A palm is not the first plant many people picture when they think of a Devon garden. That is exactly why I enjoy having Trachycarpus fortunei here. Its shape gives the garden a different feel, even on an ordinary grey day.
The garden is around 500 square metres, so there is room for plants with very different characters. The palm has a strong silhouette among the other trees and shrubs; it makes you stop and look twice, especially if you were expecting a more familiar English planting scheme.
I am drawn to plants that make a garden feel like its own place. Trachycarpus fortunei does that without needing a complicated story around it: the leaves, the trunk and its scale are enough to start a conversation.
It is one of several plants here that has travelled a long way from the landscapes it is associated with. Growing it alongside maples, giant sequoia and rhododendrons is part of the fun of having a garden with room to experiment.
Happy growing,
Matteo