Landscaping the right way!

[DoomsDave]

Good Gawd!

LOVE that little island!

Hmm.  Mom gets into the crinitas, eh, a little palm-frotteurism . . . .

Those crinitas, in particular are to kill and die for.

(How much were they, if I may be so bold?)

dave (into the ICU for multiple swooning fractures . . . . )

[waykoolplantz]

I know you dont want to block the door...but thats a pretty big hole in the middle..

Bromeliads & ground ferns may fill the space & stay low

[ruskinPalms]

How big do Arboricola get? I like the look of these as fillers in landscaping beds. Philodendron xanadu, which I have recently started liking, do get some height but probably would not block the door.  Ixora can be kept trimmed to the level you want. Not sure if crotons liked to be trimmed but they may work too, although they turn into small trees in your climate. You need to think about adding color for the lower plants and ground cover for the island in my opinion. Bromeliads are great but I think they might just get cooked in that location unless you can find some that are adapted to bright light. I don't know much about broms and orchids except that the ones I have hate the bright sun so they are shade garden potted plants for me on my back porch under a potted ficus.

[BS Man about Palms]

You know Bill, I like Kittys suggestion the best. I would look for a big black flat rock or the like and plop it right there, then you know nothing would block her door view.  Heck, if you found the right one, it might be a neat place to go sit and be "one" with your garden!!

BS

[NorCalWill]

...maybe I'm a moronic landscaper too, but what is wrong with pruning a Phoenix palm down to 15 leaves, and why do you think this killed it?....I don't understand this part.

[Breadfruit Bill]

Will, you can't be the moronic landscaper if you bothered to ask the question...    What you do with the knowledge is all up to you... ::

If too many fronds are removed from a palm it can kill it off for a number of reasons.  The two biggest that I'm aware of are lack of ability to create energy (not enough photosynthesis to create a large enough amount of energy for the tree) and disease and pests are much more likely to enter through open lesions of freshly cut petioles.  In some places, such as Broward County, Florida over pruning a palm is illegal (not that anyone observes this or enforces it) http://www.co.broward.fl.us/environment/pub_trees_2.pdf

I always research at the U of F extension when I have questions...  Here is an article about palm tree care...  Under the pruning section is says not to prune anything that isn't browned...  I just take it on faith that they know what they are talking about.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/EP119

[Breadfruit Bill]

Here's the article I was thinking of...  Palm Pruning...

[NorCalWill]

Ok, that article about hurricane pruning makes sense.  I think it applies to palms that are repeatedly pruned that way every couple of years or so, because I've seen palms that have recently been planted in a landscape that only have less than a dozen leaves all bunched up and tied, and they seem to grow back just fine.  Once I transplanted a Washingtonia palm, and 3 days later ALL of the leaves just drooped all the way down, so I cut them all off before they broke off and pretty much just left the couple of new unopened leaves that were just coming up, and it grew out of this fine as well.

[Gbarce]

Its been 2 week ends-- any updates?

[Breadfruit Bill]

Nah, got it mulched... helped make it look neat and retain water.  But the last 2 weekends I have been playing, no gf all of a sudden so I find myself thrust into the SoFla meat market.  Gonna take the boat out this weekend and get back to roots.  Probably won't do anything to the island for a couple months, gonna let the palms get settled and acclimated...  These palms are very sensative to changes and I don't want to do anything to disturb them.  Thanks for checking back!

[BS Man about Palms]

(PiousPalms @ Aug. 01 2007,08:16)

QUOTE

Nah, got it mulched... helped make it look neat and retain water.  But the last 2 weekends I have been playing, no gf all of a sudden so I find myself thrust into the SoFla meat market.  Gonna take the boat out this weekend and get back to roots.  Probably won't do anything to the island for a couple months, gonna let the palms get settled and acclimated...  These palms are very sensative to changes and I don't want to do anything to disturb them.  Thanks for checking back!

Wait, did the one who helped so much on the shade house go away?  

[Breadfruit Bill]

Yeah, she decided to jump ship, not sure if I worked her to hard or what happened  Woke up one morning and she was packed and out the door before I got the crust out of my eyes...  She loved all my good parts but wanted to correct all my "flaws."  

Oh well!

[BS Man about Palms]

Good luck my man!

[Breadfruit Bill]

We finally got a showy new red leaf on one of the Chambey's!

Have a look see!

[Breadfruit Bill]

O yeah, as far as the empty center space goes...  Thanks for all the input!  

A decision has been finally been made... a sculptor has offered to gift an outdoor metal sculpture for the space!!   :cool:   When he gets it finished (probably a year or something) I will post a photo of the final project completed!

[Breadfruit Bill]

First flowers on the oldman!

[downtownfish]

There are a few with fruit on them down here in Fort Lauderdale. I am keeping my eye on them.

[DoomsDave]

Pious, how about a few shots of what must be a swoonerific island . . . .

[Peter Pacific]

William, Great job! I just planted three old man palms myself but very small, how old are yours?

Maybe you can help me. I have been working on my palm collection for only a few years mostly planting very small seedlings (not by choice but by availability) and I have a question. I noticed in your parent´s island that you put the pinnates on one side and the palmates on the other. When you start a project what´s the first thing that goes through your head? In my garden I am trying to put a mix of palmates and pinnates depending upon growth size and requirements.

Can you give me a couple of pointers? I love my palms too and have been known to hug a few myself and get burned if they don´t love me back...bactris major and acrocomia aculeata!

Thanks for your help, Peter

[Breadfruit Bill]

Sorry I missed your post Peter. I can't say any one thing goes thru my mind when planning. The most important things I weigh when designing are what the mature plant will look like and how fast relative to the other plants in the area it will grow. I took a couple pics to show what I mean...

Right now the plantings look bushy and are competing. Currently, it's kindof in the awkward stage like when you grow out long hair but it's still inbetween and isn't long nor short and just doesn't quite look right. In a couple more years the Carpoxylons should grow out of the Coccothrinax and I'm hoping they will pass the Chambeyronia as well, but I'm less and less sure of that each month.

[Breadfruit Bill]

Swoon on Dave!

[Kris]

Nice visuals..

[Exotic Life]

Never seen this treath before. Palms looking good, but I also love your house!

Robbin

[LauraAnu]

Great plantings. I love the look.

Laura

Edited October 2, 2009 by LauraAnu

[Rusty on Pine Is.]

Kudos to you Wm., for doing all that hard work for your parents, and for the great looking job...it really came out great!

Rusty

[palmcurry]

Will, those palms out front are looking good. That Florida heat is working it's magic. Also, you got some crack up avatars

[redbeard917]

That is landscaping the right way. Those species are all great choices. As for the height and growth rate differences, a great landscape takes time. Whether it's a 150 year old live oak, a moss covered stone, etc., you can't get it overnight, not to say that it doesn't look good as it is. Keep the thread updated.