Tropical Garden #77

I have enjoyed viewing everyones pictures.

Rita, thanks so much for telling me your soil mixture and my mouth fell to the ground when I read that your mother was not impressed with your tropical gardens....oh my.....mothers. Perhaps she is just use to viewing alot of the tropical plants you grow where she lives. We sure enjoy viewing pictures from your gardens and I am sure she really does as well.

I also give this sweet Alocasia that you sent to me a while back a big thumb's up! It's precious and is easy to grow.

Thank you.

Debra, thank you.

I think this peruvian Daffodil came from you. It's a beauty;-).

RachelLF, thanks, I love the Peruvian daffodil, mine have'nt bloomed yet, they might need a little more sunshine.
Your little A. bambino has doubled in size!!

Philo. Gigantea Variegata

This is Costus Subsessilis first bloom, the leaves are cool, light green and fuzzy, the blooms are very large.

Blue butterfly pea vine (Clitoria ternata)

Chicken Gizzard plant (Iresine herbstii)

Oh wow, your Iresine looks huge! I had no idea they could get that big...I think I'll put mine outside :-)

whoooo hooo, my Cross Vine "Tangerine Beauty" has buds...hopefully open soon, as the Hummer's have already been checking the buds out., as if to say, hurry it up all ready ! I'll post as soon as it does. Is there a Hosta that is small, like a dwarf, variegated, that would do well in Florida ? I'm thinking that would look nice on the edge of my new flower bed.

Prita, your Raphis excelsa is still looking great. Mine are growing well, but slowly.

This is Arenga hookeriana starting to produce an inflorescence. It's a short clumping palm with large "fish-tail" leaflets.

A discussion on another thread prompted me to take some new photos of some of my Pothos.

Where ever it is, it likes to take over.

Spathoglottis plicata is one orchid that doesn't know when to stop. They just seem to flower continuously. This is my original white one.

This is the colour I got in a swap last year.

The divided leaf in the middle of the photo is Amydrium zippelanum. The main plant is elsewhere sending out runners which turn up plants in all odd spots. They used to only be on the ground. Now they're showing up on trees. There's a small Vanilla Orchid vine just below, and above is some sort of Epipremnum.

This Epipremnum is native here, Epipremnum amplissimum. It likes climbing up trees but it must have its roots in water. Consequently you only find it growing along streams. Or, as in this photo, on the edge of one of my ponds.

Ixora is a common garden plant here, in various shades of red, pink and orange. It's virtually bullet-proof and thrives on neglect. To the point it's considered a weed here.

Alocasia "Viernam Mutant". Don't know how big it's going to grow but it has this strange curling along one edge of the leaf. It's the same on each leaf, and it's on the same side of each leaf.

Another Alocasia, hiding behind the Monstera. It was out front but when the sun moved to the north it began to wilt. Now it's in more shade.

I think this is some type of Calathea, fairly tall growing.

Another Dracaena that's starting to flower. It's quite tall, over 3 metres (about 10 feet).

My Monstera deliciosa, with Batplant (Tacca) at foot and Pandanus dubius at the back.

Thalia geniculata is a water plant that's taking over one of my ponds. Have to keep chopping it back all the time. Grows 2 to 3 metres (about 7 to 10 feet) high. There are also some plain green stemmed varieties.

One of the native orchids growing in a lot of my trees, a winter flowerer, Dendrobium affine.

Used to know the name of this one, seems to wait until winter to flower.

Duranta "Geisha Girl", always seems to be flowering.

batflower, the iresine is about 3 years old, it is just now starting to look good after such a bad winter. It does well in a hanging basket also.

mjsponies, we would love to see your crossvine. Rj showed his last year, it was very impressive, going from his backyard to his house.
The allamanda cherries Jubliee is a heavy bloomer, I had one called chocolate swirl last year that died.
Sorry, no idea on the hostas.

Brazilian Firecacker vine, a favorite of humming birds.

Tropicbreeze, that was very entertaining!!! I am familiar with the ixora, duranta and tacca, everything else is new to me. I love the Philo Hendersons Pride, I find that I have better luck when growing Philos.

Anthurium spectabile

Bauhinia Tomentosa

the first blooms opened today, and there's more buds...........
Cross Vine Tangerine Beauty...
I'll figure out something to put in the new bed...........but if anyone has any idea's let me know.

Tropic, your Alocasia "Viernam Mutant" caught my eye. Please keep showing your progress from growing that Alocasia.

Anthurium chiapensis has been very easy for me to grow.

Rita I ove that bahaunia , I have a small stick of one. ( Year two)
Rachel love your anthuriums, where do you find all those cool ones?
I lost my bignonia, it isn't zone hardy here. The trumpet vine on the other hand, is very hardy and very invasive, but it gives nice blooms and makes nice cuttings.
tropic, I love your place and gardens and get much joy when you post, it feels like I am there.
I have two kinds of duranta and can't wait for them to bloom, and I am also waiting on all the blue and shades of red tall lobelias to bloom.

I did get ovetr to tropicmans place and visit with him and his wife, I can't believe he gets all that jungle out side b himself, his stuff is as big as trees, even his plumerias and brugs are sky high. His BOPs are huge and I bet he has one of everything tropical, some stuff I never heard of..
Going back over Sunday nite to visit and take pics. It was good just to talk to him and Patty. I miss seeing other gardening friends these days.


This is looking In to the Tomatoe Patch, around the little pond form, and that wine cup ( kansas wild flower) is supposed to be done now, but is vining like a well morning glory I guess.

The wine cup gives me about 30 seeds a cup bloom and I have tons of them if ya all want some..

Debra, you should be able to grow Bignonia capreolata in your area as well.

I am enoying your pictures.

Really? well the vine I had didn't make it, maybe I should have kept it in the second winter to get a little bit bigger?



This is inside the patio looking north, on the other side of the pond form and the bean patch and tomatoes are to the right of this area, this barrell holds the red oxalis, a ruby glow passion vine, sunflowers, tall yellow showy eveing primrose, cardinal flower lobelia, and the other pots next to it are tall kansas grass mixed with zinnias, sunflowers and liatris, all footed with with morning glories and chinese bean hiyacynth to climb. Hubby calls this my weed patch.. but I notice he runs and gets his camera alot after he mentions that.

I am pleased how this cross turned out that I did with a salmon , yellow and fuschia four o clock last year.. It has the fragrance of the yellow. YAY! I will bagging these seeds to share.