Achieving that tropical look

[pj_orlando_z9b]

5 years in the making. Getting to where I envisioned for my paradise. Quality is bad in top pic because it ws during a storm. Orlando, FL.

 

[kinzyjr]

Looks great @pj_orlando_z9b.  Nothing quite does the trick like a coconut with a large, healthy crown bearing fruit!

[chinandega81]

Some bananas and dypsis palms along the fence would add a nice tropical touch as well! Looks very nice as it is though.

[Oviedo_z10b_lol]

If this were a race... The coco definitely wins. Very nice, btw. 

Edited September 5, 2020 by Oviedo_z10b_lol

[sandgroper]

Mate that coconut is fantastic,  what a great looking palm!

[Palmaceae]

Really looking great, looks like Miami!

[pj_orlando_z9b]

8 hours ago, chinandega81 said:

Some bananas and dypsis palms along the fence would add a nice tropical touch as well! Looks very nice as it is though.

I'm hoping the majesty palms fill in nicely.

[pj_orlando_z9b]

7 hours ago, Oviedo_z10b_lol said:

If this were a race... The coco definitely wins. Very nice, btw. 

Coconut speed of growth is amazing. 

[pj_orlando_z9b]

4 hours ago, Palmaceae said:

Really looking great, looks like Miami!

I love the south FL landscape. It just has 'that' look.  I drove over to Melbourne for some beach time and I was blown away at the number of coconuts growing. 

[donalt]

amazing! you take good care of your plants and they reward you well!

[NickJames]

12 hours ago, pj_orlando_z9b said:

I love the south FL landscape. It just has 'that' look.  I drove over to Melbourne for some beach time and I was blown away at the number of coconuts growing. 

It is rather shocking, isn’t it!? I sold a house recently in Cocoa so I was down there a few times. The palm transition from Daytona to Melbourne, despite being “not that far,” is SHOCKING. 

[NickJames]

It looks really great. I hope I can achieve similar glory. LOL. I’m only a year in. 
 

I’ve often found a location like yours can be a great microclimate. Your backyard is essentially surrounded by homes, creating enough heat to cause at least a minor benefit during a freeze. 

[chinandega81]

5 hours ago, NickJames said:

It is rather shocking, isn’t it!? I sold a house recently in Cocoa so I was down there a few times. The palm transition from Daytona to Melbourne, despite being “not that far,” is SHOCKING. 

Is Melbourne the northern limit for the general South Florida palm look? Where did it used to be before it moved up to Melbourne?

[palmsOrl]

12 hours ago, NickJames said:

It is rather shocking, isn’t it!? I sold a house recently in Cocoa so I was down there a few times. The palm transition from Daytona to Melbourne, despite being “not that far,” is SHOCKING. 

Yeah, going from 9b Daytona Beach barrier Island to 10b Cocoa Beach and southward barrier Island makes a huge difference.

[PhilippineExpat]

Wow your coconut looks so silky! Such a beautiful specimen. 

[Lou-StAugFL]

Too bad the big box stores don't sell more adaptable palms for central and northeast Florida.  We can grow so many more varieties of palms than are normally available.  I live in St. Augustine and have grown many different types of palms throughout the years that give the tropical look that are not as sensitive as coconuts that die up here.

[NickJames]

19 hours ago, chinandega81 said:

Is Melbourne the northern limit for the general South Florida palm look? Where did it used to be before it moved up to Melbourne?

One might use mangroves as an example. They generally only grow south of New Smyrna Beach. I heard that in times past, mangroves were found as far north as Palm Coast. 

[Lou-StAugFL]

There are black mangroves (Avicennia germinans) all over in St. Augustine, but not red mangrove.  They froze back in the 1980s freezes but have come back stronger than ever.  Probably because we have had such warm winters in recent years.  I suspect red mangrove could also grow here now if the warm winters continue.

[pj_orlando_z9b]

On 9/6/2020 at 10:47 AM, NickJames said:

It looks really great. I hope I can achieve similar glory. LOL. I’m only a year in. 
 

I’ve often found a location like yours can be a great microclimate. Your backyard is essentially surrounded by homes, creating enough heat to cause at least a minor benefit during a freeze. 

Yours is already looking good! My microclimate is homes and I'm on the SE side of an 1800 acre lake. I don't worry about radiational events. It is the powerful cold fronts!

[pj_orlando_z9b]

On 9/6/2020 at 4:28 PM, chinandega81 said:

Is Melbourne the northern limit for the general South Florida palm look? Where did it used to be before it moved up to Melbourne?

Cocoa looks to be a solid 10A IMHO. I was in Port Canaveral the other day and there are lots of coconuts and huge sea grapes. Silver buttonwood trees too.