TROPICAL LOOKING PLANTS - Other Than Palms

9,833 topics in this forum

1. 

   Buying a couple of rare trees again

   April 18 by happypalms

   • 10 replies
   • 255 views

   At it again buying plants this time some rare trees for the garden a maprang-Bouea macrophylla Rothmania longifolia Posqueria longifolia var trinitatis and a lone anthurium friedrichstahlii winter will be the test for them and time will tell if they make to the garden

   

   Last reply by happypalms, April 23

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3. 

   Black/White Sapote and Canistel in SoCal

   April 6 by Sabal Steve

   • 18 replies
   • 405 views

   I’ve been having trouble finding a good info on the size, growth, culture, etc. of these in Southern California. Pictures or experiences?

   

   Last reply by epiphyte, April 22

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4. 

   Bulnesia in z9a?? 1 2

   February 21, 2009 by mnorell

   • 41 replies
   • 10.6k views

   I have a 5' Bulnesia arborea (Verawood) which I bought for trial here in chilly z9a southwest Mississippi...just on a hunch, at least for root-hardiness, due to many posts around the internet that talk about the "surprisingly hardy" tree that hasn't taken damage in 9b freezes in Florida. I haven't yet found anyone saying "my Bulnesia tanked in the freeze!" and so I wonder if anyone can add, particularly with the Florida freeze just having passed, any info on defoliation and/or stem/trunk-damage figures for this beautiful tree that is creeping northward as it becomes increasingly popular in Southern and Central Florida. Also, any comments on growth rate and single-season f…

   

   Last reply by SubTropicRay, April 22

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5. 

   A few flowers around the garden

   April 16 by happypalms

   • 4 replies
   • 128 views

   I love flowers in the garden mainly because it gives my native bees some extra food out of season to the native plants but you can’t beat a nice bit colour and form of flowers 💐

   

   Last reply by happypalms, April 22

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6. 

   Sowing a few macrozamia communis seeds

   April 22 by happypalms

   • 0 replies
   • 62 views

   Nothing special in the photo department but but seeds are seeds no matter what and it all starts with the seed they say

   

   Last reply by happypalms, April 22

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7. 

   Farfugium japonica aureomaculatum

   April 19 by happypalms

   • 6 replies
   • 178 views

   I first seen this plant in a thread on palm talk idesign had peachy ask what the plant was in the background so the plant detective in me had to find one for my garden the definitely a great looking ground cover plant

   

   Last reply by happypalms, April 22

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8. 

   Tropical Ornamentals

   April 21 by Carp589

   • 1 follower
   • 7 replies
   • 178 views

   Does anyone have any recommendations for the center of this bed? I’ve got everything else decided on just can’t figure out what to put in the center. Some options I’ve thought of are Queen Emma’s, another dwarf plumeria, maybe a ligustrum tree, or the typical dwarf Pygmy.

   

   Last reply by Silas_Sancona, April 21

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9. 

   Ensete issue

   August 9, 2022 by surfermatt

   • 1 follower
   • 8 replies
   • 599 views

   Hi team, I have been having a little trouble with my ensete glaucum (ornamental) banana plant. It’s 1.5 years old from seed. It’s absolutely exploded this year. Some new leaves are showing this dark rotten looking marking. There has been a good leaf recently too that is still flawless. I noticed what seemed to be a few “ spears” jammed when one of the newest leaves did not open or did not have one side to it. I cut them at the top to relieve the pressure (not sure if this was the right thing to do) but know these plants can grow back from the ground so figured it couldn’t hurt. This is it growing after a few days from the cut. other info- on a once every f…

   

   Last reply by Than, April 21

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10. 

    Angiopteris Evecta

    April 21 by gurugu

    • 0 replies
    • 76 views

    I have just bought two . A tall one, and a small one. I think I´ll keep them in big pots inside the greenhouse for about a year, and then I´ll try one, out in the ground. I also bought a Cibotium barometz and a Cyathea felina, because my one metre trunking one is not looking ok.

    

    Last reply by gurugu, April 21

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11. 

    Bouea macrophylla, alias gandaria, alias maprang

    April 21 by Than

    • 0 replies
    • 44 views

    Insipired by @happypalms's new baby, anyone has experience trying this beautiful evergreen tree outside the tropics?

    

    Last reply by Than, April 21
12. 

    Growing star fruit in 9B climate

    April 21 by Palmfarmer

    • 4 replies
    • 173 views

    Anyone know have experience growing star fruit and how hardy are they? Are certain strains hardier than others?

    

    Last reply by Xenon, April 21

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13. 

    Bottlebrushes

    April 13 by thyerr01

    • 11 replies
    • 281 views

    A couple of my seed grown bottlebrushes have flowered for the first time this spring, all about 3.5 years old. Callistemons are clearly one of the best groups of Australian plants for the Gulf Coast/US Southeast, although only a few varieties are commonly available. I'm curious if anyone else is having success with any other species, or related genera like Melaleuca/Kunzea/Calothamnus. In addition to the ones below I also have C. montanus about to flower. Our two most recent freezes in late 2022 and early 2024 killed all of my Kunzea baxteri and various seedling Melaleucas did not survive their first summer last year when my irrigation stopped working briefly. I'll start …

    

    Last reply by Peter, April 21

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14. 

    Amherstia nobilis seed pod

    April 20 by Kaname-kun

    • 1 reply
    • 58 views

    Does anyone know when an Amherstia nobilis seed pod is ripe? My tree has been blooming since February and still is, but only one seed pod so far. . . .

    

    Last reply by Silas_Sancona, April 21

    • amerherstia nobilis
    • seed pods

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15. 

    N. H. Plumeria Season 2K24

    April 19 by Silas_Sancona

    • 1 reply
    • 101 views

    With temperatures on the rise, the Plumeria are starting to awaken.. Some faster.... Some slower ..For the moment. ...They'll catch up soon enough.. Ellen should leave her ugly beheading behind once new growth starts pushing from dormant nodes.. Hard to see now but, at least a couple may try to flower this year, inc the " Is likely Celadine " currently in " Plumeria Jail " planted last fall.. Almost time for some white washing to keep those tender young trunks and branches from burning. Lets see what yours are doing ..an…

    

    Last reply by Keys6505, April 21

    • plumerias 2024

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16. 

    Cycad cones and flushes 1 2 3 4 67

    May 10, 2009 by Urban Rainforest

    • 12 followers
    • 2.7k replies
    • 290.2k views

    One of the things I look forward to this time of year is the new flushes of growth and cones from my Cycads. It is so amazing to see the lettuce soft new growth emerge from such a spikey formidable plant. I've been REAL into Cycads lately and many of the seedlings I just recently purchased are starting to flush as well. So lets see what Cycads are flushing or coning for you. Sorry about the lighting on my pics but we had the heavy duty May gray socked in today. Here is my Lepidozamia Hopei with a 2 leaf mini flush. Stevo

    

    Last reply by Billeb, April 20

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17. 

    Is anyone growing BOMAREA?

    April 20 by metalfan

    • 7 replies
    • 98 views

    I am wondering if it is worth tracking down and trying in Florida summers. Since its liked from a cold to cool climate

    

    Last reply by Silas_Sancona, April 20

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18. 

    Avocado "seedlings"

    April 16 by WaianaeCrider

    • 2 replies
    • 146 views

    Well they are not seedlings any longer. I often hike in a valley that over 100 years ago had a lot of sugar plantation worker going deep to work on water supplys ?they must have liked avocados for lunch or snacks as there are a few dozen trees growing along the 4 mile trail. Strangely most that produce fruit produce pretty good fruit. Can't think of one w/BAD fruit. But there are some really large trees that have never had fruit that we can see. We hike the area all year and from say August to late October we pack out pounds and pounds of fruit of all kinds of shapes. Some round some pare shaped. Some a little stringy, some a little watery but worth packing on yo…

    

    Last reply by WaianaeCrider, April 20

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19. 

    Yucca love 1 2 3 4 15

    December 13, 2019 by Silas_Sancona

    • 8 followers
    • 574 replies
    • 31.1k views

    A thread for anyone, and everyone who enjoys these plants.. While one of the most iconic plants in dry desert landscapes, the Genus Yucca can be found almost anywhere from the Prairies of the northern Plains, to the humid Southeast. Many also extend deep into the subtropical portions of Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America as well. Many species are well established in landscapes worldwide. Often enough, while iconic species as Yucca brevifolia, Joshua Tree, or Yucca elephantes /guatemalensis, Giant Yucca come to mind when picturing them, the Genus contains upwards of 49 or so species and numerous sub species that range from small, non-trunking, Agave-lik…

    

    Last reply by Colin1110082, April 20

    • yucca
    • drought tolerant companion plants

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20. 

    Sea grape root hardiness

    July 20, 2023 by NC_Palms

    • 6 replies
    • 481 views

    Hi all, Apologizes for going MIA. Life has been absolutely crazy between moving back and fourth between NC and SC and other major life events. I’m still growing palms and other tropicals and since my family built a new home, I have yet another blank canvas to grow palms in Zone 8A NC But quick question… does anyone have experience with seagrape cold tolerance? I obviously know they’re tropical but I was wondering how cold the roots will take until they die. I grew a ton of these guys from seed so I might do a little experiment hehe Also picks to come!! Im so excited to share with you my garden here : )

    

    Last reply by NC_Palms, April 19

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21. 

    A good book to read Tropical garden plants

    April 19 by happypalms

    • 0 replies
    • 71 views

    A good book is worth a thousand words and this book by the author William Warren is definitely a coffee table book worthy of any table with photographs by Luca invernizzi Tettoni with some good tropical plants in it and a brief view on cultivation for some wonderful must have plants in the garden to creat that tropical look and the best bit is your not looking at a computer screen so when you go to drag two fingers on the image for a closer view you know you have had definitely to much screen time 😂

    

    Last reply by happypalms, April 19

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22. 

    Dappled Shade Tree Suggestions - Houston Zone 9B

    April 18 by Chester B

    • 0 replies
    • 62 views

    It's starting to get hot here and I have a huge unshaded south facing backyard. I'll be putting in an island bed and planting with some small Sabals but they're going to take years to get big. Any suggestions for a tree to provide some shade? The plan would be to remove the tree in 5 years or so. Requirements are: 1) Creates dappled shade, not heavy shade 2) Tropical looking 3) Fast growing 4) Cold hardy for Houston 5) Spread out or vase shaped growth 6) can be deciduous or evergreen I was thinking something similar to a Mimosa (Albizia) but not a Mimosa. I'm interested to see what you can all come up with.

    

    Last reply by Chester B, April 18
23. 

    Ceiba pentandra seeds/ bombax ceiba seeds

    April 13 by Plantking165

    • 1 follower
    • 15 replies
    • 222 views

    Love these 2 trees and would like seeds for them if anyone has any I'd buy some. Also share pics and experiences growing these trees too.

    

    Last reply by Than, April 18

    • ceiba pentandra
    • bombax ceiba

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24. 

    big fig tree

    November 7, 2021 by philinsydney

    • 11 replies
    • 602 views

    A big fig tree one of my friends shot near Coffs Harbour, NSW. I don't know which species.

    

    Last reply by Jonathan, April 17

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25. 

    Plant shopping: Australian tree fern and the Christmas cactus

    March 19 by piping plovers

    • 1 follower
    • 11 replies
    • 332 views

    East coast Road-trip time and hitting some plant shops on the way. Serendipitously, I found two plants I didn’t know I was looking for this week but have wanted for a long while. Not so common to find these my area. Grab em when you see em because when you want them, not always so easy to find and shipping charges can make it ridiculous. 1st up is the Australian tree fern, Sphaeropteris cooperi. Pronunciation: spheer-rop-TEER-riss KOOP-per-rye. Likely shared the earth WITH the dinosaurs and the pronunciation actually SOUNDS like a dinosaur 😁 While botanists argue over the name it Also goes by Cyathea australis and C. Cooperi. Anyhow, it will add to t…

    

    Last reply by piping plovers, April 17

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26. 

    Clusia vs. Viburnum?

    April 12 by Sandy Loam

    • 1 follower
    • 3 replies
    • 97 views

    In extremely dry and sandy soil with no irrigation, do you feel that Clusia Rosea/Guttifera would thrive more than sweet viburnum? Location: USDA zone 10a, central Florida USA.

    

    Last reply by Merlyn, April 16

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