Palms ,Bananas and other tropicals,are in the ground

tropicman · Post by **tropicman** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 9:51 pm

It figures the wind has changed directions from the south to the north and a cool breeze is started to blow!!!

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Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 11:15 pm

Looks Great! How is the Bamboo doing? Did the cold affect it at all?

Steve

tropicman · Post by **tropicman** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 3:02 am

Thanks Steve,
Yes the new growth went mushy,but it looks like it's going to recover again with some more new growth.

oppalm · Post by **oppalm** » Tue May 01, 2007 7:16 am

Don - how many banana plants do you have? Do you keep them going all winter or do you dig them out and store them. I tried to overwinter some bananas this winter, dug them out and stored them in my basement and they dried out, I hope the corm is still good and can grow, we'll see. Keep up the good work.

tropicman · Post by **tropicman** » Tue May 01, 2007 3:27 pm

Lets see,I kept about 10 or so bananas potted up,from 3 ft size up to 6ft of trunkI hardly watered them at all thru the winter months,but misted the leaves.
If I store them with no soil.I keep a sheet of plastic under them to help maintain some moisture,but too much they rot and turn mushy.this is with them lying on there side,if I could find away to hang them upside down,I'd try that,so they excess moisture could run out!!

Okanagan desert-palms · Tue May 01, 2007 5:35 pm

Don Looks like Florida north in your yard. Do you get any comments from your neighbors? The one banana plant in the far left of your first photo looks like ensente ventricosum? Show us an update in a month I bet it will look like the jungle.
John

tropicman · Post by **tropicman** » Tue May 01, 2007 5:51 pm

John,
Those 2 are Ensete Maurelli,red vareity.I have 3 more which are only a couple feet tall,and I have a 8ft Rajapuri,it didn't make it in the picture,plus a Orinocco,6ft or more,which will get close to 15 ft by the end of summer!!!
Once temps get into the 80's and 90's things will really start to grow,we just had a inch rain so things should take off!
My basjoos,have yet to emerge yet but will get 10 ft or more by fall.
Will post lots of pictures of how things are growing.

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Thu May 03, 2007 3:03 pm

Don, love it! Man that pic could be anywhere Florida, Malaysia...but Kansas !!! Congratulations.

Those are so tall already, what do you do when they put on 5 feet of growth every year. What's your maximum size for winter storage? It'd be a shame to cut them lower.

Hope the latest blast of bad weather missed you and our other Kansas friends!
Barb

tropicman · Post by **tropicman** » Thu May 03, 2007 5:21 pm

Hi Barb,
Anytrhing over 8 to 10ft has to lay down on it's side,some may have to stand at a 45* angle as well.

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Things are finally starting to wake up,very slow though!!![/img]

tropicman · Post by **tropicman** » Thu May 03, 2007 5:27 pm

Couple morning glories are blooming now.

Here'e the yellow hardy I'm told hereMexican yellow bird of paradise.
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Red Mandelville in bloom.

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lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Thu May 03, 2007 5:29 pm

Great pics, Don.

Will have to see pics in the fall how you overwinter a 45-degree angle banana that's 10 feet tall!

Man are things coming alive. You'll be going through there with a machete by summer !

The only thing missing

is a big net over the whole yard, and Spike flyin' around yakking away. That would be awesome.
Barb

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Thu May 03, 2007 5:32 pm

That mandevilla flower is breathtaking...
the morning glory looks so good against the palms and house.

Never heard of a Mexican Bird of Paradise? is that the small leafed plant? or maybe I read it wrong.
Barb

tropicman · Post by **tropicman** » Thu May 03, 2007 5:56 pm

Look here.
Bird of Paradise (Caesalpinia gilliesii ... 22 bytes)
www.hotgardens.net/Mexican_bird_of_paradise_b...

tropicman · Post by **tropicman** » Thu May 03, 2007 5:57 pm

http://www.hotgardens.net/birds_and_bees.htm

tropicman · Post by **tropicman** » Thu May 03, 2007 6:07 pm

tropicman · Post by **tropicman** » Thu May 03, 2007 6:08 pm

http://coolexotics.com/plant-408.html#

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Thu May 03, 2007 6:46 pm

I've never seen a Mexican BoP ... cool.
Sounds a tad easier than the other one to care for.
Thanks for the link.
Barb

DesertZone · Post by **DesertZone** » Thu May 03, 2007 8:59 pm

Nice yard Don

I have tried many times but can't seem to get mexican bird of paradice to grow here.

tropicman · Post by **tropicman** » Thu May 03, 2007 9:22 pm

Thanks Aaron,not sure if it will grow and over winter,but I have been told by the man I bought it from it will,so I'm game for at least one shot at it!!!

Wes North Van · Post by **Wes North Van** » Fri May 04, 2007 6:59 pm

Would it survive in a wet winter and dry summer zone 8b?

tropicman · Post by **tropicman** » Fri May 04, 2007 8:41 pm

Dry summer,it would,but the wet winter,would be mighty tough on it,if you could keep it dry.it would make it.

tropicman · Post by **tropicman** » Thu May 17, 2007 5:32 pm

Compare the first pic to todays pic,for look at the growth

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lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Thu May 17, 2007 9:50 pm

Holy cow, Don, it's summer at your place.
Nice growth...
Barb

tropicman · Post by **tropicman** » Thu May 17, 2007 10:00 pm

Not quite,but when you get a few nights staying in the 60's things start to grow!

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Thu May 17, 2007 10:02 pm

It'll soon be machete time, ha ha, Don!
Barb

tropicman · Post by **tropicman** » Fri May 18, 2007 3:15 am

LOL!
Yeah about the 4th of july!!!

tropicman · Post by **tropicman** » Sat Jun 09, 2007 10:11 pm

Ok,now June 1st pics.

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lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sun Jun 10, 2007 9:07 am

Wow what a transformation!
Everything looks great, bananas are really shooting nicely.
In second pic, at front, is that Fatsia?
Same pic, what are those spikey-things (I should probably know...but not the bird!) you've got growing in the garden?

And look at the stem on that banana in the third pic at right!

Love the grass roofed trellis!
Nice job Don
Barb

tropicman · Post by **tropicman** » Sun Jun 10, 2007 9:53 am

Thanks Barb,
That big leaf is the giant Castor bean,which will be close to 25 ft tall by the end of September!
With a trunk of 5 inches in diameter these really grow fast here with lots of water and fertilize.
The spiny things are just your ordinary cat tails.Very hardy and give that rainforest tropical look to the landscape,they grow good in water as well as land too!
Yep the bananas are really starting to take off now,we had a 90* day lastweek,and they all shot up new leaves that day!!!

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sun Jun 10, 2007 10:13 am

Castor bean is quite the novelty ! It'd take 3 years to compost a 25-footer

Barb

tropicman · Post by **tropicman** » Sun Jun 10, 2007 1:13 pm

Thats why I love my troy built 10horsepower shredder,takes just a few seconds and that trunk is the past!!!

tropicman · Post by **tropicman** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 11:08 am

Middle of june,and things are beginning to really grow!

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lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 11:25 am

Don, well done! A tropical paradise!
I could only hope to do half as well.
Barb

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 6:25 pm

You have your own jungle going there

Looks Great!!

Steve

Arctic Palm · Post by **Arctic Palm** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 8:41 pm

That is just awesome. Good for you!!!!

tropicman · Post by **tropicman** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 8:42 pm

Thanks Barb,Steve,and AP!

PALMETTOMAN · Post by **PALMETTOMAN** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 8:02 am

very impressive...!!

Looks like you have quite a tropical botanical garden on hand...

Love the mixture of tropicals and hardies...

PalmettomanZ6-Ajax, On

tropicman · Post by **tropicman** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 3:47 pm

Thanks Palmettoman,
There's a guy who lives around the corner from me,who's home is a little village from the peru,Jungle/Rainforest,that says my frontyard ,reminds him of the rainforest that surrounds his village,wow,does that make me feel good!!!!

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 3:51 pm

What a great compliment from your neighbor!
I'd be smiling for a week

Barb

Wes North Van · Post by **Wes North Van** » Sat Sep 22, 2007 9:52 am

Any recent pics?

I still can't believe your garden is in Kansas and not somewhere tropical.

PalmsNorth.com

Palms ,Bananas and other tropicals,are in the ground

Palms ,Bananas and other tropicals,are in the ground

Mexican BoP

tropicmans tropical pics

Tropicman