Tropical theme ideas plz gang

Discussion in 'Tropical Gardening' started by joolz68, Jun 30, 2012.

  1. joolz68

    joolz68 Total Gardener

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    hi,thanks...... ive been so disheartened with slug etc problems this june ive decided to try and gather some kinda tropicals as an addition,pref hardy but i can over winter in greenhouse if need be :blue thumb: so i was hoping for some ideas as i know a few of you on here have some great plants :biggrin:
    Up to now(last week) ive bought a red banana,cordyline,a calla and another green grass which i dont know name of :noidea: ive order a musa basjoo aswell :blue thumb: plus ive got some ferns i will buy listed :dbgrtmb: :ThankYou: gang xx
    [​IMG]
     
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    • JWK

      JWK Gardener Staff Member

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      Get a Trachycarpus, they look good all year round and are very hardy so don't need any winter protection. If you can afford it get a Trachycarpus wagnerianus which has smaller and stiffer leaves (compared to the near identical Trachycarpus fortuneii) so looks a lot neater especially if you have a windy site.
       
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      • JWK

        JWK Gardener Staff Member

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        Heres a photo of one:
        [​IMG]
         
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        • al n

          al n Total Gardener

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          i've recently switched from trad planting to a mainly tropical/exotic theme
          so far i've included (amongst others


          chamaerops
          cidp
          washingtonia robusta
          miscanthus'
          rheums
          gunneras
          calla's
          canna's
          ligularia lttle rocket's
          fatsia's
          salvia's
          crocosmia lucifer's
          hostas
          heuchera's
          cordylines
          phormiums
          hemerocallis
          coleus'
          euphorbias
          dahlias
          ferns

          i've still a lot more to get and a hell of a lot to learn, but i've made a start and i am happy with what i am doing so far.

          edited to add, my fave so far (other than the calla's) is the dicksonia antartica. i think its the star of the exotic/tropical theme!)
           
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          • joolz68

            joolz68 Total Gardener

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            Thank you jwk,thats lovely and searching for one pronto:blue thumb:x
             
          • joolz68

            joolz68 Total Gardener

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            How fast are they at growing? ive just spotted one on ebay for £8 in a 2 litre pot :biggrin::ThankYou:
             
          • joolz68

            joolz68 Total Gardener

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            Thats a good list Al n and you are doing very well:spinning:, :ThankYou: ive got a few on there like lucifer,hostas,ferns,hemercallis,dahlias and too much gunnera..its huge :yikes: i will google the rest as i
            dont know them :blue thumb:im still learning too:dbgrtmb:
            Dickinson antartica i have been looking at also:ccheers: x
             
          • *dim*

            *dim* Head Gardener

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            good list ...

            also get a T-Rex (tetrapanex) .... huge leaves and grows fast

            and a ricinus (castor ol plant) ... but dont get one if you have small children as it's poisoness ... it's also an annual so needs to be replaced yearly

            and get a fatsia spiders web
             
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            • joolz68

              joolz68 Total Gardener

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              Thanks dim,im liking the t-rex :blue thumb:
              I think ive had something similar to a castor oil(green leaved thou) but winter 2010 killed it off i think cos (still got the stump) but that wasnt an annual.
              im just about to search fatsia spiders web :blue thumb:
              :ThankYou:x
               
            • al n

              al n Total Gardener

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              if i didnt have a small child and one on the way, i'd get a couple of ricinus but i'm not taking a chance.
               
            • joolz68

              joolz68 Total Gardener

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              I got a liguraria for £2 at tansley market today :blue thumb:not sure what type it is thou :)
              [​IMG]
               
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              • joolz68

                joolz68 Total Gardener

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                Does any1 have a coloccasia "black magic",ive seen one on ebay and it looks similar to liguraria ???
                 
              • al n

                al n Total Gardener

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                bargain! lovely plant, grows to decent size, watch the slugs though!
                 
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                • JWK

                  JWK Gardener Staff Member

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                  They are very slow growing, I've got a 15 year old one and it's around 6 ft high) - but the smaller ones look pretty good too :)
                   
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                  • JWK

                    JWK Gardener Staff Member

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                    I tried growing them this year from the dry corms but they rotted away. They do look good, it's another very tender plant, the foliage is killed off at first frost then you can over-winter the corm if you are more careful than me.
                     
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