Multi-cultural gardening uses plants, growing techniques and traditions from the many ethnic communities in Britain. Many of these plants are already grown for their beauty, for herbal use or cooking, but in a cultural garden they can be brought together in a context which is of great relevance for the local community. The Accra project and the Max Roach Adventure Playground Cultural nature Garden in Brixton, are two projects where cultural themes have been used.
Gardens are also central to many religions, with particular plants having religious associations. For others, a desire to simply grow the vegetables and herbs particular to native cuisine gives a strong incentive to create a garden. The increasingly warm summer climate of urban areas is an advantage for growing many of these vegetables, including gourds, aubergines and various beans. Suppliers of vegetable seeds have an increasingly wide range of these vegetables in their catalogues, and most are easy to grow.
The following ornamental plants are listed according to their region of origin. These are all plants that are readily available at garden centres.
Africa/Caribbean
African lily Agapanthus africanus
Angel’s fishing rod Dierama pendulum
Bamboo Arundinaria tessalata
Busy Lizzie Impatiens walleriana
Cape daisy Osteospermum barberiae
Date palm Phoenix dactylifera
Freesia Freesia refracta
Geranium Pelargonium
Papyrus Cyperus papyrus
Passion flower Passiflora incarnata
Red hot poker Kniphophia uvaria
Sword lily Gladiolus tristis
India/Pakistan/Bangladesh
Balsam Impatiens balsamina
Begonia Begonia rex
Blue poppy Meconopsis betonicifolia
Camellia Camellia sinensis
Cinquefoil Potentilla atrosanguinea
Cotoneaster Cotoneaster sp
Ginger lily Hedychium gardnerianum
Musk rose Rosa brunonii
Scabious Scabiosa caucasica
Shrubby cinquefoil Potentilla fruticosa
Tree poppy Paeonia suffruticosa
China/Vietnam/Japan
Bleeding heart Dicentra spectabilis
Butterfly bush Buddleia davidii
Chinese lantern Physalis franchetii
Daylily Hemerocallis citrina
Firethorn Pyracantha atalantioides
Ice plant Sedum spectabile
Japanese honeysuckle Lonicera japonica
Japanese quince Chaenomeles japonica
Tiger lily Lilium tigrinum
Yellow tree peony Paeonia lutea
Wisteria Wisteria sinensis
