Tropical Garden #67

My Amorphophallus titanum, still growing well. I've got the rope around it as protection from stormy winds.

Pot full of Amorphophallus galbra seedlings.

Drynaria quercifolia outgrowing its pot and climbing the tree stump.

Another Drynaria quercifolia taking over the trunk of an African Oil Palm.

And I've got African Oil Palm seedlings coming up all around the adult trees. Guess I should have turned them into diesel while I had the chance.

The Amydrium zippelanum after sending runners out all over the ground has suddenly decided to aim higher. This is the first runner that's started running up a tree (palm).

Because of the wet season I haven't been able to complete the pond for the Giant Swamp Taro, Cyrtosperma merkusii. But it's undaunted, despite being cramped in a pot, and it's growing and multiplying fast.

Philodendron erubescens "Red-Emerald", enjoying its high vantage point.

Philodendron "Henderson's Pride" is said to be a very slow grower but mine seems to be sending out a bit of climbing stem. It'd be great to see some running high up into trees (without any lightning getting them!).

Alocasia melo, one of my "Jewel Alocasias".

Another of the "Jewels", Alocasia reginula.

One of 3 different types of Colocasia esculenta I have. This one is "Bunn Long".

My Amorphophallus paeoniifolius only grew to 2.27 metres (7.4 feet) and then stopped growing. It's still got a few more months of the season left but I'd say it's building up a huge tuber now.

Well folks, that's the end of the tour for today. Please make your way back to the entry kiosk. I'd recommend you buy your souvenir stuffed kangaroos there. The stuffed kangaroos you can pick up along the side of the road don't pack into suitcases easily and besides, they tend to get a bit smelly by the time you get home. ;O)

Great show!!!

Tropicbreeze: I'll bet you can give away seeds even if the seedlings are harder to get rid of. I love the Philo "Henderson's Pride". Your black velvet and melo Alocasias are coming along. I love bamboo, but there are only a couple that can grow in this cold climate. Can you grow the timber type there? It is finally starting to break into warmer weather. Hallelujah. This has been the longest cold spell we've seen for a long time. Usually, we get snow for a couple weeks then back to warming above freezing every day. This year, we had freezing temps for a lot longer. All of your typhoniums are lovely and stout :). I'll bet your paeoniifolius will not fit into that planter next year :). You'll have to get something bigger unless it splits, then you'll just need more pots, lol. As always, it was nice to see your posts and tropical beauties. Don't work too hard.

tropicbreeze, I truly enjoyed the show. I will be going back to view your pictures to ensure I saw everything. thanks

Thanks Dutchlady and 3js. Well, if this freezing weather you've had is a once in 100 years phenomenon then you've 100 years before the next one. And when it comes again you'll have had the experience to be able to cope with it better. ;O)

That paeoniifolius will probably flower next wet season. But I've got another 6 that should reach that size next growing season. Just need to organise pots for them. They always do better without competition from other plant roots.

There's quite a lot of bamboo in my garden, some of them getting to 15 or more metres long. They're in amongst trees so are usually supported and try to reach the sunlight. I've got one timber bamboo but it's not growing well. My soil is extremely poor and I put it in the wrong spot. Will move it ... eventually .... when I get time.

Dendrobium affine growing on a Melaleuca in my swamp. Not flowering at the moment, they do that in the dry season.

Do you have sandy soil or clay? We have clay and I always work lawn clippings and horse puckey into the soil. It is improving, but the weeds are terrible ;). Maybe you can find some good "stuff" to topdress your soil. I am thinking of letting the kids have a rabbit and I'll have the nice pellets that are already in an easy to dispense form, lol. Sorry to go on about poop, but it really has helped here.

Thanks Rita. I'm home this weekend, and for the week. Good opportunity for a bit of photography. Although, there's a lot of work to be done.

Cleaned up a lot of fallen Coconut fronds from that lightning strike a while back. There's still a smell of boiled vegetation around that garden despite it being about a month since it happened. A fifth Coconut looks like it's dying, that lightning bolt must have really spread out. The Philodendron in one of the Coconuts must have had the lightning come down through it as well. The stems are up 30 to 40 millimetres in diameter but they became soft and mushy inside. The aerial roots were okay for a few weeks, now they're mushy as well. Some new shoots along the main stems fell off so I'm hoping they'll survive. And fronds have been raining down damaging the garden nearby. I've cleaned them all up but there's still a lot just hanging ready to fall. I've got lots of sprouting Coconuts of various heights but I'm not goint to plant any more back there. Smaller plants will be safer without them.

The Coconut with the (fried) Philodendron. The roots clinging to the trunk and the aerial roots are still there, and you can see the shrivelled stems.

My soil is lateritic gravel laying over a yellow mush in the wet season, yellow concrete in the dry season. Problem in the tropics is that any manure/mulch breaks down too rapidly, there's nothing to holds the nutrients if you don't have clay. But if you have clay you have other problems. Horse manure is good except for being a great harbourer of weed seeds. Their digestive system isn't like that of cattle. I'm using charcoal to improve the CEC of the soil. That's the measure of the capacity of the soil to retain nutrients.

The "before photo" of the Coconut with the Philodendron, before the lightning strike.

I'm sorry that you lost that beautiful philo and palm. They were beautiful together. I am considering the rabbit droppings because of fewer weeds. Cow stuff is harder for me to come by, my dad has horses. What does straw do mixed in your soil, add problems or help?

I am trimming big time, and was trimming the blackened trunk of the philo, and it looks firm inside.so left part of it. I noticed the Helliconia is putting out new shoots.

Glad to see everyone enjoying the day. It's beautiful.

I am going to be MIA for week starting tomorrow. My DH, friends from Rochester, and myself are going on a cruise for 7 days. Can't wait. May not have time to post tomorrow, so TaTa for now.

Hugs

Hap

Hugs, and have a great time :)!!!

Nancy, may you have a great time on your cruise. Pack up all your nicest dresses and show them what a real cruiser looks like. Eat well, have a glass of whatever for me, relax and enjoy. We'll see you when you return. Bon voyage!

Sylvain.

3js, all organic matter helps. My African Mahoganys drop huge amounts of leaves just at the start of the wet season. I spread those deeply on the gardens. It helps protect the soil from the pounding rain but it's all gone towards the end of the wet. The soil needs a "nutrient trap". Clay particles and charcoal (fine) does that best for me. Horse manure is good, just that if you can hot compost it first you avoid the problem with weeds.

I can see there's soon going to be one happy Happy_1 cruising the deep blue sea. Have a great trip.

Hoya pubicalyx

Cherokee Greg, the Musella is in the greenhouse, maybe that's why it's starting now. Hot in there today!

Tropicbreeze, thanks for all your photos, always nice to see your lovely plants and all that green, green, green when it is so drab and gray and everything is brown (dead or dormant) here.

I hope everyone is having a tremendous weekend and are enjoying warmer temp's and Sunshine;-)

R.J., Lovely bloom's on your Magnolia tree's. I am a big fan of those and am looking very forward to seeing mine bloom again here too.

Tropic, thank's so much for the tour from your neighborhood. I had not viewed a picture of your Philodendron erubescens but I have to say the more I view your Cyrtosperma merkusii...it's become a "must have" on my list of plant's. The Crytosperma plant's are not the easiest to find for sale.

Rita, I visit the Exotic Rainforest website often. That site is my learning tool and if I can not find the answer I am looking for I alway's send an email to Steve in which he quickly respond's with an answer;-) I have to add that is a gorgeous var.Watermaliense you have. I did purchase this plant via ebay a while back noted to be a Anthurium Watermaliense. Time will tell if that's what I actually have though.

What a nice tour of your Garden, Tropic, thank you..
Nancy, have a great time on your vacation!

Thanks for the comments everyone.

Rachel, beware the Cyrtosperma merkusii. It's not called Giant Swamp Taro for nothing. It can grow up to 6 metres (19.7 feet) tall.

a picture from the garden show
I just was not impressed this year.. didn't buy the staghorn fern either..

I did like this giant kalachoe with the purple grassy stuff in the middle.. just didn't like the 49.00 price

the staghorn was next to a fiddle leaf

birds nest fern??

joeswife: The purple spikey guy is maybe cordyline australis purpurea or red star or similar.

joeswife, Dawn is very correct;-) The purple spikey plant is a cordyline australis. Do you have any more photo's from this plant show to apply? If so, please do.

Tropic, thank's but I think I can "contain" a Cyrtosperma merkusii before it got out of control here but if not.. I know of a very good home who will take it off my hand's;o)

Aglaonema starting to bloom. It will open up in a few day's.

Do you think the water arrow heads that grow wild and rampant in the water ditches here would be okay in a bog garden for me? I was thinking of going and getting a few this spring before the canals fill up from the rains.
This Garden was right behind me.. ( At the Garden Show)

Keep those picture's coming Debra. I am enjoying them.

As far as you speaking of arrow head plant's growing rampant in your area...are you speaking of perhap's a plant in Sagittaria genus?