You are reading a single comment by @apc and its replies.
Click here to read the full conversation.
London Fixed Gear and Single-Speed is a community of predominantly fixed gear and single-speed cyclists in and around London, UK.
This site is supported almost exclusively by donations. Please consider donating a small amount regularly.
apc
If you want big leafed, tropically looking things like in those photos you could try an upper storey of things like tetrapanax, paulownia tormentosa (hard pruned every year not grown into a massive tree), cannas, hedychiums, salvia amistad, tree echiums - all of which will love full sun but most of which will be hard to find in your average garden centre.
I wouldn't plant anything in August, in a middle of a drought and heatwave though - unless you're going to be watering them twice a day. I'd wait at least a month for the temperature to come down a bit and hopefully some rain too.
You may have better luck than me but I've found fatsia japonica doesn't do well in full sun - it won't die but it doesn't look healthy. Mine have grown very well in deepest darkest shade