diehrdsouthrnr, beautiful house and beautiful yard, you must have just put in the Cabbage Palm? Thanks for all the pictures, everything is gorgeous! How do queens do in your area? Here it seems to be hit or miss, some do fine, some just die, its odd.
Share your yard!
Kamari, you were holding back on us. If that is your first try at tropicals, I cannot wait to see what you are going to do this sunmmer.
thanks! those were last spring/summer, before the had leafed out... they were installed last feb. here queens are marginal... out here in bluffton they usually get a little brown if we grt to like...25*, but they do pretty well. i you are on the island, it gets a lot warmer...zone 10 in some places....we had strelitzia nicolai and reginae bloom in Hilton Head, so on the island they do GREAT. it all depends on your proximity to the marsh or beach, or large swamp..... the water, sand, and pluff mud realy help to keep us warm...... so i guess what i'm trying to say is that it really all depends on your location
PS our live oaks also really help us conserve heat too
LOL! Yes that was my first try.This Summer will be really fun. :)
I just went out and took this so you all can see what my yard looks like today.
Just think 2 months and things will be growing like crazy!
Seems like forever to me. I hate the winter and the snow.
me too...As far as I'm concerned...snow is something you go fly to, play in and then fly away from.
Today snow covered...soon blooms as far as the eye can see!!!
Robyn what a yard hahaha. :*)
I hope so, we just moved here last year and the yard and beds have been neglected for about 15 years. It will take a while to geet what I want out there. I have 3 acres for a yard and 6 acres surrounding it. So I have a lot to work with.
Oh boy, that sounds great!
I can donate a plant or two when you decide what your going to do!
Do you have suggestions? I really need all the help I can get. I have one garden that is about 8' x16' and the only things in it are 2 Crepe Myrtles a small Dusty Miller, naked ladies and probably some canna that I didn't get all dug up.
Do you have suggestions? I really need all the help I can get. I have one garden that is about 8' x16' and the only things in it are 2 Crepe Myrtles a small Dusty Miller, naked ladies and probably some canna that I didn't get all dug up and a Red hot poker..
Let me get Tropicman...he is in 6a....lets see what he has to say!
Great, thanks.
Robyn this is gonna be good. You have a big beautiful canvas to do amazing things!!
Oh...what suggestions do you have.kimarj?.your similar zone...I would probably recommend too many tropicals!
Hard part is the red clay and rocks stuck in that clay. This area doesn't have much dirt unless it is hauled in or made. I have made a couple of lasagna beds though.
I should have taken a picture of the back area around the pool this summer. That bed does have some flowers in it. I planted hardy Hibiscus, and different daylilies and a couple of asiatic lilies, mini roses and fountain grass. I had a surpirze that came up there too, red Spider lilies. They were beautiful.
Most everything is full sun, there is one patch that is partly shad that has hostas, ;ive forever, Turtlehead and tall Phlox. I took all last year to clean out the ivy they had in it and crawling up the side of the house and under the siding.
I have one area by the garage on the east side where I put my Brugs and would love to put some bananas and palms and such in. Containers is my best bet there I think.
Well I like tropicals too...I know that there are plants we can grow that look tropical yet take our temps.
Just when I start having fun DH boots me off...I'll be back. :*)
Don't they have to be moved inside as well?
I like that tropical look. I wonder if it would look good around the pool.
Thanks Kim.
You have a pool too! my goodness...what a pallet to work with...I would put stuff around the pool, as the water keeps the surrounding area a little warmer...eeerr..that's if it's not frozen I think. Tropicman will drop in...
I"m thinking Gunnera. I never have laid eyes on one except in pics but it is a wow plant.
Pool is sloshy right now with the chemicals in it to try to keep it from freezing. It is a 27 ft above ground pool, round. The deck to the pool goes around the front and to the sides, It has to be finished, which the other people never did. Then to the right is the one garden about 6'x15' I had cannas at the back and morning glories last year just to have something there. On the left side is a small garden about 5x6 and nothing else because of the filtering equipment.
I will try to take pictures of it tomorrow when it is light so you can see what I mean.
Okay..
I suppose we need to know...do you like shrubs, flowers...is there a section you'd like to change with the seasons...Sun situation, do we need to create some shade etc.
It does seem like you'd like a tropical look, so we can ask Tropicman what locations would be good..or if they all are fine in the summer etc.
Here's a couple of Tropicmans threads ...look through some pictures for ideas...
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/767528/
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/751108/
His place looks more tropical than mine does!
If it helps..this is my entire blog with a few years of pictures and alot of
blah blah on stuff...sift through at will!
http://davesgarden.com/community/blogs/m/rjuddharrison/
Wow RJ your blof is outstanding. My head is spinning with all info and all the pictures from everyone.
I like shrubs, don't have too many places I can put vines yet. I can't put anything within 3 feet of the fence line or the horses will try to eat it. Front of the house faces south. In the summer the front is full sun till about 5, then the house and a tree block most of it. I have 3 big oaks in the front and side and 1 pine tree in front. I would like to put a water garden in an area between the 3 oaks that will have some dappled shade.
Not much can be done on the east side because of the big oak and circle drive. I also have a barn that way too so most of that area is given for the horses and supplying them with their hay and stuff.
The wsest side is plain, just a tree and a couple of shrubs of some sort that hide the diesel barrel.
The back has no trees yet, I want fruit tree in the NW corner. I have a vege garden about 10' from the pool that is about 20x 30 and will be extending it. Mostly the back area that I want done is the pool area.
I think that kind of covers it. Pictures will really help though.
Okay that's a start, are you able or want to put anything up for the winter? Like Tropicman has tons of things, but he put alot up for the winter.
Probably should start with permanent things then? like fruit trees and shrubs that will be tolerant for your zone, and that perhaps have a tropical look.
One thing we can start with, while it won't be permanent will grow well in your zone during the summer are Castor Bean trees - they look tropical, provide shade around for what you may need a bit of coverage during a hot summer afternoon...they will die back during the winter but, they produce alot of seeds that you can grow like annuals- fast growing. There are green and maroon/purple...the trees ands seeds are poisonous, however local animals have not been reported to eat them. Read about them in plant files
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/75516/
That is hard to believe that is an annual in this area. I like it and it would work great in the front to help keep the porch shaded for the plants I put out there.
I can send you some seeds, and when it's warmer some plants..I have them growing wild everywhere...
Thank you so much. They aren't hard to start then I take it. I usually don't have a hard time starting things from seeds, but some are a pain to get going.
No, they're fairly easy...
With something like that I could move it each year to find out what place looks the best then add different plants and flowers under it that need some shade. Very cool.
I've seen them reported to grow in zone 2b
Lets see some more lovely front and back gardens....sorry for that intermission!
Lets start a new thread - Suggestions for Robynznest
new acerage..and what you'd like...then we all can reference that thread in particular for your new landscaping !
That would be hard listing my likes cause it's just about everything, Although I don't like to much pink. Just not a pink person.
Wow! You guys have some spectacular tropical gardens!
I'm working on mine slowly but surely. I'm relatively new to the desert so I'm sorting things out as I go along as to what works here and what doesn't. Once some of the trees mature and create more shaded areas, hopefully I'll be able to plant more tropicals. I would like to get a banana and elephant ear around the waterfall.
This is what I've done so far.
