the oasis garden, essex
Paul Spracklin's Exotic garden
Paul moved to his south facing, sloping site in Essex in 1994 - at this point it was just grass and a few rough terraces. Already bitten by the exotic garden bug, the low rainfall in this region guided the planting in a different direction to the more familiar jungle garden. With an emphasis on drought tolerant plants, especially cactus and succulents, the garden has been a steep learning curve - the switch from mild winters to punishingly cold ones in the early part of the millennium saw the demise of many long standing plants - a harsh but invaluable insight into what could or could not be achieved in the long term.
Season: Early summer
Location: Essex, UK
Credits: Paul Spracklin, Garden Designer