I have some tropical plants but are always interested in new and exciting plants, that are fairly easy to grow and will grow in zone 9a. Any suggestions?
I really want to create that Tropical Paradise feel in my own yard. I really fell in love with that picture of the shell ginger. Anyone know where I can get one?
Thanks!
What plants would you recommend for that tropical paradise?
Have you tried a Papaya tree? They grow very quickly from seed, and then you can eat the fruit!!
Dutchlady, yes, plumerias are great! Are you the one that has 300? I love them!
I have several, but only three have bloomed so far, a yellow, a white with yellow, and a fuscia that is about to bloom anyday. I would love to have a red one!
Have you ever tried to hybridize them?
When we were on Oahu years ago we had two huge ones....years and years old in our front yard. We would always make leis for special events at school. Oh for the day I would have that many plumerias at one time. Love plumerias! They smell sooooooo good! Thanks!
Islandshari, that is a great idea also! I love papaya! Thanks!
There's so many!
I'll start with one of my faves....Bird of Paradise, it's so pretty and tropical and would live in your zone, I have 2 and they have survived.
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/619/
That would be me with the 300 plumeria. Actually, I stopped counting at 300. :-))
I don't have the space (or patience..) to hybridize so I buy what I know I will like.
I second the Bird of Paradise. Also Hibiscus surely will grow in your area? And there are a variety of yucca that give a tropical feel and are quite hardy.
Wow did I hear 300 plumerias......I can't even imagine that!.....and the perfume......tried potasium sulphate on them to induce the flowering?
Hey texasgal77....Murraya is very nice.....lovely orange blossom perfume and shiny rich green leaves. Do you grow the marvel of peru (some consider it a weed )...I love it ...it is covered in fragrant flowers all through the warm months.The tropical cannas have amazing foliage as well as nice orange /coral flowers.....And the Bouganvillias ......mine flower in stunning colours for 11 months of the year....love the heat and dry.....so pretty ...I have a peach...a gold...a really vibrant coral....red of course...white....hot pink....fushia pink and a lovely yellow that ages to a soft salmon.
The Rangoon creeper.Agapanthus....day lilys in the "hot shades"
Passionfruit....there seems t be an abundance of types to choose from in your Country....not only tropical and beautiful but yummy fruit as well.Well if you add those to the ones already suggested
that will get you started......what fun :)
Flly girl, Dutchlady, Chrissy, Great tips! Thanks everyone! Yes, hibiscus grows here! They are lovely. I have an peach, red, and yellow. Only the peach has bloomed so far. They got bitten back by the frost last year...down to nothing. They are coming back....slowly.
I bought some banana passion fruit seeds from Kenni Koala near you Chrissy, but haven't planted them yet. I love Bouganvilla. I'll have to look the other's up. No, I've not tried the potassium sulphate. I've just been patiently waiting.
Dutchlady do you have your plumerias in the ground? Do you have alot of property? 300 plumerias is alot! Would love to see some pictures!!
I agree with everything mentioned so far, but I would add ferns. In, around and between other plants, ferns are the easiest way to achieve a tropical feel.
I have a third of an acre and that includes my house and my pool..... and 300 plumeria.... give or take!
Many of them are still small and I do prune a lot, and also the ones that don't thrill me a LOT get given away, traded or sold... this year I have weeded out a lot of duplicates.
This picture of my front yard was taken three years ago. The Ixora is gone, and all the grass between the Ixora and the plumeria patch is gone.... and there are 70 plumeria in that patch alone at the present time. A couple of PINKS are looking for a good home :-)
The big palm on the left succumbed to Hurricane Wilma... so there now is a BIG plumeria in its place. They are transplanted very easily in the winter when they are dormant.
This message was edited Aug 3, 2007 8:55 PM
Why did you remove the Ixora? I know they don't have much in the way of scent, but they are always in bloom, and so easy! Just curious....I have many Ixora, from pale pink to the deepest red and I just love them.
Oh Dutchlady, those are beautiful! Anytime you would like to get rid of any. I would gladly pay shipping on cuttings....don't think we could ship the whole tree....LOL, but cuttings would be great! I have mine in pots as we have to bring them in during the freezes. I have a very good canvas enclosure for my canopy, plus we added plastic shower curtains, and zipped up every night to keep them warm, and they made it. I couldn't wait for mid March to come along so it would start to get warm. Let me know about those pink plumerias! Any red that you want to get rid of?
Islandshari, the ferns certainly do add that tropical feel. I love ferns!
When I went out to run errands today I measured 3 1/2 miles on the car odometer just to see how long your island is!!!!!! LOL I am spoiled. I am used to being able to go, go, go. Just to take Mom to the Dr. is about 30 miles, est. Of course, I'm sure when you don't have a motor vehicle 3 1/2 miles seems like a long distance. Everything is in perspective. Do you have a washer and dryer or do you have to go to the laundrymat? Of course other than hubby's work clothes, you could just wear a swimsuit....then not much laundry to do! LOL
Did it stop raining so that you could go to the store? Do they provide the wagons or do you have to bring your own?
I wear muumuu's here, my GD wants to know if you were muumuu's there? I was telling her about your GD. Need to get ready for bed. Having my youngest GD here really keeps me busy and uses up my energy quick. I will show her T's pcitures afterwhile.
Texasgal77
Yep, got a washer and dryer. And yep, wear muumuus - but that is for dress up. Day to day - shorts and t-shirs or tank tops. DH wears shorts and collared shirts to work, t-shirts the rest of the time. However!!! Spending lots of time in bathingsuits means wet towels, wet coverups...wet wet wet....in our heat that means stinky stinky stinky! Gotta do a lot of laundry! Going to store when DH gets home, he enjoys it, for me its a chore, but together we git er done. Walk to store - they have shopping carts. Fill cart, check out, mark qtrs number on bags take to curb. Van loads up bags and drops them at qtrs. Works great - no jerking heavy bags into trunk of car, then out of trunk and spilling on porch while trying to unlock door. No shopping carts rolling into and chipping paint on new car. No (and this really happened!!) shopping cart rolling down slope with child in seat while head is in trunk rearranging to make the case of pop fit. Gasp ! I like it here!
Islandshari, it is really beautiful there! If I were younger and healthy it'd be wonderful! I love the pictures! I sent you a D-mail. What are the Ixora? Are they easy to grow? Can they take a freeze?
I'm quite suprised that no one here has recommended orchids - so I will! Check out the article on the home page.
Shari your article on Orchids was wonderful! Very informitive (sp)! I have always wanted to do some. They are finally starting to come down in price here, and now esp. after reading your article I feel much more brave about trying! I've done fairly well, haven't killed too many plants yet! So I may go ahead and give Orchids a chance! Thanks for the article and the suggestion!
To my surprise today my yellow plumeria was the one that bloomed, not the fuscia. I really must tag them so I know which is which! It has one flower, but smells soooo good!
Thanks everyone for the great tips! I've enjoyed reading them....If anyone else has others, please feel free to post!
I have a book on landscaping with tropicals, but you don't always know if something is easy to grow or not, kind of like Shari's article. If you haven't read it, besure to go to the homepage and check it out!!!!! Shari did a great job!
77 *snap snap* Thank you for the very nice words! If you do decide to grow orchids I will feel like I have accomplished something indeed. Any thing I can do to help, just ask!
I didn't think Orchids would grow here, I'll have to check into them, they are so beautiful.
TG, Alocasias and Colocasias are very pretty if you have shade. 'Coffee Cups' is very cool and 'Micky Mouse Taro' is unusual, it's a Xanthosoma.
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/48859/
Fly_girl, those are pretty! Thanks!
Yes, Orchids do grow here, but I think they have to be overwintered inside. They can't take a freeze, which is also why I have been reluctant to try them.
This message was edited Aug 5, 2007 12:57 PM
HI Chrissy! Yes we have lots of palms, sago, queen, cat, majesty, mexican fan palm that grow here!!!!!! It stays warm here most of the year...like today it is in the 90's. In years past it has reached over 100 at times.
It only gets really cold in January and February. Last year we had four freezes where it got below 32 deg F for more than 4 hrs. each time, usually 28-32F. It doesn't sound like alot, but it was enough to kill 2 of my hibiscus, and about 4 of my majesty palms.
Two of my azalieas have also died but don't know if it was from the freeze or that disease that they can get where they turn orange. The neighbor round the corner had a tree that look the same way.
It bit back alot of other things, but most have come out of it. I do have a garage, and a patio that I can pull the canvas around where I put my plumies and my houseplant type plants that I keep on the patio year round. This year I am going to plant some rose mallow or rose of sharon, hardy hibiscus that can take the cold.
On the good side of it all...we have two banana trees with baby bananas just saw them today!!!!! I took pictures but haven't uploaded them yet.
My bananas have crispy leaves from the frost but the bananas are still okay....from what I can make out your climate is similar to ours..so if you can grow palms....that is a terrific tropical backdrop
I find that the more growing things you have the better things survive....like tropicman .....all that lush stuff creates a sort of greenhouse affect.I have Washingtonia...Parlour palms... Kentia ...Alexander....Bismarkia and a couple that I don't know the name of because they were gifts.I have no success with azalias
but that does not worry me too much.....as I prefer more tropical things...Bromiliads are really lovely.....Clivias....love them and have a lot. They were talking about something called apple bananas on the radio yesterday...some important cook from the Islands has come out here for a cooking show and said these are the best bananas -ever heard of them ...he said that you can grow them from seed....never heard of bananas from seed until I stumbled into daves garden.....okay it is 6.53 am on a cool but nice Monday morning 11C in beautiful Sydney 6th August....and no I promise not to sing the banana boat song :)
Well see - there ya go! Orchids grow in pots (or on trees, etc. but that is another thread), so they would love it in TX for most of the year, and just take the pots into the garage when a frost threatens!
Daaaaaay - O, Daaaa aaaaa aaaa O! Mornin Kookabura! We've got some sun for the first time in days....how bout you?
texasgall you have d mail
Re-read the whole thread and don't see anything about Elephant ears. Easiest thing to grow I've ever seen. I have several varieties and they most certainly give a tropical feel.
Die down here in North Central Texas every winter but come back bigger and multiply every spring. I have them mixed with fern and hydrangea both front and back yards.
Root Beer Plant, Hoja Santa
Piper auritum
Well, I tried to do a link to the plant files but the above is ok. I have this plant and am enthralled with it. If died down last winter but came back and is going like gang busters.
Another tropical.
Great ideas everyone!!!
LouC, Elephant ears do well here in the area. They are really pretty! Root Beer Plant, Hoja Santa, piper auritum I will have to look up. I love hydrandea! I'll have to get some seeds.....Thanks for the ideas!
stick_n_stones you have D-mail.....
Chrissy, Yep, I like the lush stuff! I love Bromiliads! The pineapple is in that family! Very exotic looking! We had apple bananas in Hawaii. Never had heard of a banana from seed either until I got here also!!!!!!!!
Islandshari, Yes we have sun today! Do you Chrissy? Very nice out. If the sun will just stay out long enough for the mud to dry up! Gonna have to get more sand to put around the pool area. After a good rain you just sink down in the mud. we've already put some down, but with all of the rain it needs more!!!! Got a couple other low areas also! But at least the back yard isn't a lake anymore! My water bill should be down, haven't had to water in weeks. That's a good thing!
Ha Ha....heading to the beach to get sand as well!! How funny! We have to put it between the slats on our patio to keep the mosquito population down.
Don't sink in the mud! And have a great day!
Lou C I did not mention EE because I thought it may be too dry in Texas....from my experience they need lots to drink (no not the Texans the EE's)......love them a lot (the Texans too)...but we don't have the variety that you have over there.We have been on hand watering restrictions here only 2 days ....a week you may use the hose...no sprinklers....and only to 10 am.So I am still adjusting to rain again ......in fact the flooding.Scary stuff really- heard that 19 million in India have been displaced by the flooding ...whew that is just about our whole population! I have to wonder if the drought is really broken now....it looks like it may be ......those poor people.
Shari yes the sun is shining bright...it is about to become a beautiful sunny day the temp will be up to 19c in the city and about 22c here
perfect to start germinating seeds! Have a beautiful day everyone!
....it's a beautiful dayyyyy don't let it get away ...it's a beautiful dayyyy
ha ha ha.....oooops :o
chrissy ....he's mine....all mine....bono is MINE!!!!
"....lalala feelin groovy la la la"
Now, now, children....share!
Shari, do you have a wagon, taking the tram, how are you going to get sand back to your place....do you have saddlebags on your bikes? I know ...you have a side car for your bike. LOL ???????? I love it! I think it would be cool....like being stranded on a tropical island with a paycheck! HAHA Neat! Only if I were younger!!!!!!!!
Chrissy, we Texas do drink alot. We go thru about 2 gallons of marketspice ice tea every couple of days...brewing some as we speak! LOL
Suppertime yall! See ya later.....Got to go visit Mom after we eat, so it'll be late our time. Have fun while I'm gone!
If you are talking about Bono of U2 then he's mine!! LOL!!!!!!
i already spoke first and he is MINE MINE MINE MINE......
and then again ....i might trade him for some plumies....hmmmm...some banana trees....got any??
LOL!!! Fine then I'll take George Clooney. Don't get much better than him!! Or Matt Damon.
You can have him- did you see where he has dumped his wife of many years for someone else....no I just like his music......George Clooney....are you sure he likes girls?????? hmmmm Matt Damon ok he likes girls....For looks only....I like Johnie Depp (not sure of the spelling)....have a beautiful dayyyy girls...la la la la :)