Plant recommendations for Poolside.

[D Palm]

Can you please recommend some good plantings for poolside.  Planted some orange BoP and Pygmy Date Palm around the perimeter last summer.

I get a brief dip into 18-19F every 10 years or so. Usually lowest temp of year is 23-27. Pool is located on south facing and receives full sun in N. Florida.

[Merlyn]

If you want some color, you could look into Bordelon bananas.  They have a nice burgundy underside and deep green top on the leaves.  They'll 100% defoliate at 25F, but mine are already growing back after the end of January freeze.  You might have to cut them to the ground at 20F, but they are one of the hardiest ornamental bananas.  And they are only about 3" trunk diameter, so very easy to prune back.

[D Palm]

@Merlyn I have some Ice Cream Bananas in the back that the leafs burn every winter but trunk remains and growth has already started now. I could cut off a few pups and move to pool side. Online resources said 10-20’ height for the blue Java. My largest are around 5’ currently in part sun. May grow faster in full blown sun anyways.

[Merlyn]

18 hours ago, D Palm said:

@Merlyn I have some Ice Cream Bananas in the back that the leafs burn every winter but trunk remains and growth has already started now. I could cut off a few pups and move to pool side. Online resources said 10-20’ height for the blue Java. My largest are around 5’ currently in part sun. May grow faster in full blown sun anyways.

10-20' is a good estimate for Ice Cream.  I ended up removing all of mine due to the extremely fast growth rate and huge trunk diameter.  It was neat during the summer, but cutting down giant rotten stinking trunks was no fun in the spring after a freeze.  I've only kept the smaller diameter bananas, ones easy to cut through in a single slice with a machete.  Maybe Ice Cream is an ok banana in your area, depending on how much space you have and how fast they pup.  For me it was unmanageable...this was the end-of-fall results of a planting a single 5' tall pup in early spring!

[D Palm]

I know the feeling, my double Mahoi (redundant) was a real mess a couple years ago. It was so aggravating to manage, I dug it up. The trunks were 10” thick. I have 2 acres and the Ice Creams sit in my swampy part in the back so I don’t have to look at the mess Dec-Feb.

Edited March 7, 2022 by D Palm

[GDLWyverex]

I use  Crinum asiaticum var procerum around my rooftop jacuzzi

 

Richard

[Merlyn]

1 hour ago, GDLWyverex said:

I use  Crinum asiaticum var procerum around my rooftop jacuzzi

That's a good idea too!  "Queen Emma" Crinum are nice and burgundy in full sun.  They'll get torched in the mid to upper 20s, but will grow back quickly.  And they offset fast enough to get pups for propagation, but not so fast that they are annoying.  And the leaves are soft so they won't slice you up next to a pool.

[D Palm]

I actually just planted a massive one in the front yard. Came with 4 pups…may harvest a few once the transplant takes.

Edit: I have 2 dogs in the back, 1 likes to munch on ornamentals, palms, grass etc. . It’ll have to stay in the front away from the dog. He use to munch on oBoP but doesn’t anymore. Seems Queen Emma is way more toxic to ingest.

Edited March 8, 2022 by D Palm