Black Bamboo

Yuccas are found in a very wide range of conditions, and are perhaps the most generally widespread of the plants that would be considered as exotic or architectural.

They are also often grown in large pots because of their structural beauty - they look very impressive either planted among other plants in the garden, or as stand alone features.

Agaves originate in the dry arid regions of the southern USA, Mexico and central America. They arrived in Europe in the 16th century, hence the agave is a very early example of 'designer garden plants'.

The Pink Banana plant, musa velutina, is an attractive plant, that originates from India.

It has large dark green leaves which have a pink/purple central rib. The palm also produces small pink bananas (these are inedible).

Gunnera Manicata is best known for the enormous size of its leaves - typically up to 1.5 metres across.

Golden Hop is a great climber to add an exotic, almost jungle feel to a corner of your garden. Grow up a pergola and it will cover it in no time with large golden leaves.

In autumn it becomes even more golden in colour and is covered in pale green cone-shaped flowers. Plant it next to purple flowers or leaves and the golden colour will be emphasised even further.

Castor oil plant - Ricinus communis - is most well known for the extreme toxicity of its seeds, which contain ricin, a poison 200 times more deadly than cyanide. The remainder of the plant is still toxic, but less so than the seeds.

Clearly this plant should not be grown where there is the slightest risk of small children getting hold of the seeds.

The Venus Fly Trap hails from the bogs and marshes of North and south Carolina, in the USA. It particularly likes poor nitrogen free soils. It is because the plant cannot get sufficient nutrients from the soil that it has developed its renowned ability to feed on insects.

The Dutchmans's Pipe plant - Aristolochia - is a member of the Birthwort family.

It is a climbing plant with soft green heart-shaped leaves.

Agapanthus is a great plant to add structure and an exotic touch to the garden. Usually seen in shades of blue and purple though there are white flowering varieties too. The flowers are in the form of umbels where lots of small tubular flowers are held together in a large globe.

The plants come from South Africa originally and many are not fully hardy and are best suited to growing in pots.

No garden should be without this wonderful plant. With its delicious scent and stalks of beautiful lavender coloured flowers it can add to almost any planting scheme.

You may struggle to recreate the great fields of lavender that you have perhaps seen when visiting Provence (perhaps best in the region of Vaison-la-Romaine) but it is still simple and impressive to create your own swathe of colour using lavender plants.

Cycads have a stout, usually short, trunk, topped by multifoliate/compound leaves.

They arrived in Europe in the 18th century, with the glory days of the British Empire and the exploration of the world. Despite their appearance, they are not closely related to palms.

There are several similar plants that are known as Elephant Ear plants, sometimes also called Taro, the most commonly found being Colocasia esculenta (others include Alocasia and Xanthosoma).

The key characteristic is, of course, the enormous leaves which bear a resemblance to elephant ears. Typically the plant will have few leaves, and will reach a height of 1-2 metres depending on soil conditions, with leaves perhaps 30-50 cm long.

Fatsia japonica has large, glossy, palmate leaves and is perfect for a shady corner in an exotic garden. It grows into a large shrub and in late summer has cream-coloured flowers followed by black berries.

It is the size and glossiness of the leaves that make this such a great garden plant and gives it its jungle-like appearance.

Wisteria is a vigorous climbing plant which hangs with purple, blue or white flowers in early spring. It has a gorgeous scent which hangs over the whole garden when it is in flower.

Wisteria plants in the wild grow in forests with their roots in the shade in the fertile organic soil of the forest floor and their flowers and roots in the tree canopy. You could grow your wisteria through a vigorous tree (Wisteria will swamp a small tree) for an exotic jungle-like feel. Alternatively it is a great climber for covering a pergola or growing against a house wall.

Wisteria sinensis is the Chinese wisteria and is the most prolific flowerer while Wisteria floribunda is the Japanese wisteria and has longer flowers.

Once intimidating in nature, orchids are now easy to grow. Even the novice gardener has a chance to create the delicate blossoms of orchids in a variety of colours and styles. In fact, these beautiful flowers can be purchased in a variety of stores including florist shops, garden centres, home improvement stores, and discount stores.

Since orchids are known to bloom more than once throughout the year, they are ideal for those who enjoy the delightful colour of flowers throughout their home. Moreover, the delicate blossoms of orchids are capable of lasting more than two months with proper care.