Tropical Garden #103

Everyone is welcome!!

Please share pictures of your tropical plants and gardens for others to see and enjoy.

We came from here.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1186396/

Heliconia Rostrata it took a beating from the strong wind a few weeks back.

Variegated Beach Hibiscus, hopefully, this is the year that it will booom.

Rita, the lovely royal blue flower you posted near the end of the last thread - Butterfly Pea vine? Stunning color!

Just a suggestion for the variegated Beach Hib above - maybe starve/stress it a bit? My big hibiscus outside the gate gets no help whatsoever but it blooms all the time. Its foliage is not gorgeous and glossy and healthy like your plant. A gorgeous lush plant like that is a joy, but if you want it to bloom . . . Tell you the truth, I'm afraid to give my bush anything in case it will stop blooming!

Love your lobster claw Heliconias, too. Mine have died to the ground the last two winters, and I've not seen a bloom in 2 years. (despite lots of tlc)

Has anyone heard from Hetty? It has been brought to my attention that Hetty hasn't posted in a while.

Rita, Nice Musa and Philo.

Thanks Rita I just drooled all over my phone looking at that first picture. Is that a varigated frangipani?

Elaine

very nice shot of your bamboo. I'm going out to a local bamboo grower this weekend to see their groves... Can't hardly wait for Sat...

Everyone has such great shots of their plants, I sure wish I had something to share but alas all I have is a yard with lot of sand and no grass, and weeds that can't stay gone....LOL

Wish my collies would get into pulling the weeds in the yard....

Jan

Jan, You can do it!

Jan, I bet we could share some plants with you for postage - what are you interested in?

Hi All !!
dyzz, thanks, I would love to see a picture of your variagated sea hibiscus blooms!
My Hibiscus serves as shade for my understory plants. I would hate for it to lose its foliage.
After several years of not blooming, a friend told me to give the Heliconia lots of water in the spring, it has worked for the last 3 yrs.

costus

This message was edited Jun 10, 2011 4:32 PM

KayJones, I have been missing Dutchlady (Hetty), Sunshinesw (Jan) as well, especially this time of the year. Hetty was always ready to start a new thread with one of her gorgeous plumeria pictures.


homer1958, thanks.

this is a section of my border just now showing life.
X. brasiliense, A. cadierii, Chocolate plant , A.variegated Odora

candela, that is correct, variegated Plumeria Maya, a present from TXbigleaves I had one to bloom last year.


Meadowyck, what Kay said sounds like an excellent plan .

Yellow Trumpet Ginger

Rita I took a cutting of a varigated hibiscus and some how turned back to a regular mahoe I think they call it. It grew so fast had gorgeous yellow hibiscus flowers but cut it down because it was over my house in no time with branches on the roof taking root and started to grow in my tiles. I still can t kill the stump. I would keep that in a pot

you folks are most generous, but I'm still feeling my way and maybe later this year I might just take yall up on your offer, once I know for sure what I can grow or not...LOL

for now I'm just enjoying the beautiful photos that everyone is posting.

So keep posting those photos folks....


prita what is the plant that you have picture at the beginning of this thread. I love varigated leaves.

Jan

Just a friend of mine that "Happened to show up" when I was watering! I saw him climbing up one of my Orinocos; like Batman with those suction cups!

Please pray for rain for us; it has been about 3 weeks and temps in the mid and upper 90's with wind and no humidity.Not conducive to growing tropicals. I shleg the hose around in the am and the pm. I can see a $500.00 water bill this month.

homer, I'm with ya on the rain issues....we are dangerously dry here...at this point I'm just trying to keep alot of things from dying, much less getting alot of blooms. And what is blooming is not up to their usual show.

Rita - that cutting you sent me of the Variegated Beach Hibiscus is growing and I think I'm going to put it somewhere to create a shady spot since it gets big and is tough...

Dahlia not a Tropical, but it's colors look Tropical ! And this one gets big...its about 5 feet tall....has 2 stakes.



This message was edited Jun 11, 2011 10:07 AM

yeah... if it was just hot and humid like it usually is ...no problem! With this wind and no humidity, ALL plants just suck up as much as they can,while they can. Everything here is just in neutral!

Hello All!!

candela, fortunately for me, because my climate, the hibiscus is not that vigorous a grower and only have to cut it back each fall in order to get the plastic on my hoop house.
I also have a variegated sea grape that has put out two leaves since spring.

Orange Jasmine. It has a alluring fragrance!

homer1958, Great picture of your little friend! I have quite a few that are about 1". I enjoy their nightly chirping.
I have discontinued watering my perennial gardens because the lack of rain. I am just trying to keep certain plants alive. I am praying for a gulleywasher.

Dwarf variegated Plumeria "Coconut leaf "

mjsponies, it is good to see you posting!
Your dahlia sure does have tropical colors, very bright and happy looking flowers. I have tried growing them several times without any luck.



meadowyck that plant is a variegated Plumeria "Maya" their blooms are nothing to brag about but the foliage more than make up for it.

This is Sweet syrup

Rita, We are getting our gullywasher tonight just hope it is not too much for my A. Sarian and my A. Tigrina Superba,they like as much as a succulent would! We have about an inch and a half and is lightning like crazy; kinda scared to go out and cover the ground around them!

Homer, I wouldn't be too worried about them...if's it's been that dry, then by the time it actually soaks in to the ground they will probably appreciate it....Still no rain here...........
Isn't it amazing....I want to slap the weather people on TV when they say....Oh Sooo Sorry but your weekend might get rained out...and I'm sitting here hoping for a Frog Strangler............we "Might" get some rain here Mon-Tues.....I sure hope so...Sorry to be so cranky....Lack of Rain can do that to you.

Yeah; but I made the mistake of placing it in a lower elevation area! Watered of Friday, as I was tired of hearing from the "weather people" 30-40-50-% chance, and nothing comes to fruition! If it goes; I guess one out of seventysix isn't bad.

I will either get one on E-bay, or hope someone on the D.G. would have one they would sell or trade! Have to see what happens.

I hope you guys get some and is a soaker and not a "frog strangler", as we use to say in Mobile, Al.

finally two days of rain, a real soaker, too...a few red things to brighten us up..

I did alot of transplanting today, finally got to play in the back yard.. found a bunch of small EE's popping up in the rotting tub, funny, they must have been from peices of roots in the tub..
I grew these from seed..

I have been thinning out the prennial north side and giving plants away to customers at work, easy peasy that way..

all the monardas are waking up..

it seems like spring, but tommorrow it will be back up in the hundreds..


a full shot of the back patio.. this am between the rain..

Maya hung on to two blooms, now they are turnng her color..

Great photos everyone.

Rita, I sure hope Texas receives some rain before long and that border of Alocasias,Xanthosoma and the chocolate plant is beautiful.

mjs, I have to say the same for you Floridians as well. Wishing and praying for some much needed rain there and I have to add, the cuttings you sent me have rooted;o) Thank you so much!

Drew, don't give up on those two but just a thought, you may want to pot them back up so you will be able to move them when your area is enduring heavy rains for long durations, especially if they are not in a very well draining soil or area.

Debra, you always amaze me with all the plants you are able to keep thriving. I wish my little Caladium looked half as nice as yours! The Begonia that you sent me last year is starting to show what a great bloomer it's growing up to be. It sure is nice and I appreciate it.

Another thought, Drew - I have a beach umbrella - the kind you stick in the sand/soil, not a patio table model - that I use when I transplant stuff in the hot, dry time of the year. (like now!) Maybe you could deploy one of those before a storm to divert some of the heavy rain off your two 'lowland dwellers'. As I recall, I got it at Bed, Bath & Beyond for $19.95.

Debra, I sure hope my Maya grows up to be as beautiful as yours! Cherub and 'Monster' still growing like crazy.

Here's one of my bamboo shoots just starting up. It's been sitting like this (8" high and 2" across) for several days waiting for rain. We're crackling dry here as well, although chances are better for rain this week. If we get some, this (appropriately named) shoot will 'shoot' up over a foot per day.

Hi Everyone!!

Homer1958, that is terrific news concerning the rain, hopefully your alocasias will reward you with1' of new growth.


mjsponies, it looks as if it will be your turn next to get blessed with the wet stuff, I checked our 10 day forecast and they have rain predicted for the 23rd but it is likely an ephemeral hope.

This is a great shade plant, White Candles.

This message was edited Jun 13, 2011 4:27 PM

RachelLF, thanks, I was fortunate that after a high dollar plant died, the chocolate plant sprouted in that spot, I think that worked out very well.
I wish that I had a new exciting aroid to show, but the packages from the last two e-bay prchases were delivered flat, a Hippo. must have taken a nap on them.
This is a noid athurium from Lowe's mark down, purchased a few years back, it is a little over 4' tall.

Joeswife,nice bright colors! It is just what I needed to cheer me up.
I can see all those Brugs in your backyard picture, Its going to be wonderful seeing all those blooms.


Evergreen Wisteria's first bloom of the season. It is aout 30ft up a pine tree, it is awesome when in full bloom.

dyzzy, I always wanted to try black bamboo in my garden, but the shipping was always too expensive. I am growing sugar cane insted.

This is Frangipani vine, it has beautiful foliage.

MG

great shots everyone.

I know in the south we are without rain while up north that had more than they knew what to do with......

Homer, I love your visitor and which bamboo is that your friend is on?

prita, I could care less about a bloom when the foliage is like that....LOL

joeswife, great pics keep them coming.

Jan

Rita, your morning glories are lovely. I was yearning for a start of black bamboo a few years ago, too. Then I went and priced them - Ack! Even without shipping (I visited a grower near Palm Beach) the black, and some of the others with exotic colored stalks were $300 or so for a decent sized start!

It's sad that bamboo is SO VERY difficult to divide starts from. Even the guy with the backhoe had trouble busting up the root ball on my tall bamboo. I do have another clump of a smaller variety that only grows about 15 feet tall, with 3/4in. diameter stalks, but . . . can't get even my sharpest shovel in amongst the roots there either.

Up in Gainesville, at the botanical gardens on the UF campus they have a big bamboo display, and each year in the fall they do sell divisions. But >sighh< I have filled all the spaces now.

Here's my newest Canna 'Durban' with green and purple variegated foliage and the most outrageous orange flower. The photo doesn't do it justice.