In this part of the world, the 'Cornish Palm', Cordyline australis, is so widely grown that it's tempting to look down upon it. However, while it isn't really a palm, it does have the great benefit of growing much faster than true palms. With its crown of strap-like leaves and its tall trunk, it helps to produce an exotic effect reasonably rapidly.

Over the past few years, while creating my garden, I have experienced numerous successes and failures with different species of palms and other exotic plants. Notable successes include bamboos such as the tall-growing yellow stemmed Phyllostachys aureosulcata aureocaulis and the low-growing palm-leafed bamboo, Indocalamus tessalatus. The Phormiums have quickly produced a lush, giant-sized undergrowth. I grow the familiar Phormium tenax (green and purple forms) as well as the relatively little known Phormium cookianum (colensoi) which I personally think is amore elegant plant than tenax. The Cordylines have done very well too, and have grown much more rapidly than I anticipated. Of the palms, Trachycarpus fortunei and Chamaerops humilis have done as well as expected. The lovely feather palm, Butia yatay, has been an unexpected success. Planted when still quite small, it has come through four winters without so much as a browned leaf tip. It's not a very rapid grower though, so you do need patience. Speaking of slow-growers, I also have some Sabal minor and Rhapidophyllum hystrix in the garden. They were small when they were planted and they are still small. Hardy they may be, fast growing they definitely aren't...

Notable failures include the palms, Washingtonia robusta and Phoenix canariensis. In principle, both of these species are hardy enough to survive the lowest temperatures that we experience here in Devon. In practice, they don't respond at all well to the long winter months of cold weather and tempestuous rain. It's possible to bring them through the winter without protection but they look pretty miserable as a result! Given the fact that other equally attractive palms can cope much better with North Devon weather, it seems sensible to grow the species that thrive...