You can create a "Madagascar spiny forest garden" in Cali - if you have....

[trioderob]

if you are in southern Cal- have sandy soil and eastern exposure you can create a very trippy garden based on the southern tip of the island.

this is a great look and someone starting out should give it some thought

if interested read this story :

http://www.pacifichorticulture.org/articles/the-madagascar-spiny-forestat-los-angeles-county-arboretum/

"He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms." - Psalms 18:34

Edited August 25, 2014 by trioderob

[trioderob]

[DoomsDave]

Thanks!

Another good reason to go to the LA County Arboretum!

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

I love the LA arboretum, good for them. They're in a very frost prone location, I am not surprised they have to do a lot of frost protection.

But what's the reason for the need for Eastern exposure?

[trioderob]

you get alot of sun that way south east being the best.

the worst is a northern exposure.

now if you are in a perfectly flat area I guess in does not matter but most of the times around here there are hills and you

want to be on the correct part of the hill.

the difference is huge.

[Walter John]

And the palms are ?

[_Keith]

Nice garden theory. I love it.

[Gtlevine]

And the palms are ?

Ravanea xerophylla

[trioderob]

And the palms are ?

the palms are Triangle and Bizze also.

very limited but this is something special.

remember you are recreating an actual area of the island as it would be if you where walking around there.

all this stuff is very low water requirement.

this would be a great way to go right now with high water costs

The Madagascar spiny thickets (also known as the Madagascar spiny forests) is an ecoregion in Madagascar. The vegetation type is found on poor substrates with low, erratic winter rainfall. An estimated 14,000 to 17,000 square miles (44,000 km²) is covered with this habitat, all in the southwest of the country. The ecoregion contains an outstanding proportion of endemic plant species.

Edited August 26, 2014 by trioderob

[trioderob]

[Gtlevine]

Rob, i drove through the Spiny Desert and not a Bizmark anywhere. Triangles are also not a Spiny Desert palm. The Triangles were all in the transition zone between Ft Dauphin and the desert.

[Justin]

Theoretically, there would also be Majesty Palms by the rivers in the area, but so many have been cut down, it'd be tough to tell if they were ever there in the past. Here's our trip log from the day we went through the Spiny Forest, starting in Isalo and ending in Toliara.

http://www.justinandcrystal.com/Madagascar/111106.htm