Tropical Trees

Hello my tropical friends!
I want to add a specimen tree to a full sun spot in my garden. This isn't a great pic, but it's just to give you a feel for where this tree would go: to the left of that fireplace, in front of very large palm trees. I have several palm trees and cycads, so I am looking for a "tropical looking" tree to be a focal point.
Preferably showy, bold leaves, fragrance would be a plus!
I've been browsing catalogs but there aren't many "trees". I marvel everyday at the pictures everyone posts over here in our tropical forum, and I would love to hear your suggestions!
Roberta

PLUMERIA
(I'm sorry I always suggest that)

how about a brug? those are trees and fragrant

i was thinking about that too actually!

LOL! I don't blame you, I love plumies too! Sorry this picture is just terrible (I pulled it from my flickr site this morning but I'll take a better one) so you can't see but I already have a plumeria there. And...it goes decidious for me, it's just starting to bud out now...I would prefer something that would be evergreen here in so Cal..

oops we replyed at the same time! I love brugs, I was thinking about that too. That is definitely one possibility!

what about a norfolk island pine? they're exotic
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/175867/
what about a bauhinia or a citrus tree?

I'm not really into pine trees...I mean I think they're beautiful but I can't picture one in my own garden. Bauhinia sounds fabulous, I will look into that! How come I didnt think of Bauhinia! I like citrus too, but it's pretty common here in san diego, I want something exotic looking! : )

delonix regia... but that's kinda big

Rainbow Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus deglupta)

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/483/

OMG you got it right on! This IS my very favorite tree. I'm from Brazil, and Flamboyants are everywhere over there. Unfortunately it's too big for my space, so I've been also considering a Chaesalpinia Pulcherrima (sp) which has a similar look but smaller....

What about murraya paniculata? :) http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/78292/ . Great fragrance, nice flower show, pretty leaves, or http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1450/, a delicious smelling tea olive trimmed as a small tree? :)

-Joe

From the ones I saw this weekend in Florida they don't get very wide. Just very tall. I saw some that were about 15 years old and they were only about 18inches across. Granted the branches might extend out to the sides a lot but if you trim all the lower ones you shouldn't have a problem.

What size are you looking for? Caesalpinia pulcherrima is a shrub and I think it maxes out at about 8 ft, so if that's all the room you have you may have trouble finding a tree that fits the bill and maybe you want shrub suggestions instead?

how about one of the cassia varieties.

Ecrane, I have room should I need it (lawn can ALWAYS be reduced!) but since the palm trees are so tall I thought a medium tree or large shrub would bring the beauty down to a more intimate scale...
Evryone, thanks so much for all your suggestions, I am checking up each one of them on plant files and making my list! : )

What about Michelia champaca x alba?

Murraya gets much larger than 18 inches across. I have several that are 12'-14' by 6' to 8' feet wide.

Jacaranda?

Bauhinia tomentosa?

Bixa orellana?

Queen's Crape myrtle?

That's all I'm coming up with at the moment......I think you will really like the Michelia.

Wow! I am SO glad I started this thread. I am finding out about options I wasn't even aware of! By looking at all those wonderful suggestions, I noticed I tend to prefer the ones with the palmate leaves...keep them coming please, I am really learning from all of you!

Fauna, it was a happy surprise to see the Bixa Orellana in plantfiles. In Brazil we call this plant "Urucum"; the native indigenous people used these red seeds to paint their faces. I remember when I was a kid in elementary school, we painted our faces with Urucum on Indian's Day. Of course I had no clue what the tree was until your post!! : )

It makes really nice pink flowers, too, although it is not fragrant. And, if I am not mistaken it does not get terribly big. It's great that you shared this story about this tree- the only interesting thing I really know about it is that it was once planted in Jamaica for use to color catsup, and is responsible for what seemed to be the only color of very early lipstick- bright red.

I love the Bauhinias, some of them stay smaller so I'd definitely keep those on your list. Chorisia speciosa is another nice one although it gets bigger than I think you want. Cordia sebestena is another nice one that stays smaller (any of the Cordias are nice, but I like the color of the flowers in that species the best, however you might look at C. boissieri or C. lutea as welll)

Chorisia speciosa is spectacular. Ecrane, you just gave me an idea (Aconsidering how many seedlings I have) of that tree- seems like an excellent candidate for bonsai. You know what I like about C. sebestana is not just the color of the flower but also the shade of green in the leaf. However, in zone 10B it will still take a hit in the winter and perhaps even be lost in the occasional really cold winter. It is native to the Florida keys if I was told correctly. I had not seen C. boissieri before- very showy! Also, C. goeldiana has a nice look overall with that dark green leaf that sebestana has again although not a showy flower (but native to Brazil.) Good genus, Ecrane. More info. for Robbcorreia to stuff into his brain!

Guys, I have to share this with you! While googling all your wonderful suggestions, I stumbled upon an unbeliavable list of tropical trees. I was so excited to see it that it was way past my bedtime and I just coulnt shut down the computer! Check it out:

http://mgonline.com/trees.html

Have fun!

That site does have a big database, but to me the list looks a bit haphazard, not all of them are trees per se for starters. Making a decision based on that list would mean a lot of research....

Oh, most definitely. I wouldn't make a choice just based on the info there. But it is GREAT for someone looking for ideas like me for example...did you see that "sausage tree"? amazing!!!

I have a sausage tree in my yard. It's not doing so well as our neighbor's, though because of our shellrock/clay soil in that area. The flowers are really cool and you only get the sausages if the right fruit bat species is present in your area for pollination. Glad you are having fun with your research, Rob.

Corkscrew Willow is one if my favorites. Just as long as you trim it the correct way.

I can't get that tree to do anything for me. My mother brought it down from PA on a plane, and I never really expected it to do well in this zone, but it is still alive amazingly.

Fauna, I can't believe you have one of those sausage trees! How big is it? Are the flowers really fragrant as stated on tha website? Is this the one you "can't get to do anything for you" or the willow?
Corksrew willow is pretty cool too, I like the way they braided the trunks on tha picture at plantfiles!

If you're actually interested in buying anything, I'd look at mgonline's Watchdog reviews first http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/2465/ Two other places to go for great inspiration (and better Watchdog ratings if you decide to purchase) are www.gardinonursery.com and www.toptropicals.com Gardino's plants are slightly nicer in my experience but they have a smaller selection and fewer pictures on the website. Top Tropicals has a great website that has a huge list of tropical trees (and other plants) and has pictures of tons of ones beyond the ones they have available for sale at the moment. In both cases they sell larger plants so your shipping charges may be huge, especially on 3 gal size plants, so I'd probably use the sites for inspiration but then see if a local nursery carries (or will order) the plant for you before you resort to mail order.

if your zone allows you, milky way tree is very beautiful and has flowers with scent like plumeria. It looks gorgeous in person.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/98050/

Oh I had not heard that name but I have seen that tree here in my area and yes, it is lovely.

I wish they grow in my zone dutchlady. My zone is too cold for them to survive in winters.

what about a ylang ylang... not the vine kind, but the big one

Milky way- is that Stemmadenia litorale? That's a nice fragrant small tree, but can be troublesome in rainy climates. It's on my wish list!

Rob- if we are talking about Kigelia pinnata (sausage tree), yes we really have one. And our neighbor has an even nicer one, and I sell 14' to 20' footers where I work. I haven't noticed them to be fragrant, though- could be, but maybe not in a significant way like Michelia or Magnolia or Pseudobombax, or PLUMERIA, etc.

I've personally been to Gardino's- my all time favorite nursery (and that is saying at lot) even though the availability is limited. Good quality, and a customer of my husband's agricultural laboratory, which always scores a lot of points with me. Has anyone ordered from TopTropicals? I've only seen their booth at the Mount's Botanical Garden plant sale, but it was hardly impressive in terms of quality and selection. They could be fine, don't get me wrong, but Gardino's certainly displayed the same selection they have online at the plant sale.

By the way, Rob, I have seeds of some of the trees you like. I have a few seedlings I might be willing to sell, too. Dmail me and I'd be happy to help you out because I doubt many of these species will be terribly easy for you to find. Have fun!

I've ordered from Top Tropicals quite a lot and I've always been happy with everything except the prices! LOL But their prices are comparable to Gardino, it's just that 1 and 3 gallon size tropical plants are not all that cheap to begin with, and then you throw shipping charges on top of that and it's not really a bargain. All my plants from them have arrived healthy, but some have failed to thrive in my non-humid climate. Can't blame that on them though! (and I've had a similar issue with some from Gardino, in both cases mostly things I knew going in were native to much damper/more humid climates than mine but I wanted to try them anyway) In terms of selection, I suspect they only brought a small sampling of their plants to that sale, they typically have way more different sorts of plants available on their website than Gardino does. I do like the quality of Gardino's plants better so when there's something that's available from both places I'll always go with Gardino, but if TT is the only place that has it I don't hesitate to order from them.

Fine feedback, my Dear. I am somewhere in between my mother's generation and my son's, so I am not a person who trusts easily nor a person with any mail order experience (although I will be soon, thanks to DG!) I thought TT had nutritional issues and used poor soil,with thrips control issues to boot. Apparently, all the old salty dogs tell me mail order was once the primary market of the industry.........I would love to see the small market swing back that way.

Mail order is kind of a leap of faith, lucky for me I discovered the Watchdog here before I started ordering things mail order, so I've had very good luck with all the companies I've bought from. I tend to like plants that are a little harder to find, so mail order is a great way for me to get plants that I wouldn't be able to find otherwise. TT's plants are mostly bare-rooted when they ship them here so they always get potted up with a lot of fresh soil when I get them, so if they did have poor soil before that gets fixed when they get here. And I've never found any pests on them. Like I said, Gardino is better quality and I'll order from them given a choice, but I've personally had good enough luck with TT that I don't worry about ordering something from them. If you look in Watchdog though they have had more negatives than Gardino so there are some people out there who haven't had as good an experience as I have with them. But I've probably placed 15+ orders with them over the last 5 yrs and have yet to have anything show up that I was unhappy with or felt it was their fault if it died on me later.

I actullay am very lucky. I work across the street from a huge nursery that carries many of these plants! Fauna it's good to know you have some too though. I will definitely Dmail you if my final selection is not available over here!

Oh by the way, luckily I was using mgonline mostly for the plant pics and descriptions, they have yukky ratings, huh?

How much sun does that area of your yard receive? How much irrigation?