1. Use cheaper small/mid sizes that can grow quickly
The Musa Basjoo
Banana plants! This is the main goal. The Musa basjoo simply stays alive in the winter, despite dying down to the ground. And it comes back bigger. Why the Musa basjoo? Because it grows very fast and is easy. Within 1 year this becomes a large plant, and it gives a true tropical jungle effect. And it keeps growing, up to 3-4 meters with good care and the right spot.
Medium sized Trachycarpus palms
We recommend not to buy a small Trachycarpus fortunei, because it grows much slower in comparison. Because we ultimately want to go for large palms for the real tropical effect, we recommend to take a medium-sized palm tree (1.5 - 2 meters). It needs relatively much less time to grow quickly to the desired height of 400+cm.
Small grasses
Small grasses quickly grow wider and higher. Grasses give a great effect over the entire soil. Spread cheap small grasses over the soil, and within 1 to 2 years the entire soil is well covered!
Pampas grass
Pampas grass is cheap to get in small form, but grows to be very large within 1 to 2 years. It grows to a height of one and a half meters and a half meter wide, with great plumes. This really gives off a lot of atmosphere.
Climbing fruit plants
Fruit plants are not necessarily tropical or Mediterranean, but we think that fruit-bearing plants do add atmosphere. Especially grape plants. These are small and cheap to get and grow quickly. Within a few years they can become substantial climbing plants.
Advice in between: don't be stingy with good airy well-nourished soil. Good soil ensures that the plants grow optimally. Put in lots of smaller plants generously, with good soil, and within a few years the garden will be unrecognizable :)
Bounded invasive bamboo
Bamboo really does give a special exotic atmosphere to the garden, and it grows very quickly. But you have to be careful, because it is often aggressively rooting. It pushes away the roots of other plants, and it can overgrow the entire garden. That is why the roots have to be limited. On the other hand, it is a very cheap solution for a rapidly expanding foreign atmosphere in the garden.
2. With cuttings and propagation you can expand your garden extensively and cheaply
Do you still have some space left and is your budget exhausted? No problem, many plants can be propagated. Banana plants are rhizome-forming and produce youngsters that can be cut off and replanted. Trachycarpus produce seeds that can be planted (in the right way, otherwise they won't germinate!). Grass propagates itself automatically. Fruit plants are often pluggable. In other words, find out how you can expand your garden (almost) for free :)
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