Exotic plants in the garden

Mediterranean plants and exotics in your own garden, is it possible?

Getting an exotic or Mediterranean flair into the garden is not always easy, because not all heat-loving plants are made for a colder winter, as still exists in some parts of Europe. But if you still want to plant a few exotic plants in your garden, we will share our knowledge and show you which plants can also overwinter in your garden.

The Passion Fruit / Passion Fruit (Passiflora edulis)

This popular and tasty exotic fruit was originally planted in Brazil.
It is a climbing plant that grows edible fruit.
In Europe, it is often kept as a tub plant, as winter protection is too complicated for many people.
But with the right care, this exotic plant can also be overwintered outdoors in Europe.
Generally, the branches of the passion fruit can grow up to 15 m long. The plant climbs along trellises, fences or gabions and later forms flowers and fruits on the branches. The passion fruit is an evergreen plant that blooms in the summer months in wonderful star-shaped flowers in white with intense shades of purple and yellow.

Later, egg-shaped fruits form on the branches, which have a firm leathery purple-brown colour.

The soil should be well-drained so that waterlogging is avoided. A mixture of gravel, expanded clay and humus is best. The place where the plant is grown should be sunny, but not too hot, so that the leaves, flower and fruit do not burn and the soil dries out quickly. The plant should have constantly moist soil, but it does not like waterlogging. The plant should be given a little liquid fertiliser every 14 days so that its nutrient requirements are well covered.
To overwinter the passion fruit outdoors, it needs reliable winter and frost protection. For this purpose, cover the bush ball with foliage up to 50 cm high, because if the soil freezes down to the root depth, the passion fruit will die.
In spring, cut back the plant and remove all dried and frozen shoots.

The exotic annual cucamelon

A beautiful plant that can be cultivated as an annual in the garden. When planted in the garden from May onwards, it produces tiny longish watermelons in summer that can be eaten. The taste is reminiscent of a cucumber with a hint of lime.
The melon is sown after the last frost. It absolutely needs a climbing aid, as the plant can grow up to 2 m tall. A location that is sheltered from the wind and sunny is ideal. If you want to try to grow the plant perennially, you can dig up the root bulb and overwinter it in a cool, dark place until the next spring.

Pink dwarf bananas

The exotic pink dwarf banana can also be grown in the garden in a mild growing area. But one should bear in mind that since it can only withstand temperatures down to 0° C, complete protection (root ball and plants) must be provided in winter, but there is still a residual risk.
The beautiful dwarf banana has yellow flowers surrounded by pink to wine-red bracts. Later, with sufficient warmth, small pink bananas develop, which have a light hairy fuzz.

The banana can reach a size of up to 2 m and is a real eye-catcher for any garden. Even though the bananas can be eaten and are even sweet, they are usually not eaten because the banana contains many small hard seeds from which new banana plants can be grown.
Since the banana needs a lot of warmth, it should have a sheltered, half-sunny spot where it can develop fully. Excessive midday sun can lead to leaf burn, which is harmful to the plant. From April to September the dwarf banana should receive fertiliser at least every 10 days, the soil should also be constantly moist, waterlogging should be avoided at all costs.

Giant sequoia

Those who plant a giant sequoia should be aware of the dimensions this giant can reach. In its home country of North America, it can grow up to 90 m high and is thus one of the largest tree species in the world. The sequoia is evergreen and winter-hardy, it belongs to the bald cypress family and needs a correspondingly large space with nutrient-rich soil in the garden.

The soil should be generally gravelly to sandy and in a sunny to semi-shady location. To ensure optimal growth of the giant, the tree should always be well watered.

Other exotics that can be grown in the home garden:

- Lampion flower / Physalis

- Mexican Chia Seeds

- Watermelon

- Honeydew melon

- Aubergines