Gardener's Log: Late March

Sun caught in the leaves of  Vriecantarea "Inferno", which is only now finishing its bloom cycle.  

The garden is looking great and just about everything is coming back to life!  Above is my big Vriecantarea "Inferno", which is supposedly hardy but got some protection anyway.  I bought it in mid-October with a full flower spike and its been blooming ever since.  Its a bigeneric hybrid between vriesea and alcantarea, the alcantarea parent accounting for the large size and huge branched flower spike.

My Coral Reef Succulent Container so far...

I have no idea what this cactus is, but I got it for my coral reef themed container garden because it looks like a sea urchin test. 

I found a cool cactus for a song earlier in the month and planted it in the coral reef themed garden.  I've never seen a purple cactus before, and the patterning looks like batik.  If you look at the flowerbuds, they even look like fish scales, further contributing to the unlikely theme.

My other plans for this container garden include using a "Sticks on Fire" plant, also known as pencil cactus or just Euphorbia Tirucalli for a coral like backdrop.  Accompanying it will be a cultivar of a snake plant I've seen that has wider leaves and purple margins, looking much like seaweed.  There are many other succulents that have the look of coral, like crassulas (flapjack plant) with orange margined leaves, bright orange jellybean plants, some wicked looking grafted cacti with wavy crenulated forms and of course, there are lots of great dyckia to look out for.  

Do you guys know of any neat plants for this look?

Spring has arrived!

The azalea hedge under the front window is starting to wake up!

I used to turn my nose up at azaleas as a boring old south "granny" plant that gets used too often, but it wasn't until I started taking walks in old neighborhoods that I could really appreciate these evergreen bushes.  They look good all winter, signal spring with bright pink and purple flowers and then tolerate the summer's heat.  They don't even mind being clipped into hedges!  Of course the most beautiful azaleas I've seen are Florida's native azaleas, glowing like beacons in the shady woods in spring with exotic clusters of flowers.  The picture on the left was taken last year in the Black Creek ravines near Middleburg.

Carpets of Moss!

The remains of tropical birds nest ferns from last winter are perfect hosts for moss!

If I had it my way, the lawn would be made of moss instead of grass!  Its luxuriantly soft, makes ordinary branches and rocks glow like gemstones, and is a great way to have that "rainforest" look I'm always talking about.  I want to let it grow up the trunks of my bottlebrushes and tabebuias, but I'm not sure if they can take the moisture like my hollies and bald cypress can.  Any ideas? 

Mosses and lichen on my dahoon holly

Everything's returning!

Canna Edulis returning from the roots.  This is not a hybrid but the original species which is grown as a starch crop.  I started mine from seed Last spring and they flowered that summer!

This winter seemed so devastating that I seriously wondered if my plants would recover at all!  So far I have no signs of life on the firebush and firespike, but I've heard that those are some of the last to rebound.  My plumeria was found to be rotting at the base so I had to chop it down and lay it in the ground since the majority of the trunk was firm.  I might get another one before i wait to see if that one recovered. 
The good news is that my white jacobinia (plume flower) is already returning, as well as the princess flower (tibouchina) and tropical butterfly weed!  As I've mentioned in previous posts, the tabebuia is putting out new growth with a vengeance and the chamaedorea cataractum is even suckering from the base.  The most exciting thing is seeing the gingers and elephant ears coming back from the ground, since they make up the bulk of my color in warmer months. 

This christmas cactus discovered under a light cover of pine needles survived the cold.

Plans for the Wannabe Balinese Courtyard

I'm planting some edibles like basil and peppers in the front of the garden, but making sure to execute it in an ornamental way.  I've already planted a loquat to the right side of the front garden and will plant an alocasia, pineapple guava and lady palm behind it to form a dense screen that still allows for fruit collection, since the alocasia will be less overgrown when the loquats ripen in early spring..  In front of the loquat I'm making a stark contrast with more white rock that will give the eye a place to rest and sets off the surrounding colors. 
I'm still going to make those balinese style birdhouses and lanterns, but am still studying the architecture a bit more first.

Well, that was my boring rundown of the goings on at the beginning of spring.  I'll show you pictures of my projects!

Plant Profile: Split Leaf Philodendron, or Selloum

In all likelihood, this is the cold hardiest philodendron out there.  According to the Southern Living Garden Encyclopedia, philodendron bipinnatifidum can be grown in the coastal south with protection and are almost always winter hardy in zone 9a and higher!  Although its very common in northern and central Florida, its with good reason that even strip malls and hotels use this hardy aroid.  The many forms of philodendron bipinnatifidum range from southern Brazil into southern Paraguay and Uruguay, and that explains its tolerance to cold.  However, there are some forms from the warmer regions of its range that show much less cold hardiness, so one plant can be destroyed by a freeze while another form right next to it from Paraguay would be unharmed.

 

Usage:
 Split leaf philodendron instantly adds the look of the rainforest to a garden, but site this monster carefully!  Don't plant it too close to your walls or in high traffic areas since it likes to sprawl out wherever it pleases in its never ending quest for light.  Instead, try planting split leaf philodendron at the base of trees where it can climb by wrapping its rope-like aerial roots around tree trunks and branches, much like its natural role as a hemiepiphyte (as seen in the photo to the right, click here for an awesome article!)
My favorite trees in south Florida are strangler figs and banyans for their wicked looking roots, twisting and enveloping anything in their path, and split leaf philodendron has a similar look but on a scale more agreeable to sidewalks and sewage lines.  I recommend placing this at corners along garden paths or near stopping points so that its trunk and roots can be closely admired. Because this is such a readily available and affordable plant, don't hesitate to buy several for use as an informal hedge or privacy barrier.  Split leaf philodendron's huge leaves are a great shelter for kids, treefrogs and lizards, as well as a tender plant that benefits from the extra protection afforded by its umbrella of a canopy.

Cultivation:
Make sure you give split leaf philodendron plenty of water and fertilizer for huge glossy leaves up to 3 feet long!  Its pretty tough and can withstand neglect, but a little lovin goes a long way here.  They can be grown in shade and in sun, but its best to give it a humid and protected location for the best all around appearance and health.  As mentioned above, some forms of selloum are hardier than others, but if your plant has trouble with the cold you can always wrap the growing point overnight to help protect it.  Usually even if a trunk is wiped out by a freeze, the plant comes back from the ground with multiple suckers.  To the left is a picture of my juvenile plant in March alongside a freeze killed bird of paradise, serving as a perfect demonstration of its endurance in cold winters.

In summary, I urge anyone going for "that rainforest look" to forgo unnecessarily killing less hardy philodendrons by planting them outdoors, and stick with this tried and true ambassador for tropical gardening where its not so tropical.  (okay, maybe you can grow some less hardy philodendrons at its base... I wouldn't be able to resist either.)

For more Plant Profiles...
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My new design blog and portfolio

Just wanted to let you guys know that my new design blog is up and running!  I already loaded it up with a good amount of portfolio pieces so if you follow it you won't get spammed to death with posts.  There are different categories to visit on the side menu including illustration, photography, design, identity work and fine art.  This isn't garden related, but I'm really excited to show you guys how I spend the rest of my free time!  Let me know what you think!

http://steveasbell.blogspot.com/

5 ways to have a tropical garden wherever you live

 
 1.  Evergreens
Nothing can shatter the illusion of a tropical getaway faster than a garden full of dead plants in winter!  By using evergreens like magnolias or hollies, you not only provide winter interest but also give your tender plants more protection from frost and drying wind.  If your zone is too cold for broad leaved evergreens, even conifers will do the trick.  Some recommended evergreen trees are pine, holly, feijoa, bottlebrush, magnolia, anise tree and wax myrtle.  For groundcovers try mondo grass, juniper or liriope. 

2.  Tropical tubers and bulbs

Even the coldest climates will provide a season for tropicals!  After the danger of frost has passed, plant tropical tubers like cannas, elephant ears and gingers in the ground until the next deep freeze.  If the ground doesn't freeze you can even leave many bulbs in the ground through the winter!  Plus, there are so many types of tropical tubers to choose from you're sure to surprise your neighbors! 

3.  Container gardens

Grow a portable tropical garden by using containers!  This way you can move your most tropical plants indoors when freezes threaten and enjoy them indoors too, so long as you give them a shady spot where leaves won't get burned.  You can even try sinking pots of bromeliads or succulents in the ground, covering the rims with mulch and popping them back out when it gets too cold.

4.  Iconic tropical plants

You know the ones; hibiscus, palms, monstera (pictured to the right), orchids, bromeliads, or bananas.  Use the plants that instantly make people think "tropical" and put them in prominent locations where they'll steal the show, or choose cold hardy substitutions.  Incorporate windmill palms in your garden, plant Chinese ground orchids or make a grove of Japanese fiber bananas.

5.  Cold hardy varieties

In South Florida you can grow weeping bottlebrush, australian tree ferns, bromeliads, parlor palm, philodendrons and tons more tropicals.  Why not grow their cold hardy counterparts like stiff bottlebrush, tasmanian tree ferns, Aechmea distichantha, radicalis palm and split leaf philodendron?  Rather than running outside every night to protect them from frost, you just get to relax and enjoy the show. 

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"Lady Gaga" the Fern

Today I placed "Lady Gaga the Bird's Nest Fern" (Yes that's the fern's name, because I can't stop staring and I don't know why) in her new home at my mom's Balinese courtyard garden!  To the left is the new Vriesea Corcovadesis mounted on an old hibiscus stump, and this clumping bromeliad should prove to be just as hardy as the Japanese bird's nest fern.

This corner is starting to fill in rather nicely!  The hardy bamboo palm and lady palm only reinforce the asian theme, and when they get taller and fuller I'll prune out the lower trunks to make a secondary canopy.  Speaking of palms, I just found out that some of my everglades palm trunks are still alive and there are new suckers popping up from my chamaedorea cataractums in the swamp!  I never thought that one would make it, but I'm pretty impressed.

Below is a view of a vriesea philippo-coburgii, vriesea fosteriana, neoregelias and a new frond from a polypodium aureum "blue crisp" fern.  I'll eventually put this powder blue fern at the base of the lady palms so they can climb, popping out against the dark leaves.

Here's another shot of "Lady Gaga" taking up the spotlight, with chamaedorea microspadix in the foreground.

Yes, my vriesea "inferno" is still blooming, after six months.  I wonder how long it will take for its pups to reach blooming size again...

Below is a shot of the new loquat tree, just to the right of the gawdawful crape myrtle stump.  To those of you just tuning in, I have to remove this tree since the landscapers keep hacking it down and ruining its form... long story.  Anyways, I'm thinking of a screening shrub or tree to go roughly where the crape myrtle is, possibly a fruiting one like another pineapple guava.  Does anyone have any suggestions for a fairly hardy tropical fruit tree that can take freezes to 25 degrees?  If not I could always plant something else, as long as its evergreen. Thanks!

Tabebuia Wordless Wednesday

Show and Tell: Bird's Nest Fern

I went to the Kanapaha Spring Garden Festival this weekiend and look at what I found!

This Japanese birds nest fern isn't only stunning, but huge too!  Below I've held up a frond with my hand for a size comparison, and I can't wait to put this gigantic centerpiece in my Balinese themed garden, right under the bottlebrush and pineapple guava.  Japanese birds nest ferns have narrower leaves and a v shaped cross section, and the best part is, they're super freeze hardy for florida standards!  Check out Floridagirl's post freeze entry for a picture of one after a freeze.

Below are two ferns at Kanapaha, the first grown in a moist shady condition in the woods and the second in a dry succulent rock garden.  Apart from maybe needing some fertilizer, they look pretty good!  I've heard that the best thing for these is putting banana peels in the crown for potassium... I'll have to try that.  My point is that these ferns have done well in zone 8 with no protection for years.  Even the tropical birds nest ferns can make it if you protect the crown in frosts and freezes.

If you want to see how huge these epiphytic ferns can get, check out this link for one with a 10 foot diameter!  Mine's plenty big for now...

Lets Hear it for Happy Accidents!

Happy accidents are the best ever!  Through serendipitous chance, amazing things happen in the garden when you least expect it, much like when Ami (- Southeast Florida Garden Evolvement) found orchids hiding in her bushes.
Today I was rummaging through the agapanthus island in the back yard (it becomes an island in the rainy season) and found that tropical christmas cacti had taken root and done well over the winter!  These were plugged in amongst the lily of the nile after they were left out on the patio and dried out.  The cactus' leaves detached as a result, so I laid them out in the soil and promply forgot about them.  .I found that prayer plants made it over winter here too, but as soon as I uncovered them they got scorched by the sun.  With that in mind, I left a light covering of pine straw over them until they reach the light at their own pace.


Another victim of neglect, the kalanchoe was left out on the patio all winter on its side and left for dead.  Right after the coldest weather had ended, it started to flower.  One stem was actually detached from the plant and flowering without soil, so I brought it inside for my mom.


It started to dry up without the humidity, so she put it in her window bud vase where it  perked up immediately!  Its been in that water for a few weeks and it doing great, even though kalanchoes hate wet feet.  The colors even changed from red to pink!

These mums flowered two years ago, died, and were thrown into the swamp to decompose in the floods.  In fall last year I found them coming back from the dead and flourished! 

Click on the picture to the right and you'll find a prickly pear cactus growing in a live oak tree amongst the spanish moss and resurrection ferns, likely from a seed in a bird dropping years ago.  This amazing anomaly can be found at Washington Oaks Gardens.  One of my favorite "happy accidents" is when terrestrial plants end up growing in trees as epiphytes.  Succulents are especially good at this, since the conditions are similar to a dry terrestrial habitat anyway.  I've seen sedums, purple heart and pothos grown this way, as well as any variety of ferns.  I've seen several sabal palm trees in the joints of live oaks with full trunks!  The tree is just a natural pot after all...

 What happy accidents are growing in your gardens?


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Coral Reef Succulent Garden

A big problem with planting containers on my mom's patio is that it often goes unwatered due to her health.  I had always thought that succulents needed full sun to do well, so I hadn't considered the possibility of using them... until now! 
This container will have a coral reef theme, and as I acquire plants that fit this style like dyckias and sanseverias I'll pull out the cacti and vriesea.
There's also a starfish flower in here, which will have huge starfish shaped flowers, perfect for my theme.
I know that one of the plants is a bromeliad, but vriesea fosteriana "rubra" adds a nice punch to a succulent garden, so until its replaced with a dyckia its here to stay.  Its been happy in shade and when I slowly move the container to a sunnier part of the patio it will turn a nice beet red, popping out against the white rocks.

I've also included an aloe "crosby's prolific" that will clump nicely, filling in the gaps of white rock like a clump of coral.  Until then I've added those useless watering globes (as seen on tv!) but sunk them all the way down to resemble a chihuly installation.  In the "jewel box garden" spirit of things I've included a couple of seashells I've found at Honeymoon Island.  I've done a similar idea with my big seagrape bush when I first moved into my apartment, completely covering the soil with sea glass, sea beans and seashells.  Then someone stole the whole shebang one night.  I was devastated!  Anyhoo, the aloe seemed adapted to a deal of shade judging by the deep green leaves, so I decided to keep it in the shade for a while just in case.

These cacti were started from seed last spring from a generic seed packet I got for $1.25.  I've grown them in a tiny pot on my balcony in full shade and they've done just fine!  A little leggy, but that's just their way of adapting to reach the light.  I will slowly move this towards the sun so they can be happier, but I'm sure they'd be fine even if I didn't.  Aren't they cute?

I'll eventually find a dyckia that looks like a brittle star or a feather duster worm.  I'll be adding little succulents as I find them, and I even have some burro's tail sedums I've propagated  that can be plugged in.  Then they can drape over the edges, completing the garden.

Washington Oaks Wordless Wednesday

Foliage for St. Pattys Day

New Southeast Asian Garden Ideas

I'd like to thank my aunt and uncle for taking these great pictures from their travels in Southeast Asia!  Of course their photos provide the perfect sources of inspiration for my garden project... First, here are some garden shots:
Southeast Asian architecture combines local, Indian, Chinese, Colonial and modern styles just as beautifully as in the food of the region!

Note the combination of dark wood and white walls.  The dark woods are rich and earthy with a sense of mystery while the white is spacious
and open, lending a clean and formal feeling.

Check out those dracaenas!  The overhangs are a functional way to extend the living space outdoors by providing some dry shade, and it also keeps moisture away from the building.  This is a common feature in vernacular tropical architecture.

Just look at the juxtaposition of East and West!  The formal European fountain should be completely at odds with the building, but doesn't it look great?

Here are some essential elements of a Southeast asian courtyard garden: An urn with a plumeria, a daybed, and plenty of paving.

So here are my plans right now for my own Southeast Asian garden.

-  I bought some unfinished birdhouses from a craft store and I'm going to meticulously detail them with traditional balinese motifs, add some carved trim, stain them with a rich teak finish and then weatherproof them.  I will then cover the roof with thatch made from radicalis fronds (in Mexico they harvest radicalis palms for this use).  Lastly I'll perch them on my bamboo poles in the courtyard area!  They'll resemble the thatch roofed lanterns in Balinese gardens but be functional birdhouses as well!  I'm sure the birds will use the thatch for their nests though...
 
-  I'm also going to make a Thai cooking garden in front of the courtyard.  I'm going to border it with evergreen agapanthus to lend formality, but then plant a combination of purple and lemon basil, ginger root, peppers, lemongrass and turmeric.  I plan on making it ornamental as well as edible, and the purple basil will tie in nicely with similarly colored bromeliads and ornamental sweet potato vine.  I may also add a lychee tree separately in the front yard since my coworker told me her neighbor has one that bears fruit every year despite the cold.  Maybe a pineapple too?  Then I can plant my surinam cherry and dragonfruit seedlings when they get bigger... I'm getting carried away, so I'll close with another of my aunt and uncles pictures of a produce stand.  Yum!