I’ve been gardening for a while and I’m really into my plants. There are some that I like, some that I don’t, some that I want to fill my garden with and then there are a small group of plants that whenever their name is mentioned, I just have to stop and consider their sheer awesomeness:

1. A huge, flowering wisteria gone rampant along a large wall
2. A mature, potted Strelitzia Reginae (Bird of Paradise) in full flower
3. A Rosa Banksiae Lutea, covering a whole side of a house
4. A large flowering magnolia

There will be others too that I will discover as I come across them. Right now, I am very proud to be able to announce that I am well on the way to having three of these in my garden – if slightly different from the original descriptions:

1. We have a young wisteria clambering along vine-eyes along the side of the house. It does flower but only produces a few racemes as it is only a couple of years old
2. About two years ago, I started a Strelitzia from seed. It is still considered a seedling at the moment but is now growing ever larger leaves and has a substantial basal trunk for its size. However, it will still be about five years before it might flower
3. This is the final piece to fall into place. I ordered a Rosa Banksiae Lutea and it came this week. At the moment it is small and delicate but I will be planting it to twine around the wisteria and use the same framework.
4. I’ve yet to work on the magnolia – lack of space is a problem

All these plants are young and will take time to grow and develop but I know that my patience and efforts will be richly rewarded.