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) was of a Chinese juniper 1.5m tall and 3.5m wide growing in a small, overcrowded garden. Over a period of years it was dug up, pruned and replanted until it fitted into a pot. The whole process took about a quarter of a century and is far from over.The art

but Jekka. She is our equivalent of Pele or Bono.I went to visit her farm the other day, where we had a fine afternoon investigating all sorts of herbs from the mundane (but essential) to the super-exotic Chilean guavas (Ugni molinae), the fruits of which

and homeliness of a 'proper' garden, but that's the point, really. It's wonderful to see a fabulous tree or shrub and know that somewhere very close will be a neatly engraved label giving more information than you will ever need. Not just the plant name but also

and consisted of immaculately maintained pathways through fabulous exotic plantings. Since then the garden staff has been reduced from 12 to one and the mood of the garden has changed to one more in keeping with the relaxed attitude of the island.The paths are a

. In this picture I planted it with annual cornflowers.Iris 'Deep Black' - one of the most sumptuously coloured irises. The petals are seductively dark and exotic.I could go on, and on, and on, but I'll spare you this time.Feel free to add your own here and do see

for the one with the AGM sticker. But back to my confusing list of alliums, I notice that there are fifteen AGM plants. To make your job of choosing them even simpler, here are my top five:Allium caeruleum: a late-flowering, small-headed blue variety. Height 0.6

). Mostly because I'm a bit short of space for any more plants but also because of laziness. I am beginning to see the error of my ways ... I want more. Not so much the petunias or busy Lizzies (even though white ones are a very effective way of making a

Farm Plants. This is a wonderful nursery in North Wales stuffed with exotic plants of which I have never heard, from Aesculus wangii  to Zingiber mioga ‘Crug’s Zing’.String: ideally tarred twine because it smells so good. I would like lots of it so

, let alone a tree - I know of herbaceous plants that achieve that height in a season. It's difficult to choose a tree that is guaranteed not to get any bigger than the height of a short giraffe, but here is a small selection that roughly fits the bill