South and Central America

South America

Satelite image of South America

South America

South America

Satelite image of South America

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These areas with their largely tropical climates seemed to offer little to the plant-hunters of the 19th Century looking for hardy exotic trees.
 

However both the far south of South America and montane areas of Mexico provided both conifers and shrubs that could tolerate Ireland's mild winters.
 

The Monkey Puzzle from Chile was to be the most spectacular of these introductions and a great favourite with Victorians. It has become synonymous with Woodstock.
 

Most of these trees demanded good drainage which was always a problem in Ireland. However estate gardeners were to prove adept at using both drainages and mound planting to get around these problems.