Two months later in June, it looked like this and...., I still hate it !

Maybe these monstrous specimens could move to the outside to leave a cove of smaller tropicals. I'd want to sit in the midst encircled by these. Wonderful size.

Fab Plants Flcrazy, I think i would put trellis on the shed and grow something hot up there, someone suggested to me when i was doing my tropical bed to grow a climbing rose, if you get the right hot colour it looks fab..i might just do that next year bcos the morning glory was a disaster :(.. also some ferns and hostas, and one or two red plants would be great..

Ive had a look again and i think you need something Spikey, all your plants has the same shape leaf, grasses are good too, ooh i hope you dont mind Flcrazy..

I don't mind at all ladies, I welcome all the advice you can give me. I knew that would be the only way I could get some pointers, would be by posting these 'ugly' posts...lol. So bring it on, I'm ready for some inspiration !

Its not ugly Flcrazy, How could it be with those Fantastic Plants, You already have your inspiration and as a Great gardener you know how to put it all together, something to look forward to next year, Oh just thought are your winters cold? do you get seasons same as us, sorry for sounding so thick haha

Yeah, I'll have to dig most of it out and store it in my inlaws basement over the winter, looks like I'm in for some fun times this fall, doesn't it....lol

Depends on who's doing the digging! aye? and once it's dug you have to transport it...oh your achin' back!!

They seem to be leaning out toward the light... I know they are supposed to be shade plants...up here I can plant shade loving tropicals in part shade and they seem to welcome the extra heat of the sun for part of the day.
Your gardens are surrounded by a forest of very tall trees... if I remember correctly~ the garden to which you've compared your efforts is in the open?

Yes this is a tough place to grow anything, it gets afternoon light only, it burns the shade loving plants by August and the sun loving plants lean out ward the sun and look spindlely . There is also a hickorynut tree close by, another big problem...lol. I've tried everything in here in the last ten years, when these plants become too much trouble to lug in and out, (which at my age, won't be long), I believe this will transform in to a sitting area, with no suffering plants to contend with.

http://www.torontobotanicalgarden.ca/mastergardener/Juglone.shtml
I had to do a google search to find out that the hickory and the black walnut belong to the same family and are alelopathic. I didn't know that the pecan was of the same family... I love pecans...delicious things.
the above site has a list of plants that will tolerate or are indifferent to, juglone... see anything you like on the list... considering that the roots of a tall tree can run 50-60 feet ...one tree could have a profound effect on a whole garden... just for your info...hope there's something of help/interest there...

Thanks sooo much Lori, you're a dream come true !

Hi, I know this was a while ago now, but I'm interested to find out if the plant bottom right is a calathea?

Hi Weeding, that's an 'illustris' Taro -- (Colocasia esculenta). I call them elephant ears...:-)