Ever since we first laid eyes on tropical plant addict Mike Clifford’s garden via his Instagram we have been transfixed and knew we had to hear more from the gardener himself.
Read on for a glimpse into the making of this tropical garden.
You have an absolutely fascinating garden, beautifully planted with unusual plants. Is gardening your profession or a hobby?
Gardening is definitely just a hobby although my wife Tina claims it to be an obsession (she may well be right).
Where did your love of plants come from? How has your passion developed over the years?
I would say I started at a very young age. My Grandad was a Gardener for a private house and as a young boy I would often accompany him and help with basic chores. When I got married and we got our own house that’s when the love of making a garden that not only we could enjoy but we could share with others really started. We only grew Heathers and Conifers for the first few years having over 300 different plants, then I saw a program about a gentleman in Norwich (the late Will Giles) who had created an exotic garden. It was that day twenty years that we dug up every plant and replanted with exotics, since then it has evolved from exotics to the more unusual and rare plants I grow now.
Can you describe your garden's aspect and situation, what makes it a seemingly ideal place for tropical plants?
We live in Poole in Dorset, which is a reasonably mild part of the country. This enables us to grow a lot of exotics that others in colder parts of the UK would need to dig up and overwinter frost free.
We have a bungalow in a small town garden, the back garden gets a fair bit of sun, but has a shade area created by the garage. We also have a humid greenhouse, a victorian greenhouse and a smaller unheated octagonal greenhouse. The front garden gets sun all day.
Are there any particular gardens in this country further afield that have inspired yours?
Will Giles Exotic garden has to be my inspiration but unfortunately that’s now closed. Abbotsbury subtropical garden is an hour away and has always been a favourite, we even modelled our colonial style summer house on their amazing tea rooms. Also the red structures in our garden were inspired by their red painted bridges.
The summerhouse based on the tea rooms at Abbotsbury subtropical gardens
Can you tell us a bit about some of your favourite plants to grow? What makes them so special to you?
I have many collections of plants from cacti, exotic ferns to carnivorous nepenthes, for this reason I usually refer to our garden as a botanical garden rather than exotic, due to the diversity of plants I grow. I love to grow large leaved and giant plants all from seed for example, giant tree Dandelions (Sonchus canariensis), giant Lobelias (Lobelia fistulosa) - some have reached 11’ tall, giant cabbage trees (Dendroseris litoralis) and giant daisy trees (Podachaenium eminensis).
Many of the plants look to be native to much warmer climates, do you have to bring a lot of the plants under cover over the winter?
A fair few yes. Fortunately I have plenty of space to overwinter the more tender plants. It usually takes about two weekends to dig up and store all the plants away in their winter homes, and about the same each spring to plant them all out again.
Is there a particular gardening practice that you are especially passionate about?
I would have to say propagation is my passion, growing from seed is often the only way to acquire the more unusual and rare plants that I grow. It is often challenging as there is very little information on the more obscure plants but that’s what makes it more rewarding when they do germinate.
Do you use any particular equipment or have a particular set up to aid successful propagation?
I use lots. From the basic heated Stewart propagators up to a Two Wests Dew Point Propagator. With all heated propagators I always suggest putting a good 10mm of washed horticultural sand in the base this spreads the heat evenly and gives somewhere for roots to go when they develop. This also helps with watering as the pots are not sat in water.
Can you share a few top tips for anyone inspired by your garden who wants to start growing unusual plants?
It depends on your garden, level of gardening experience and having somewhere to over winter the more tender plants, but there are lots of plant forums and social media groups that contain a wealth of information when getting started. Grow from seed would be my tip, and don’t be afraid to ask! I’m still learning new things every week from people who specialise in specific plants.
Many of the plants you grow are not readily available. Are you able to share how you get hold of some of these wonderful plants?
A lot of the plants come from rare plant fairs and specialist Nurseries like Desert to Jungle, Pan-Global Plants, Treseders, Lower Kenneggy, Hardy Exotics and Cotswold Garden Flowers to name but a few.
I’m also very lucky to have friends all over the country who share seeds and cuttings with me on a regular basis. In the winter months I spend most evenings on my computer searching for providers of rare unusual seeds!
Brassiopsis mitis
Many of our readers are passionate houseplant growers, is your house full of plants too?
Strangely no not many at all, except over winter when the garden plants invade our loft and house.
Any final thoughts on what is so special about gardening?
Gardening is not only good for your health it’s also good for your mind and well being. After a stressful day at work there’s nothing better than coming home to find a plant has just flowered or a seed has just germinated. Even better those seeds or plants you ordered weeks ago are waiting for you on the side when you get in! But to sum it all up there is nothing better than sharing one’s own plant passion with friends old and new and hopefully inspiring them to have a go at growing more unusual and exotic plants in their own gardens.
Mike opens his garden to the public through the National Garden Scheme but unfortunately is unable to open this Summer due to social distancing measures required. Be sure to keep an eye out for future openings of this special garden.
We strongly recommend following @mikesrareplants on Instagram and Twitter for some seriously captivating inspiration and pearls of gardening wisdom. Mike also sells some of the seeds from his unusual plant collection if you want to give this tropical gardening a go.