Tropical Plants: Tropical Garden # 46

sobe gardner, welcome neighbor i am just north of downtown miami. you have a lovely garden and loads of bananas. you must get creative with banana bread recipes.

some heliconia that i got a few years ago in someones garbage pile.

i have about 6 figs on my tree. yeah

this anthurium is really a black color.

The leaves on this one looks a little like it. Mine is a very young plant though, not even 6 inches tall.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/20342/

one for me one for the squirrels.

Baby, it's hot outside. This is what 96 deg. will do to a plastic salad plate. I was using it as a plant saucer. I had rinsed it left it out to dry. Two hours later, this is what it looked lit. Baby, it's hot outside.

But it would be so good to my plumeria....

Holy rain DFW folks ..my temperature here at work shows ya'll at 76F! are ya getting rain?
We had an afternoon spill with big giant drops of rain..looks like we may have more before the days out.

Greedy devil aren't you, RJ! Not sharing that rain with me. We are sweltering down here in South Texas with no rain on the horizon. We actually have a water leak at the curb. Pipe must have broke; called and reported it yesterday afternoon; they still have not arrived to fix it. A guy came out last night and marked all the lines, electric and cable, but no one from the city is here to fix the leak. I just wish I could direct the water to my grass. It's just flowing down the curb.

I just typed in your coordinates, expect rain soon...lol

I'd figure out a way to water my garden with that broken pipe!

I called the city again and was directed to the police dept. Lady there said that the city phone line has been ringing off the wall. Lots of broken pipes around town!!!

I am open to suggestions on how to direct it into the yard or flower bed?????

got me there...

Ardesia, that is a very good picture of C Bradley.


LiliMerci, remember to take lots of pictures of your NBC, that might be the biggest size ever. I had a red that measured 10" from tip to tip. I also have a yellow that will not bloom for a while.
It seems as if you will not have long to wait for blooms from your Plumeria.

Alocasia Borneo Giant

LouC, this year has not been all that good. My plants are not half the size that they were last year, but since I have been doing this for a while I know that there are good years and very bad ones. Even with the shade cloth, I have sun scald along with spider mites.
Saba bananas should be 15-20ft by now

vossner, that is a scarey picture. I guess that is what happened to my brain, too much sun. lol

This is my guava tree, last year this time I was having fresh guavas for breakfast, nothing so far.


This message was edited Jul 27, 2009 6:45 PM

candela, gorgeous plants, and photos, thanks

Rj, I can see the rain all around me. Last night we had strong winds, lightning and thunder, but NO rain. At 80% chance of rain, I thought for sure that we would get at least a little shower.


Hi phughes, I hope that you get your water lines repaired today.

variegated pineapple

Hey Rita--your stuff looks great. I haven't been taking any pictures cause nothing really looks good here. I'm watering every other day and trying to keep things alive but it's a constant battle. BTW--I finally caught my first keeper of the summer--an 18 inch drum last Friday. I was the winner on Friday's fishing expedition with that one fish, caught lots of dinkers but only the one keeper. Woo Hoo first keeper of the summer for Patty!!!

It is pouring down rain here and we need it. I could barely see in front of me.

Rained enough for the gutter to have water, but still had dry areas in the back yard tonite..

My new tapioca plant needs to be potted soon.. hopefully tommorrow before I take college bound girl out shopping..

I picked up a few new things at Arnolds when I met up with another DGr' up north.. this limelight coleus will look good in the middle of some red ones//

I also got a varigated rose of sharon.. I am going to put it out front where it is still in the nursery pot.. my poor rhodedron that survived its first winter and bloomed, behind it, is frying up in this heat..

I told you all I got an Oleander, right? If they can grow a huge one outside at the Botanical Gardens, why can't I keep this one going outside this winter?

alooo moto.. these guys are driving me crazy! ... I oul some out and they triple in numbers.. so cute, yet so hmmm how can I say.. ground hog??? If anyone wants these, let me know, I have seed pods..

Joeswife, on the island of Suvarov (part of the Cook Islands) they grow Casava (Tapoica) and eat the leaves as a green! We called it Suvarov Spinach. The couple who caretook the Islands were there all Boating Season to be caretakers...about10 months out of the year. They have to produce anything fresh on a scratch of sand, about 15' above sea level. So...the Tapioca grows so well there...why not. So befriending the travelling boaters gave them company and a good variety of food.... The guys would fish or hunt lobster or.... bring it back and then everyone on the boats would cook a dish with it and we would have pot lucks on the beach. ... sigh.....

LOL, everything we grow is at 15' above sea level. I hope my new tapioca makes it. I have had trouble with them in the past and thought it was the salty soil but it must have been something else.

Debra, how about contacting the Botanical Gardens and asking how they keep their Oleander alive.

Tropical lovers, would Debra's blue flower be some kind of tradescantia? I like that it is not a purpley blue. Debra I may be interested in seeds of this plant. if you have time, would you pls take a pic of the leaves? that might help ID

As to the oleander, I don't see your area (see how ardesia's shows zone under her town?). That would help. But I can say that in my area they seem to die more from overwatering in the winter than from the actual cool temps.

What a score getting that var. Rose of Sharon. I'm gonna guess Sugar Tips, but we won't know until it blooms.

Edible bananas thriving in the heat but no fruit yet. I have Ice Cream and Manzano, but don't know which is which b/c I lost tags.

Great photos everyone.
Snail vine still going strong.

I *think* ice cream would be the larger one.

Love gerber daises.

I just got an Ice cream banana pup. Mother plants were about 9' tall.
I got rid of 30 plantains to clear that spot, I hurt my shoulder doing that so Ice cream bananas better be good. Hardest part was digging up the roots, I am never going to do that again. I have another plantain patch with about 30 more plants.

This is our rainy season but not much rain last 3-4 weeks.
BOP flowering again, BOP loves plantain.

This message was edited Jul 28, 2009 11:39 AM

LOL Sunshine, I dug out a patch of M. basjoo in the spring of '08 and they have grown back several times. I keep digging them up and giving them away and more pop up. I hope you have better luck with your plantains.

We have had more rain than normal here and it is a good thing because the temps have been higher than normal too.

Ardesia, didn't you guys have a horrendously hot, dry summer last year? Then rain and more rain in 2009?
wondering if the same will happen to us in 2010.

I have heard that if you cut banana trunks as close to the ground as possible, then douse it when roundup or finale, they will die. Don't have experience first hand in this respect.

sunshine what is the variegated plant above the BOP?

SC in general including the rest of the Lowcountry was dry last year but our county alone was above average in rainfall and this year we are miles above average. Good for the garden and the water bill.

I just consider my basjoo the plant that keeps on giving. I always have an extra to give away. LOL

Vossner, I don't know the name of that plant. I need to find out some day.

Carol, we use to eat the Casava in W.Africa...They also made Fu Fu, similar to Poi out of the Casava root.