canopy of palms in 9A

[edbrown_III]

I have been workign on this rain forest since 1981 ---Knocked back so many times but started planting Livistona saribus around 1997 as well as L. decora . L. chinensis i started in 1988 . Its morphed overthe years but I hope to have a good understory with various Licualas bromeliads Chaemadorea and rapis, and Adenisum

Offered for comment consideratin, and generate chatter on this blog

Best regards

Ed

[_Keith]

Looking nice, Ed.

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

Wow, this is great! Nice jungle. I am working on a jungle here, mine has a ways to go yet.

It would look nice to mix in some nice broad leafed tropicals, like monstera deliciosa for example.

[Sutter Bob]

Looks great.

[Kailua_Krish]

Looking good! Do you use many exotic trees mixed in with the palms? Any must have plants for 9a that you feel "make" your garden?Your experience is invaluable for those of us living in 9a!

[edbrown_III]

Keith, Sutter, Axel, & Krishna, Thanks for the kind words relative to the understory quite a few oved the years --- Florida coffee trees gardenias ------ over the years large pines had blanketed out the light so I graduallly cut them down.. whats there now is magnolia wax myrtle Rapis species,, edible treeferns piperum,, Manioc some purple flowering trees , betony , Philo sellom , fire spike, Tibochina .Wild cherry, ---- its kind of evolved over the years . Originally after the pines were bigger I had an understory of Rhopalostylis sapida and different tree ferns ---kept that going for better than a decade but they all died from freeze events around the turn of the century.

Best wishes,

Ed

[Alicehunter2000]

Ed, I am very interested in what you have working for you. We have a very similar setup, albeit my yard is much smaller. Coffee trees? edible treeferns? piperum?, Manioc? some purple flowering trees? , betony ?, Philo sellom?, fire spike?, Tibochina?, Wild cherry?, Tree ferns?,

I'm also interested in the Rhopalostylis sapida that you managed to keep going for a decade. More detail please....I guess I'll start researching some of these.

[Shirleypalmpaws]

Ed, wow!!! I love it!

[edbrown_III]

Dave,

some of this is governed by the place I live old cypress swamp that filled in. so water table is hiigh and water availability is good . Soil is peat on sandy loam with some clay lenses so this evidentaly is good for some of the plants ie the Livistonas . I tried so many times to get tree ferns going --- termits eventaully kill the Cyathea , every species I tried . I never got them over 6 feet tall. My ex took a bunch when she left (many species ) and got them up to 8 or 10 feet really big monsters but they spontaneous died ( I think for the same reason) Shes an excellent plant person but all it take is one goof or your sick for a while and dont see problems and you lose them.

ohter Dicksonia like D. squarrosa and D. fibrosa are tough but for some reason they dont harden off in Florida -- I bought some from a lady in WA (they harden and take hard freezes there) --- an average freeze of 26F killed it --- under canopy . D. antartica I tried a bunch of times got one up to 3-4 feet but lost it one late spring --- I was out of town for work for about 3 weeks and the pump lost just enough head so it was out of the watering circle and when I found it too late real pity . Most of the plants they are talking about on the Dypsis Ropalllostylis Jubea topic-- I grew for over a decade and were lost very suddenly by a freeze or sudden disease . Some of this might be just the soil or high water table but one screw up and they are gone.

Florida coffee is a native plant that looks like coffee --- fire spike I gotta look up it is like a native humming bird type plant. Tapioca or Manioc -- has these wild leaves that give you a rainforest like appearance . Cherry, Magnolia, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz7Wax myrtle are native wetland plants so do fine here . edible tree fern is from japan I think -- it cant take bad freezes but will get 6+ foot trunks in the green house --- spores prolifically so you have lots of little ones if the soil is wet peaty you get a nice crop of them perhaps up to 2 feet by frost and tehy fix alot of carbon to the soil. I think the specific name is Diplazium esculenteum . Losophoria quadripinnata is a good fern that seems to start .

Best regards

Ed

[Alicehunter2000]

Thanks Ed. You are making me re-think ferns in general. I don't know if I can keep them constantly moist as things tend to dry out more here on the coast. I love the look but don't want the heartbreak if they get dry on me. Tapioca and Fire Spike are two that I might give a go. Figured I might put some magnolia's on the other side/ north side of the fence to block some of the wind. Since you managed to get R. sapida and other temperate palms to survive for so long....I will probably give it a shot as well. The last month has been perfect weather for these species. We probably have half the year where these types of palms would flourish....it's those really hot months and cold shots a few times in the winter that is iffy.

[MattyB]

Nice jungle, I love it!

[DoomsDave]

Jungle in Jax!

Keep trying. Try any Chamadoreas? I hear they have trouble in so-FL from nematodes, but maybe not so bad where you are?

[edbrown_III]

Alice,

the ferns came to me they started fillign in the rain forest --- after so many years but I keep it wet and I have poor drainage and high water table so its a bit easier for me . Certainly try on the R. sapidas I kept mine growing for 10-12 years but lost them-- I actually had 100 plants in pots at one time got may be 20 up to 15 gallons in this forest and planted maybe dozen these I got up to maybe 6 foot overall but still no real trunk --- shade and frequent irrigation -- they rprosper in our cool winters and springs -- but you gotta freeze protect them -- again I have a high water table and mucky soil maybe you soil will be better -- Californians grow them good so can take some dryness but you have to keep on top of them .

The plants train you over time if its not right than they die -- if what you are doing they like they come in and invade via spoe or seeds ´´ I am waxing philosphical here but so do women they just leave when they dont like it and come in when they conditions are right . Ask any muscian .

Dooms and Matt,

thanks for the kind words

I havent had trouble with nematodes here in Jax not as tropical as south. my soil isnt the beach type riveria sand tho --- we get 9A freeses here and this is what limits them here. but I have killed my fair share of them over the years . -- I dont have the nerve to try expensive ones out here C. microspadix and C. radicalis seed here and volunteer -- other species I will see--- seedlings become rat food here so you have to protect them .

I will find out god willign (in time) if the various Licualas we talked about will work here.

Best regards

Ed

[tank]

Ed,

Fire spike = Fire bush = hamelia patens?

Firespike, Odontonema strictum, is not a native. Firebush and Firespike have a similar look.

hamelia patens has been a great shrub for me, typically burns to the ground during the winter and then explodes back up to around 8' during the spring. Ours are covered with humingbirds during the summer. Love watching them battle over their territory. Further south they become a small tree.

Native coffee = psychotria nervosa

Edited November 8, 2013 by tank

[edbrown_III]

Ed,

Fire spike = Fire bush = hamelia patens?

Firespike, Odontonema strictum, is not a native. Firebush and Firespike have a similar look.

hamelia patens has been a great shrub for me, typically burns to the ground during the winter and then explodes back up to around 8' during the spring. Ours are covered with humingbirds during the summer. Love watching them battle over their territory. Further south they become a small tree.

Native coffee = psychotria nervosa

Memory is bad -- I think it might be a butter fly plant sometimes i mix these up with Natives --- I gotta look it up to see which of the 2 choices it might be

it is probably the Hamelia --- its at the borders of canopy so doesnt get full sun but usuallyh isnt burnt to the ground -- but it flowers late as it doesnt get enough sun to grow tall . the native coffee < <I had it as Florida coffee tree -- I gotta learn theses better before writing on this thread

Best regards

Ed