Any suggest for my tropical garden..

Yesterday, I started my tropical garden where I can sit down, relax and drink iced tea. It's in the back yard.. I have many banana trees and dug some and replant like big C and trying to bring some shades from East to West. That area re full sun from middle am to afternoon. I will plant some elephant ears, some pink/red cannas.. brugs. I can leave them in ground around year.. I am in zone 9! I thought about buy two birch trees that will bring shade from E to W. There's water facuet nearby. :o)

Yesterday was the first day that I started working with plant, digging, get dirty! I haven't been doing it for over 2 years due build house and baby. NOw I am all ready to get back and get dirty! I need workout! LOL

Remind: We will not live on that land forever. We will sell this place in less probby 5 years.. Right now, I want to enjoy with my garden, myself and my relaxing time now.
Any suggest will be helpful.

Here's picture.

Wowzer! You really do have the bananas sister! I plant castors, hems, Leonotis, tigridia, acidanthera, tuberose, cannas, etc with mine. Everyone has their own idea of tropical and our zones are very different. I go for bright colors and big leaves. Most of the hems back there are red, orange and yellow.

You might consider clerodendrun, mandevilla, bouganville, etc. I always find lots of neat things I wish I could grow (or afford to buy and risk killing LOL) when I look at posts by Calalily, rylaff, tropicman, rootdoc, Eclipse, bward, etc. Maybe you can get some inspiration from them.

Yes Badseed! Now I am trying to look for some more cannas lily colors (pink, coral, peach).. Hate orange!!! I have several bouganville in pots.. I got rooted bouganville from my mom. Her is huge and full with thousand fushica colors blooms. I was jealous and told her if something happen to her.. I would like to have her bonganville and others on her will... put my name for those flowers/plants! LOL

I still have lots of bananas to dig.. Oh boy I found I have large elephant ears bulbs.. several baby bulbs.. It's been left alone and ignore it for few years..

Thanks God, it's easy to dig the dirts.. ours are sand/dirt mixed....

I am going to look at others's post for any ideas.. I need some more Red Bananas trees also upright elephant ears... no runnings.. I still keep killing the elephant ears runnings.. stubborn!!! lol

LOL You have not killed those runners yet? LOL

What about a big old sago palm? Any palms would look nice. And I can picture a big old zebrina or bordelon in there. What about a small water feature or pond? I also love Lotus bertholotii. You can rarely find those around here anymore. I saw them at Lowe's in a hanging basket with a begonia and they wanted $30 for the darn things! It's an annual for me at best. Do you like cassia, ponciana, jacaranda anything like those? I am thinking of all of the things I have grown and given away. Pain..........

Badseed, oh, I never thought about the pond.. I could dig a nice pond and add liner and some plants and some goldfish... Shoot, I wish I have kept the old Intel Easy Set pool! lol.. It's already GONE! Picked up by prisons who cleaned the ditches down the street.

I have looked up what you have suggested.. It would be pretty if I add those to my garden.. I hope someone would trade it with me... lol..

I have several castor bean seeds. I might go and go head try to grow them from seeds. but it would grow tall next year.

I have tiller but need a new motor.. All I have to do is dig, dig , dig..

ooh...all that space! I should be so lucky!
Definately night jasmine, some gingers (butterfly ginger smells like gardenias), bottle brush, datura, persian shield, plumeria, and some Montrose Purple Vitex would look awsome! I'm in zone 9, and have all of these..they do very well. Happy planting!
Rj

Guess what? I moved them again! LOL.. I changed my mind where it is.. and I decided to move them between far away from my favorite oak tree that I planted 6 years ago. It grows beautiful and give lots of shade. I decided to plant some bananas on East and West ... oak tree in middle and I am going to dig a small pond in middle of tropical garden.. few yard away from oak tree.. middle or on east side..

I have some butterfly ginger.. but they are growing very slowly.. I think I will move them into tropical garden... and trying to collect what you have suggested.. lol..

get some split leaf philos and some xanthosoma stags.
you live in a great zone for some alocasias but try to add color that will be around when the banana leaves are on. some xanthosoma lime zingers. rojo red bannas brighten it up some...

ely

Okay, I have changed the area... this area is better and have some shade.. so I don't need to buy birch trees.. So here's photos.. to give you idea what I am planning to work on it to become tropical garden.. I have lots work to do.. If you have any idea.. post it please.. :o)

That's the backyard... that's where I want to start tropical garden right there surface with bananas, cannas.... Also I can view the garden from the house back patio.

So, does your husband think you are nuts yet? LOL

Badseed.. not yet! LOL.. Yesterday, DH and I sat under tree on blanket and told him what my plan for this area.. All he do is move his head ups and downs. Really he doesn't care but told me that I need save some $$ to buy new motor for my tiller.. ugh..........

He really don't care about anyting about garden but if he see any ripe vegetables.. He would just go and pick up and eat it.. I am the only one that work my a** off mostly on garden. All he do care about is motorcycles!!!! But he's willing to buy me some plants etc.. to make me happy.

Yesterday, I sneaked and bought me a pretty hisbicus plant about 3 1/2 feet tall. I hid it with all my plants.. He won't noticed it.. He he he

This message was edited Jun 16, 2005 2:19 PM

Heck, I had to pay $50 for a gas tank for mine and it died aftter I used it once. It just plumb locked up. Would it be much cheaper to buy a motor than a new tiller?

Yes I agree.. I would like to buy a new tiller than motor. Really, he would buy it for me.. I want bigger one! I told him to sell it and buy bigger one lol But right now,, we are buying a new big lawn riding mower for me... Zero-Turn Mower... this weekend or next week. My tiller does work but when you pull the string.. the part is broke, you have to keep trying until it hold it and pull to start the motor.. DH want to get better and more power motor than the one we have now. It's JUNK motor!

Umm, maybe I should use my camera money to buy new tiller??? Or should I leave it alone for new camera??? LOL

This message was edited Jun 16, 2005 2:28 PM

Load up the yard with palms!!

LOL.. Yes, I would love to have it fill with palms!!!!

I know you live in zone nine. but over here in 8 they sell palms that are not hardy at homedepot and lowes... so research before you buy...

ely

Yes, I would do reseach first before buy them. Down here.. there's lots of palms trees. My SIL have them..

Here is an idea for a pond...I just heard it today: dig the hole to fit a large truck tire...use visquine for a liner and tuck it under the tire when you place it in the ground....instant. and no one could tell. This same person painted springs from a bed and grew vines on it like a trellis...it was soon covered!!!

Carol

PS I have a lot of Agave in my tropical (duh) gardens...and night blooming cereus and Brugmansias, coffee trees and gardenias, Cordyline (Hawaiian Ti). There is a great Mandevilla with a fragrance (it is deep pink), jasmines, passifloras (on the bedsprings?), Heliconia, Agapanthus and other lillies like the Crinums in masses...Caladiums, Coleus. I have seen Hedychium Gardinarium (sp?) growing in Portland, OR with heavy mulch for the winter....purple sugar cane, Vireya Rhodadendron, Calla Lillies....bamboo (the clumping kind),... for a few suggestions.



This message was edited Jun 20, 2005 4:32 PM

Different flax also looks terrific in tropical settings...gives a nice contrast and they should be hardy for you.

Carol

flax-o i would kill for flax-cant find it anywhere!

It is all over the nurseries here. PM me and I will find out prices when I go to town on Friday.

Carol

Bump..

Yesterday I finished with the hostas garden under tree. Now I can go and collect few more hostas to plant there.

The hostas around tree.. the tree is about 5 years old. I dug it from the pasture in back yard and replant it in back yard. The tree was under 4 feet tall and now It's tall and getting big every year. It's fast grow oak tree.

The tropical garden is several feet away from back patio. That's where I want to sit and relaxing away from house.. my peace/quiet area! LOL

I put around with very old bricks.. it was on top of black plastic trash bag around to keep from weeding grow/spread.

I need to know what kind of mulch is best to put on top of dirts to keep it moisture and keep weeds down! I have pine trees but there's nothing I can rake.. I will have to wait until in the fall so I can rake and mulch heavy on them for winter time.

Some of hostas.. got from Pirl and the front one I bought yesterday. It's called Hosta Fortunei (Aureo-Marginata).

Pirl... I need your help!!! You sent me the hostas with names. My Little Matt got it mixed the names with the plants. I was not sure which one.. The three hosta you gave me is on left, right and back.

Hosta Frances Williams
Hostas Plantaeinea spelling?
Hosta Gold Edger

This message was edited Jul 11, 2005 9:32 AM

It's done and now I am going to make a row fill up with all tropical plants ( bananas, brugs, cannas, etc..) in behind of the tree about 7 feet away from the tree behind.

You won't believe what I used to pull the grass out of the hostas garden bed.. by used my hands pulling and pull after it rain.. It's easy to pull.. I wore the rubber glove and easy to grip and pull. My tiller still not working. Well.. The row that I am going to work on .. I have to pull grass with my hands. take the grass and root out!

I believe Frances is on the left, plantaginea is in the rear and the gold is to the right.

It looks really nice. You sure are getting a lot done!