Ok, so I accept that ‘why I hate exotic gardens’ is a bit strong in this context (especially the ‘hate’ part) but I do get really frustrated in the Spring by the lack of seasonal interest in tropical effect gardens. Of course Lorna does not agree with me but I feel I have made a decent case against what appears to be the current fashion. If you are going to plant up a strictly exotic garden then you will have a long wait until you have a rich and fulfilling display of plants. In most cases this won’t happen until about June which means you have to wait a good three months while your plants sit and wait (mostly underground) until it is warm enough for them to emerge, sprout, blom etc. This is all well and good in a public display, where you have set you certain arbitrary parameters, as you have a choice not to visit it. However when you trying to achieve this in a private garden you are going to have to get used to a desolate show for the entire spring! If you would like to see more con