A Ready-Made Jungle-Style Planting Plan for UK Gardens

Sun: Full sun to part-shade

Border Size: 8m x 2m

This ready-made jungle planting plan provides everything you need to achieve a contemporary tropical aesthetic while using plants that thrive in the UK climate.

The design includes bold architectural foliage, layered ferns, colourful flowering plants, and dynamic ground cover to create a naturalistic, immersive jungle effect.

How to Use the Jungle Planting Plan

The following images provide everything you need to implement this jungle planting plan in your own garden:

Colour-Coded Planting Plan

This image provides a visual guide to plant placement. Each plant is represented by a numbered shape, helping you see the balance of foliage, height, and texture. Use this plan to position your plants correctly, ensuring the right mix of bold leaves, ferns, and flowering plants.

Numbered planting plan - see below for the plant each number relates to

Technical Layout with Grid

This plan offers precise plant spacing to ensure the jungle effect develops as intended. The grid represents 50cm squares, helping you measure out where each plant should be placed. Use this to ensure correct spacing and layering, with taller plants towards the back and lower-growing ground covers at the front.

Numbered planting plan with 50cm square grid for accurate spacing

Technical planting plan

3D Render

This preview shows how the border will look once fully grown with a lush, overlapping effect that mimics the natural layering of a jungle.

3D render of the final Jungle Planting Plan when mature

The Plants in This Jungle Border

Each plant in this plan plays a key role in achieving a tropical, immersive look. They are all chosen to thrive in the UK, providing a lush effect with minimal maintenance.

Structural Foliage Plants (Architectural & Bold Leaves)

These plants form the backbone of the jungle planting plan, adding height, structure, and dramatic textures:

• Fatsia japonica (3) – An evergreen shrub with large, glossy leaves, perfect for creating a bold statement.

• Phormium ‘Gold Sword’ (10) – A striking New Zealand flax with sword-like golden-green leaves, adding a dramatic vertical element.

• Tetrapanax papyrifer ‘Rex’ (12) – The ultimate jungle foliage plant with huge, deeply lobed leaves that give an exotic feel.

• Rodgersia podophylla ‘Braunlaub’ (11) – A large-leaved perennial with bronze-tinted foliage, ideal for a bold, jungle-style effect.

Ferns for Layered Texture

Ferns create softness, depth, and movement, essential for a jungle-style border:

• Athyrium niponicum ‘Ursula’s Red’ (1) – A purple and silver fern, adding colour to shaded areas.

• Dryopteris filix-mas ‘Crispa’ (2) – A hardy male fern with frilled fronds, creating a natural woodland feel.

Ground Cover & Low-Maintenance Foliage

Low-growing plants that help fill gaps and create a dense, layered effect:

• Ophiopogon ‘Nigra’ (7) – A striking black grass, adding contrast to lighter foliage.

• Pachysandra terminalis (8) – A fast-spreading evergreen ground cover, perfect for shaded areas.

• Nandina domestica ‘Sunset’ (6) – A compact shrub with colourful foliage that changes from green to fiery red.

Flowering Plants for Seasonal Interest

These plants provide pops of colour throughout the growing season, enhancing the jungle effect:

• Geranium ‘Mavis Simpson’ (4) – A spreading perennial with soft pink flowers, blooming from late spring to autumn.

• Geum ‘Mai Tai’ (13) – A long-flowering perennial, producing peachy-apricot blooms that complement the lush greenery.

• Heuchera ‘Palace Purple’ (14) – A versatile foliage plant with rich purple leaves, adding depth and contrast.

• Panicum virgatum ‘Shenandoah’ (9) – A striking ornamental grass that turns deep red in autumn, adding movement and structure.

Installing the Jungle Planting Plan

1. Prepare the soil – Jungle plants love rich, moisture-retentive soil. Improve yours with compost or organic matter.

2. Follow the layout – Use the planting plan to position each plant correctly, with taller foliage at the back and smaller perennials at the front.

3. Layer the planting – Create a lush jungle effect by planting densely, ensuring overlapping foliage.

4. Mulch and water well – A thick layer of organic mulch will help retain moisture and suppress weeds.

5. Provide some shade and shelter – Walls, fences, or taller plants help create a protected microclimate, ideal for jungle-style gardens.

Why This Jungle Plan Works for UK Gardens

Unlike tropical plants that struggle in colder climates, this jungle planting plan is designed with UK conditions in mind.

✅ Hardy plants – Can tolerate UK winters.

✅ Shade-friendly selections – Ideal for sheltered or partially shaded gardens.

✅ Low maintenance – Once established, this border needs minimal care.

Bring the Jungle to Your Garden

With this pre-planned jungle border, you have a ready-to-plant design that works in UK gardens. The combination of architectural foliage, ferns, flowering perennials, and ground cover ensures a dynamic and exotic look, all year round.

Start planting today and transform your outdoor space into a lush, leafy jungle!