Tropical Garden #3

It looks similar to my silver urn but not positive!!!

Jeri

I would be interested in that name too.. I bought one similar...from a guys life time collection of bromeliads...this huge bromeliad, with the roots stuffed in this very very small pot....
I'm wondering what I should do for re-potting..for now I just stuck the whole thing in a clay pot to keep it up right...but didn't want to mess with it until I knew what to do... can it go in the ground?

Svplantingfool: I put in Knockouts for the first time last spring. We have world class humidity here, too. No sign of black spot.
Candela: I've never seen a shooting star hoya before. A more aptly named plant, I've rarely seen. :>


My A. Hilo Beauty is unfurling new leaves (in my bathtub).
Deb

I left my Hilo beauties in the ground!

RJ: This summer was the first time I had the Hilo, so I was being over cautious perhaps. Plus, Iove it so much, I didn't want to have to wait for it to grow back in the summer. Impatient, me. :)

candela, look up aechmea (spelling?) or billbergia

I know what you mean..the first year I had it, it went to the green house..I had left it in the ground last couple of winters and it's produced a few pups...so that was my motivation..

This was a pup last year...I found that if you plant them right at the border of sunlight and shade..they get much bigger and showier...but no full sun..and no dark shade...pickies..at least in my garden.

I would so die for your garden.

You are so right, Mitch. Magic, pure magic.

RJ: Ahh there it is, right next to my favorite plant that I haven't quite got yet. :) I may get braver next season.

bbutt..but....Mitch...you DO have a wonderful garden!

LouC, The knockout rose rush is around 10 yrs. old, I trimmed it into a standard to keep it out of the walkway.
Hibiscus that I also trimmed.

candela, I have a few begonias and one variegated hoya. I am just now learning how to care for them. They are all in pots. This will be my 2nd year into retirement, so I will have lots of time to pamper them.
Sorry I do not know the name of your bromeliad. I have quite a few small ones. I especially like this hanging basket.

Texasbigleaves, Where are you? I have been getting D-mails about your variegated philo.

Homemade arbor, with pots fresh from the greenhouse (early spring)

last spring.

I love hanging baskets. (summer)

This message was edited Jan 26, 2008 10:47 AM

next.

next

PRita, Lovely container gardens! That handmade arbor is quite beautiful, looks really sturdy too.
Deb, Thanks for your input on the knockouts too. I like the Hilo in the bathub!
Cathy

early spring.

last one

svplantingfool, Love your collection, you have quite a few bromeliads in the background.

Those stripes are beautiful! The broms are so easy down here, I love plants that look difficult but require no maintenance. I happened to check here on DG for nurseries near my zip code and found a fantastic bromeliad seller, so I was able to get some neat ones before Christmas. This one is my favorite.
Cathy

PRita, one more question- how long do find the coconut lined hanging baskets last? Do the liners break down or does the metal rust first? I just started using them last fall and I'm wondering how well they'll fare through the summer rains.
Cathy

SV,

Our experience with them is that the metal frames last many years, the coco-net only one or two.

JPlunket, thanks! I really like the look of them, and noticed Lowe's had the liners on clearance the other day. Think I'll stop in and see if there are any left.

svplantingfool, My biggest problem with them are squirrels. They take the coconut liner out for their nests, I have had these for some time, occasionaly covering the holes made from the squirrils. The wire basket would last at least 3 yrs. then I would just buy a new one and set the old pot into it. They cost around $8-$10. I would think that they might rust faster in Florida due to the salt air
J. Plunket, I bet that you have a lot of nice tropical plants in P.R. How about some pictures.? We would love to see some of your plants. rita

svplantingfool, I am a very slow on the computer and missed your new picture. WOW, I want one of those. It looks like a big ribbon. I am planning window boxes with broms. this year with lots of foliage color, less watering and of course, the unusual.

This message was edited Jan 26, 2008 8:06 AM

PRita, thanks for the squirrel tip! They are little buggers, digging holes in my potted plants (actually everywhere, come to think of it!) to bury an acorn or look for one.
Thanks for the compliment on the curled brom, it stood out amongst all the others (and there were tons) and said ME, ME! The owner described it perfectly- it looks like the ends have been put in a curling iron!

JPlunket, I second the request- pictures please!

Cathy

DebinC, I hope that my Hilo beauty did not rot this time. Congratulations on your new leaf ,it is a beaut.
I made a good trade last summer for some alocasia macrorrhiza variegata and if they come back as good as they were last summer, I will send you a pup.
I am planning on replacing my caliadums with Hilo beauty, if I can afford to. The caliadums fizzled out around sept. and I have a lot of bare spots showing, with a couple months of growing season left.

You guys are tempting me to try Broms! In fact, I'm getting waaay too many ideas from this thread!
Placenciarita: You have some wonderful hanging baskets. Truly! ..and that arbor's very nice. (btw: ooh and ahh at the thought of the A. Mac. Var. ;-> )

I also have a problem occasionally with the squirrells pulling the planters apart for nesting materials. I've seen Carolina Wrens doing the same, but they do much less damage.

Deb

those hilo beautys are lovely. deb yours looks like it has a pink tint to it. wow. cathy those fuschia colors are mesmerizing.
you can get alot of great ideas here. especially those hanging baskets prita.

i have been cleaning out the back corner of my back yard for a pond. i now have a clean slate. oh the possibilities.

before i started a couple months ago

i am so excited this orchid is about to flower too

i just noticed i have one lone angel trumpet flowering.

Candela, are those all flower spikes on that orchid? Have fun with your pond plannign!
Cathy

We just started planting last December, after too long a time in construction, which took moving a lot of earth around the house. So, we're just beginning to see things get going and fill in. But that said, here are a couple I hope you enjoy...first a "before" shot, of the patio we had just put in, to manage your expectations downward...

This message was edited Jan 26, 2008 6:07 PM

...same view a month or so ago.

A lime tree on the left foreground, a Ylang-ylang in the middle foreground, and a hibiscus lower right, with some "lluvia" (firecracker plant) lining the wall.

The view through to the neighbor's at the end of the pergola is now blocked by three ficus longifolia (looks sort of like bamboo in this shot).