden over a mid-tier of hardy exotics like Mahonia ‘Sweet Winter’ and lower down, lush ferns, exotic gingers and dainty Epimedium plants carpeting the jungle floor. For a small city garden of only 7m x 5m, the density & variety of plants combined with the overall effect really are incredible. In the video we talk about tips for growing a U.K. tropical style jungle garden, how to design and plan a small urban garden for maximum effect, how creating a microclimate can help all your rare plants survive winter weather plus some behind the scenes tips about how to improve your summer display with houseplants, exotic flowers and seed-grown plants.
For a garden with over 400 plants (yes, really!), you’ll be amazed at how many of these jungle giants have been grown from seed or bought as small plants on a budget only to rocket to the sky in just three years! Wow! Apologies the audio isn’t up to the usual standard with this vid, technical issues which I’m now aware of but I hope you enjoy seeing this beautiful tiny garden and fascinating chat with Simon Mabury – B&Q’s 2022 ‘Eccentric Gardener of the Year’, the man behind the Tropical/Jungle Style Gardening UK Facebook group, featured gardener on BBC Gardeners’ World and all round nice guy / fellow plant obsessive!
Tropical/Jungle Style Gardening UK – seasonal plant care tips, exotic garden inspiration and a fast growing tropical plant community here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/282958742948037/
Follow Simon Mabury over at the Jungle Garden Leeds Instagram @junglegardenleeds https://www.instagram.com/junglegardenleeds/?hl=en-gb
0:00 Intro
0:59 Tetrapanax & fast growing tropical plants for a lush jungle canopy
2:16 Creating a small garden tropical display with foliage pot plants
Black decking, hardy plants, small jungle ponds & landscaping ideas
4:31 Using green leafy plants to create a tropical style jungle effect
6:00 Winding paths, black decking & making a small garden seem bigger
6:32 Creating an evergreen jungle garden microclimate with hardy exotic plants
8:46 Using running water & small garden ponds to create atmosphere & mystery
9:45 Jungle foliage plant ideas – combing hardy exotics with tender bedding
12:35 Creating garden microclimates with structures, canopy plants & climbers
15:54 Moving containers around and changing your mind about plants!
17:49 Exotic foliage plant ideas, outdoor houseplants & jungle design
21:51 A small garden waterfall project, adding sound to your jungle
22:31 Even more exotic plant ideas for UK tropical style jungle gardens
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34 Comments
Great inspiration simon! I have 1500 m2 of jungle, but it can do with more plant density. Youve just proven me it aint ever full or done…
Several additions to plant list too!! 😊😊😊
Wonderful tour. A huge range of expected and then more unusual jungle plants. Certainly a few I'll be seeking out.
I would like to grow tetrapanax too. But to live in the southern USA means it will probably sucker!
The snakes in the southern Staates would love to hide in your hidden pond…..
More inspiration. What a great garden! Amazing what can be achieved.
Massively inspiring. I habe a 10m x 7m space and if I exclude a lawned area that the wife and kids have forbidden me from totally removing then im looking at a similar sized area for planting. The use of layers, water and shapes really comes together here. Great video.
Absolutely marvellous
I loved this garden tour. I appreciate your enthusiasm of his garden, too.
Absolutely stunning garden and full of inspiration. I still can't believe that its 7×5!
Great video as always george…..
Another superb garden tour George. Thank you 👍🏻🌴
Is that giant hogweed??
Thank you George, one of the videos that I liked the most, I didn't know about this beautiful garden, it will be very helpful for me to start following you to be inspired by my own garden since it shares similar size characteristics. Greetings !
Another incredible garden. Fantastic foliage, amazing leaf shapes and combinations. And wow imagine opening that gate as a stranger to the garden and getting proper hit up the face by huge plants. And yeah my plant list has just went crazy 😂
Is cyanthea cooperi going to get big ?can I grow it in a pot to restrict growth .you have given me hope I have started my garden in my late 60s and I might see mature .love the garden
What was the other schefflera you mentioned? Not the tiawana the first on the video with the bigger leaves?
Fantastic looking garden, and has given me some ideas for my small garden. Cheers George.
I follow Simon on instagram what a garden he has .. Tropical paradise 🌴🌱🪴 Thank you for another great video one I had to save 🙌
What a great garden so many lovely plants Will we be hearing water in your garden in the future George thanks for sharing
Amazing Garden.😍 I have a new small garden and waiting for my canopy to grow – I was thinking I’d put in too many trees – now I’m thinking I don’t have enough! 😂
This is a great garden to aim for for us, thanks George excellent video
I loved this! ❤
What an amazing collection of plants Simon has achieved in such a small garden…….envious is an understatement.
I’m intrigued to know we he gets these exotics from?
Stunning garden! Love the colocasias in pots and gunnera as a canopy plant.
This was great and perfect for those with small tropical gardens such an encouragement thanks
Magnificent, truly. Thank you for proving there’s allllways more room for plants even in small gardens. Enjoyed this George, thanks for sharing, Simon.
I saw something like this on gardners world a few years ago and thats what gave me the bug. Great garden space simon.great video george.😊
Love love LOVE this video George (and Simon)! Great tour with loads of great tips. This is my sort of garden 👌🌴😀
Hi george. What a great small garden . Well stocked with a massive variety of our type of plants! I was waiting for simon to say that his other half went into the garden and hasnt been seen again for a couple of days!🤣. I must get tyro rex for my garden(or a couple-shhh.) love your videos mate, keep up the good work. Thanks all the best. Steve. Ps I got another tree fern recently. I paid nearly 90 pnd a foot!! Its a seven footer! Aint it nice being skint👍.🌴🌴
Wow, what a garden What a Inspiration, hope mine gets to look the same
Outstanding Well done
Really impressive. Even within the exotic-style gardening you can see such variety in personal styles. Love this jungle vibe, superb layers and really cool different shaped glossy foliage. Setting the tone no doubt for a true jungle canopy experience. Full marks from me Simon. Superb. Great video as always George. A really cool tour inspirational 👏
Excellent video George, loved the banter. I can't believe how amazing that garden looks for the size, you imagine you are in the thick of the jungle
What a brilliant video of an amazing and wonderful garden. I'm now going to have to re-watch a few times to take it all in. Thank you both for sharing.