Plant Profile: Ti Plant (Cordyline Fruticosa)

 

Ti Plant is just what you need to add a little flair to your garden!  It has long been cultivated in Polynesia for its ornamental, functional and cultural values, and is vastly under-appreciated here in North Central Florida.  Every now and then you may find the variety "Red Sister" with its neon magenta leaves drawing attention at entrances to shopping centers, but that's only one of the many varieties to choose from!  Available in any combination of black, purple, lime, chartreuse, pink, orange, wide leaves, thin leaves little leaves... you name it, there's a ti plant to fit any planting scheme.  Limited only by your imagination, you could literally paint a bright and beautiful picture with these beauties.  

Try using them in a modern and ultra tropical planting scheme so they're rising out of a minimalist bed of Liriope Spicata, where it provides a dramatic emerald backdrop for ti's architectural silhouettes.  If the ti plants get hit by frost you still have a lovely bed of green to warm you up in the coldest part of winter.  Just simply wait until multiple stems start filling out in spring!  If its too cold where you live, try this idea with Ti plant's hardier cousin, Cordyline Australis and its varieties.  With spiky leaves in its own variety of colors, this hardy substitute can be just as dramatic.

Several sources will tell you that Ti is too tender outside of zone 10, but I can assure you that there are sizable stands here in Jacksonville where it reaches 20 degrees in winter.  If you're unsure about your temperatures you can always either wrap the trunks to the base or cut the trunks and root cuttings for next year.  Since Ti plants are common houseplants, they overwinter indoors well too.

There are many uses for Cordyline Fruticosa, but the easiest include decor and cooking.  Simply use the cut leaves as table settings and centerpieces, or cut the leaves in pieces to be used in the same way you would use rose petals in more traditional settings.  You can even use the leaves as wrappers for cooking fish and meats, or just as a garnish to your culinary creations.  Be advised that the leaves are inedible and fibrous, so their use in the kitchen is limited to wrapping and garnishing.  If you're really adventurous, you can weave the fibrous leaves together to make sandals, thatch, skirts, mats... the uses are as endless as their colors!

Here are some resources:

Garden design field trip: Naples and Siesta Key


 Tropiflora bromeliads in all their glory!

A couple months ago my fiance and I traveled to Naples picking up a payload of my mother's artwork from an art showing.  I always plan out our "business trips" as vacations, making sure to get directions to local nature preserves, botanical gardens, cozy towns and nurseries in advance and this last trip was certainly no exception.  We managed to book two well landscaped hotels at very reasonable prices, attended the Naples Lawn and Garden Show, Tropiflora (pictured above with acres of bromeliads!), and finished it off with swedish meatballs after a day of shopping at Ikea!


First off, here's a shot from some of the gardens at the Sarasea Circle complex of hotels.  Our room was a freestanding cottage style bit with our own porch and kitchen for $60 when we got it in the off season.  This garden proves that even a pedestrian variety of plant choices can really shine if used in a great design. Minimal and yet naturalistic, the winding paths incorporate hardy liriope and asiatic jasmine as groundcovers, and an assortment of palm trees that are always so popular with the tourists that converge on this island in winter.   Who am I kidding?  I love palms too and they had a lot of Royal palms, whose trunks matched the limestone path precisely. The path is crushed limestone or shells which are in keeping with the native materials, but yet look stunning against the dark green groundcovers.  If your garden is likely to be used at night be sure to make the paths white so they naturally reflect the moonlight, eliminating the need for lights.  This is especially useful near the beach so that sea turtle hatchlings can follow the moon out to sea.  The beach just to the south is prime nesting habitat for sea turtles, who prefer the fluffy and shelly sand for egg laying.
The Naples Lawn and Garden Show had a great variety of plants, ranging from fruit trees to palms, bromeliads to natives. The cold hardiness information I got from growers was very valuable and surpising as well!  Three growers I talked to experienced temps in the low 20's last winter on their properties just inland from Naples, even though coastal Naples barely freezed!  Just one year of these temperatures would be a fluke, but I was told that the cold air actually channels down a strip of Southwest Florida making it colder than the surrounding area annually, which is especially interesting to me since there is an assortment of native orchids and bromeliads that grow there as well.  If anybody in the area is aware of this anomaly, please let me know!
I was actually going to take a trip to Tropiflora with the Seminole Bromeliad Society, but somehow it didn't work out.  When we were able to stop by on our own however, it was like Disneyworld for me, since I'm an obsessive collector of bromeliads.  There were definitely millions of bromeliads, succulents, ferns and orchids, countless species and varieties and somehow  the place was still open to the public.  You could literally get lost there just as we did, but rest assured that an employee will set you in the right direction again when you end up in a non public area.  I felt like a kid in a candy factory who walked into a room of oompa loompas working on the perfect bromeliad, but luckily did not turn into a blueberry or have anything else creepy and Wonka-esque happen to me.  When I found that a huge flowering clump of cold hardy Aechmea Kertesziae was too expensive for me at the time, I asked for a Vriesea Phillipo-Coburgii which they soon produced for me at a price of about ten dollars.  I walked away with only that one bromeliad and a fern, but just taking in the view of expansive patchwork quilts of colorful (and well labeled) bromeliads was all I could ever ask for.




(Epilogue:  Here are some of my mom's paintings (these are in the "Florida Fairways" series), the deliveries of which made our trip as well as other trips,  possible.  Her main collection is a series of landscapes called "Florida Horizons", but lately she's been successful with her "Florida Fairways" series, sold exclusively through the PGA.  She's really having to work to keep up with her "Petscans" contemporary pet portraits, which have been a huge hit!  Though she has countless medical issues as a result of Lupus and has to use a powerchair to get around, she paints prolifically throughout the day, teaches piano, voice and art lessons daily and has the most amazing attitude. She's an inspiration and my personal hero!) 

Chamaedorea Radicalis and Microspadix

Maybe its the resemblance to the fronds of a coconut palm swaying in the balmy breeze or perhaps its just because they're less common in temperate climes:  Feather leaved palms always seem to make a garden a little more tropical.  Granted, there are exceptional and hardy fan palms for the tropical look such as the livistonas, lady palms and everglades palm, but if you want visitors to your garden to do a double take, try these two gorgeous palms in a shady spot! 

They are native to a transitional climate in Mexico that experiences frost on occasion but still has a wealth of plants with a tropical background.  I would love to do some hardiness research on some of the other plants in the El Cielo Biosphere Reserve since they may have potential for the garden and hybridizing! 



Chamaedorea Radicalis
  In the first two pictures above, this is known simply as Radicalis palm to those lucky enough to be acquainted to its many charms.  Deep green pinnate leaves arise from an underground trunk in most cases, but aerial forms have bamboo like trunks and can gain considerable height.  They prefer shade, are hardy to at least 20 degrees with no damage but durable in zone 8 as well, and are versatile when it comes to moisture requirements.  I have grown it in flooded soil to no ill effect before deciding to rip them out and try them in a dry spot under the eaves of the house. 

Since they come from the chaparral oak forest of Mexico, they can tolerate considerable drought.  If you live up north, these make great container plants that can take more cold than most houseplants if left outdoors, so they can be left outside for the majority of the year!  Just bring it inside when its under 20 degrees to be on the safe side. 

If this wasn't a great enough plant already, bright red berries form on female plants in pendant clusters, brightening up your shady garden and attracting birds.  The fronds of Radicalis Palms are even exported from Mexico to the United States for floral arrangements!


Chamaedorea Microspadix
A close cousin of radicalis palm, this one is a must for an Asian look and is a perfect replacement for bamboo where space is an issue.  Just as hardy as radicalis palm, this one is definitely the more graceful of the two and lends itself to intimate areas where its berries and bamboo-esque trunks can be appreciated.  It is a clumping palm, but isn't so vigorous that it can't be kept in check.  The photo on the left was taken at the FSCJ south campus in Jacksonville. These are best grown from fresh seed.

Visit these sites for more info!

Floridata: Chamaedorea Radicalis
Floridata: Chamaedorea Microspadix
Underutilized palms for Central Florida
El Cielo Biosphere Reserve, Mexico (This is where these palms grow!)

You Tell Me - Balinese Themed Garden Part 2


This is what I have to work with, and thank you all for your advice in the last post!  Here's the front of the house, and everythings going away but the azaleas in the back and the 3 dwarf holly bushes in the left rear.  The other hollies haven't looked healthy in a long time anyway, and I'll just be moving the agapanthus (looking wimpy from the frosts) according to the other plantings. The stumpy crape myrtle on the right is being replaced with a loquat, and I'll bring the bed out more, especially on the right so that it encloses the entrance better.  To the right, and just out of the frame is the neighbors house, so I don't have much room to work with.




The second picture is the left side of the entrance, and to the back is a small paved courtyard, which I will extend to wrap around to the sidewalk using pavers. The area behind the sidewalk will be planted with the lily of the nile in all likelyhood. The small bottlebrush will eventually form a canopy and protect the bromeliads and philodendrons in the courtyard, making it fell like a nook in the forest.  To the left of this picture is the driveway.



Here is a rather blurry view of the courtyard (stupid camera phone!) with its latin american themed plants such as bromeliads, heliconia, philodendron and chamaedorea palms.  I'm not worried about this clashing with the Balinese theme, since it will be recessed and bounded by the Balinese looking plants and design.  I am going to extend the paving here as well, but I just wish I could keep it from getting all discolored like it is now!  The heliconia on the left was almost a freebie at home depot since they left it out in the cold, but when I pruned out the dead stems I realized that two of them are getting ready to flower soon!  I'll just have to mulch it well and hope for the best.  Since the Philodendron Burle Marx to the right of it was okay, maybe this spot will do just fine.  I'm also considering mulching with white/light gray rocks for the Balinese Courtyard look, and it will also probably help reduce the mold/moss on the walls and pavers.

Your help is appreciated as always!

You Tell Me - Balinese Themed Garden?


 Birdsnest fern's apple green fronds

Help me choose!
What plants and design elements would really make this garden into a Balinese sanctuary?  I am designing a garden bed for the entrance to my parent's house and need your help in creating an Indonesian or Southeast Asian vibe!  The house's architecture isn't anything special, the walls are light gray, and the paving is plain ol' concrete, so I have to rely on the plants and planting design to create the look I'm going for.  Since the best gardens in this theme are the simplest, I need to narrow it down to just several plants. 

Existing Plants
There is a rectangular planting of azaleas along the foundation, and a random assortment of dwarf hollies in front.  I will remove the unhealthy ones and prune the others to create a more naturalistic shape in the Asian aesthetic.  The crape myrtle is being removed, as well as the lantanas.  I have Liriope Spicata, which is similar to mondograss, and lily of the nile as groundcovers.  I have also planted gloriosa lily to ramble through the azaleas and give a tropical blast of color in summer and fall.


Plants to Use
 Loquat - I am definitely leaning toward a Loquat to replace the crape myrtle, since it has the broad, evergreen leaves and ornamental shape that works well with an Asian theme

Lady Palm - Behind and beneath the loquat seems like a great place for my new bamboo-like lady palm, which would make a great backdrop.

Birdsnest Fern - This is a must have for a Balinese garden, but since my broadleaved variety is a little more tender, I'll probably try the one with narrower leaves that Floridagirl has.  Ideally, I'd plant it in the tree.

Lemongrass - A great architectural grass that makes even greater tea, this can get kinda big.

Alocasia "Calidora" - I have it in the backyard, but alocasias are another nice element of a Southeast Asian garden.

Plumeria - A staple in Geoffry Bawa's and Made Wijaya's landscapes, I may add another one and just dig it up in winters like this last one.

What other plants can you think of?


Hardscaping and Decor
Eventually I will extend the width of the sidewalk with white pebbles in between the sidewalk and the border, which would be made of a dark finished wood and bamboo.  This is fairly affordable, visually opens up the entrance in a welcoming arc, and will give my mom's power chair more wiggle room.  I can't afford much in the way of the carved wood accents so typical of the style, but will probably incorporate something small, like lanterns or a container at the doorstep.  Any other ideas?



Baby treefrog on an alocasia leaf

Design

This is where I will categorize posts on garden design and interior design.  See the menu at the top of the page for more options!


Traveling the Ft. Lauderdale Area
Floating Gardenia Blossoms
My New Design Blog and Portfolio!
Coral Reef Succulent Garden
5 Ways to Have a Tropical Garden Wherever You Live
First Post 
What is The Rainforest Garden?
Wet Garden
One Year's Growth
Washington Oaks Gardens
Floating Flowers 
Balinese Garden 
Balinese Garden 2
Tropical Courtyard
Minimalist Foliage
Balcony Garden
Rainforest, Indoors!
Textural Ideas from Florida's Nature
Another Damage Report
Magical Inflorescences
Art + Nature = Gardening


More to come!

Plant Profiles

Bottlebrush  A small tree for zones 8 and up with fuzzy red flowers. Love it! NEW!!!

Firecracker Plant  Hummingbirds love it and so do I!

Lady Palm  A frost hardy tropical looking clustering palm  

5 Cold Hardy Bromeliads  My top 5 genus' so far, with bromeliads that take a hard freeze

Kurume Azaleas  These ordinary shrubs look exotic with a special pruning technique

Split Leaf Philodendron  A massive tropical plant hardy through zone 8

Thunbergia Grandiflora A vine with big blue blooms also known as Skyflower

Rhipsalis  Chain cactus is a great epiphyte with fine texture.

Chamaedorea Radicalis and Microspadix  Two great tropical looking and yet hardy palms

Ti Plant  A colorful addition to your garden, kitchen and home.

Alocasia "California"  A great tropical that can be grown up north as a bulb too!


More to come!

Journal

This post is where I archive journal entries from The Rainforest Garden


The Rainy Season Returns
Blood Lily in Bloom
Gardening Negativity
A Dew Covered Morning
I Survived the Freezes of 09 and 10
The Balcony Garden and a New Bromeliad!
The Garden and Myself, Back From a Hiatus
Gecko Obituary, Earth Stars Reborn
Cactus Flowers, Treefrogs, and a New Crinum!
Things That Made Me Smile Today
Traveling the Ft. Lauderdale Area
Deerfield Beach Arboretum
Emergence: An Ant's Eye View
Gardener's Log: Late March 2010
"Lady Gaga" the Fern
Show and Tell: Birds Nest Fern
Lets Hear it for Happy Accidents!
Wet Garden
Fall in The Rainforest Garden
Before the Big Freeze
Bromeliads Before the Freeze
Kept inside by the cold
One Year's Growth in Pictures!
Aechmea Gamosepala in Bloom!
Freeze Damage Report
Gardening With My Dog
Thai Style Dinner
New Agave
What To Buy?

Gardening With My Dog!


Here's panda hanging out while I garden.  When he's not trampling my bromeliads and 'watering' my gingers he can be a pretty decent gardening buddy after all! 

I visited my mom's place today and since the weather was wonderful and everything's died back anyway, I decided it would be a perfect day to divide some gingers!  Unlike the rest of the neighborhood, the grass was still green in the backyard and there was no shortage of other things to be happy about.  Just as I was staring at a big brown mess of leaves and thinking about how long it would take to grow back, a bright red cardinal flew down to get a drink from the birdbath only several feet away!  It was so beautiful to see it sipping against that monochromatic background of dead leaves, it might have been a scene of snow for all I cared.  I lost count of all the other songbirds flitting about in the pines and cypresses above, and watched various woodpeckers securing their daily grub from their corresponding trees, sounding like typewriters, jackhammers and telegraphs in their own unique rhythms.  I even got to plant and divide some bulbs, and best of all my dog didn't trample any bromeliads today.  Making progress.

Plant Profile - Rhipsalis (Mistletoe Cactus)



Like Christmas Cactus but want something even easier? Try Mistletoe cactus.  Plus, if you're looking for an easy plant to instantly give the look and feel of the rain forest canopy, Rhipsalis fits the bill perfectly.  Also known as chain cactus or mistletoe cactus, Rhipsalis is a genus of epiphytic cacti mostly native to the American tropics, including a species native to South Florida.

When I first saw a colony growing in the wild in southwest Florida, I just had to figure out what it was.  As it turns out, they are very collectible plants with succulent green stems draping down from rainforest trees like curtains, sporting a variety of starburst like flowers which are then followed by berries. 

Most people grow Rhipsalis in hanging baskets with an organic mix, but I have had success simply taking cuttings and mounting them on supports or just plugging them in along with other plants right in the soil.  Even though these are pretty tolerant cacti, its best not to let them dry out or especially get over-watered, watering only when they feel dry to the touch.  These are tropical and subtropical plants, so be sure to protect them from the cold!

If your theme is southeast Asian or oceanic, try mounting chain cactus along with birdsnest ferns to provide a fine textured backdrop to the fern's broad apple green fronds.  If you want to emulate their native surroundings, choose brightly colored bromeliads native to central and south America and the combo will steal the show.  Stay tuned for some fun projects involving this and many other epiphytes!

The pictured species is Rhipsalis Micrantha, as seen mounted on treefern trunk and flowering in a hanging basket.

Here's a link to my article on how to take cuttings of rhipsalis
.

Decor - Floating Flowers



Bring the Rainforest Garden indoors with spa style by simply cutting your favorite tropical flowers and floating them in an appropriate bowl of your choice.  Visitors can appreciate flowers close up in a water garden of lilliputian proportions and you don't even have to tell them it took less than a minute to assemble. You may include tealight candles as well as long as the flowers do not come into contact with the flame, for obvious reasons. 

In the first picture I have two types of passionflower perfuming the room with their mouthwatering fragrances; "Incensa" on the left has the very sweet aroma of incense, while "Imperatrice Eugenie" smells like lemon Pledge, which to me is the smell of a clean house.  Conveniently enough, passionflowers are prolific bloomers and will keep you supplied with flowers til frost.  If pollinated they may even bear fruit! 

Make sure you choose flowers that have a cupped shape so they stay afloat, such as these Phillippine ground orchids and if you're really creative, try surrounding the larger flowers with a backdrop of smaller ones such as firespike, lily of the nile, or orange blossoms to really set off your masterpiece!  If you don't have exotic plants to showcase, use acorn caps or leaves.  Anything goes!

Be sure to tell me centerpieces you've done and include a picture link too!


Plant Profile - Thunbergia Grandiflora





Also known as Sky Flower, Thunbergia Grandiflora is an underused twining vine that hails from India, and is related to the much more common annual Black Eyed Susan Vine.  The structure of the flowers is similar, but Sky Flower's pendant racemes flaunt dreamily colored blooms 2 to 3 inches wide!  A little hardier than its smaller counterparts, Sky Flower may be considered perennial and returns from the roots where the freezes aren't too severe and is a safe bet for zones 9b through 11.  Anywhere else it may be grown as an annual with vigorous and speedy growth to match its large size, quickly blanketing walls, trees, or whatever else you plant it by, where it will attract hummingbirds until the first frost.  This is the perfect plant to give your rainforest garden a natural jungle feel as you watch the huge 8 inch leaves slowly consume a stone wall or cloak that unsightly fence and then drape it with glorious blooms.  This plant can take many situations, but make sure you give it a lot of moisture and even more room to grow!

Hardiness list and damage report

05/15/10  UpdateExtreme cold is not the only thing to worry about in winter!  Prolonged cold can slowly weaken plants as they lose vigor and here in Florida, winter is also accompanied with a lack of rain.  I have added updates in red, noting which plants succumbed to prolonged cold, winter drought or otherwise, as well as which plants have recovered by May.  Some plants could have been saved with additional protection, but since this is for experimental purposes (and I live 40 minutes away from the garden) I allowed the more tender and wimpier plants to die. With a little more tlc I feel that all of these plants could make it if you try hard enough.  If you have any questions don't be shy; that's what the comments are for!

Here it is, a comprehensive (translation: long winded) damage report of what countless nights in the low 20's with drying winds and frost will do to the rainforest garden. Temperate plants, including natives like hollies, live oak or wax myrtle are not included for obvious reasons.  I have not listed any bromeliads, because none were harmed despite having ice in their cups every night.  I am very excited with the results of this trial, since everything is alive for the most part, and the least damaged plants are those that will form the canopy and the backbone of the design.  There were some hardiness surprises, but what excites me most is the success of my south Florida natives such as Pond Apple, Red Mangrove, Leather Fern and Wild Lime.  May it also be noted that the very same Tillandsia Fasciculata that covers the branches in the everglades is also unharmed.  Maybe this year I can get my hands on a Strangler fig!  Hope this helps you guys!


The yard doesn't look great, but doesn't look devastated either.  When the canopy plants get larger and the understory plants like ginger fill in it will get a lot less damage.






 Now this part of the garden looks pretty bad. The firespike is toasted just like the black eyed susan vine that cloaked it with black and white flowers.  I'm afraid the tibouchina and firebush are fried as well, but these are all plants best treated as perennials in Northeast Florida anyways.  The areca palm and tabebuia look like they'll be okay, even though the palm's outer leaves got a bit of frostbite.  (Areca Palm is dead!  The next frost did it in, though other specimens closer to the river made it.  The Tabebuia has come back with a vengeance though and is doing better than ever by April)




 One of the prayer plants (maranta) that surprised me by surviving!  My secret is a light covering of pine straw.  (Died later of drought)








A majesty palm seedling that not only survived last winter, but seems to be hanging on through another season too!  My theory is that its proximity to the ground is protecting it. (died by late March, probably to a cold associated fungus)






 My philodendron "Burle Marx" is doing quite a bit better than expected, due to its protected location.  Chamaedorea Microspadix is in the foreground.  (Philodendron later died of drought... )








Palms
Acoelorraphe Wrightii (Paurotis Palm)  No damage  (In march all of the spears pulled out, which usually means death, however in May its made a full recovery!)
Bismarckia Nobilis (Bismarck Palm)  No damage yet, but will probably turn purple later, before putting out new leaves.  (Still alive in May, but it did get some cosmetic damage.)
Adonida Merrillii (Christmas Palm)   Last year when left outside it was burnt but recovered.  This year I left it in a container on the porch, with no damage at all.  I am shocked.  (Since it was in a container and my mom has Lupus it went too long without watering and died.)
Caryota Mitis (Clustering Fishtail Palm)  Foliage is bronzed.  The big clump off San Jose Blvd does this too but comes back.  (Actually did end up rotting.  I wonder if the San Jose Specimen is tougher due to its size.)
Chamaedorea Cataractum (Cat Palm)  Older leaves are mushy, newer leaves have no damage yet.  (Rotted to the ground but has since put out new suckers from the roots, which is unusual for a palm)
Chamaedorea Microspadix (Hardy Bamboo Palm)  No damage
Chamaedorea Radicalis (Radicalis Palm)  No damage
Dypsis Lutescens (Areca Palm)  Outer leaves bronzed, the ones beneath have no damage.  (Rotted in prolonged cold and an additional frost)
Phoenix Roebellinii (Pygmy Date Palm)  No damage. (A couple trunks died, but a few made it. I feel that this is the most overused tender palm in Florida and should be avoided in favor of other small palms such as the hardy Chamadoreas. Needle Palm, Lady Palm or Paurotis Palm)
Ravenea Rivularis (Majesty Palm seedling)  Only a little spotting, even though I thought it would be the first to go.  (Ended up rotting in the prolonged cold)

Passionflowers  (All have recovered)
Passiflora Edulis (Passionfruit)  Most exposed leaves melted, closer to ground, no damage.  I started it from seed in summer, so I hope it makes it.
Passiflora "Incense"  Wilted, will recover.
Passiflora Alatocaerulea  A little wilted at the tips

Gingers  (all have recovered)
Alpinia Formosana (Pinstripe Ginger)  Dried out at the edges, but healthy
Alpinia Nutans (False Cardamom) Outer leaves are dried out, but plant is healthy.
Alpinia Zerumbet (Variegated Shell Ginger)  Exposed leaves are damaged, inner leaves are fine
Hedychium Coronarium (White Butterfly Ginger)  Burned to ground, will return.

Arums
Alocasia "Calidora"  Whole clump has melted, but is pushing out new leaves.  (Has made a full recovery)
Alocasia Odora  Melted, still growing. (Back bigger than ever)
Colocasia (Chartreuse Elephant Ear)  Clump is burned to ground but under the palmettos its fine. (also doing great now)
Spathiphyllum (Peace Lily)  Most leaves melted, still pushing new growth.  (Larger variety died, but dwarf variety is doing great now.)
Epipremnium Aureum (Golden Pothos)  Burned where exposed  (Coming back from the roots.)
Epipremnium Aureum (Golden Pothos, Chartreuse)  No damage!
Philodendron "Burle Marx"  Some leaves wilted but new growth is looking fine.  (died from drought)
Philodendron Domesticum  Burnt to stem, should return.  (Dead)
Philodendron Selloum (Split Leaf Philodendron)  Looking good, other than oldest leaves.  (Looked great all winter and is doing wonderfully)
Philodendron "Xanadu"  Burnt to ground, may return.  (Dead, but neighbor's have recovered thanks to a sunnier and less soggy site)
Philodendron Hybrid, self heading  Burnt to trunk, I don't know if it will come back.  (Dead!  I know that if I protected it, it would have lived.  At least now I can record its true hardiness or lack thereof.)
Xanthosoma (Yautia, Elephant Ear)  Burnt to ground, will return.  (Back bigger than ever)

Ferns
Acrostychum (Leather Fern)  Exposed fronds are dessicated, protected fronds and fiddleheads are okay. (Has recovered fully, but due to dry conditions it hasn't come back until our first heavy rain of the season)
Asplenium Nidus (Birds Nest Fern)  Bronzing a bit, but crown is fine.  (Ended up getting infested with ants, but I found a huge and cold hardy Japanese Birds Nest Fern to replace them with.)
Cyathea Australis (Australian Tree Fern)  Looking dried out but still green.  Newer growth in center is healthiest. (Started coming back but has been struggling in the lack of rain.)
Polypodium Aureum (Golden Polypody, "Blue Crisp")  Bronzed, rhizomes fine.  (These came back in a week or so!)


Trees, Shrubs, Large Perennials
Annona (Pond Apple)  seedling planted in summer, mulched with pine straw, looking good! (Died in drought)
Caesalpinia Pulcherrima (Dwarf Poinciana)  Seedling planted in summer, no damage. (dog ran over it)
Callistemon Citrinus (Lemon Bottlebrush)  No damage.
Callistemon Viminalis  No damage. (Got another frost and some cold winds, but came back and is now blooming in May)
Carica Papaya (Papaya)  leaves melty, trunk is fine.  (Trunk rotted)
Coccoloba Uvifera (Sea Grape)  Protected spot, looking good for now.  (died)
Coffea Arabica (Coffee)  Leaves bronzed.  I Don't expect it to live, but who knows. (died)
Ficus Decora (Rubber Ficus)  Small plant.  Some leaves damaged, some are not.  (Has returned from ground!)
Ficus Carica (Edible fig)  Leaves looking wimpy, but its fine.
Hamelia Patens (Firebush)  Whole thing is bronzed.  Should return from the roots.  (has returned)
Malvaviscus Arboreus (Sleepy Hibiscus)  Bronzed.  (returned from roots)
Musa Acuminata "Dwarf Cavendish" (Banana)  Burnt to trunk, will return.  (had knotty roots and probably died from nematodes, already weakened by the cold)
Musa "Rajapuri" (Banana)  Burnt to trunk, will return.  (also had nematodes)
Musa Zebrina "Rojo" (Red Banana)  Burnt to trunk, will return.  (nematodes)
Plumeria Rubra (Frangipani)  Stems are soft, trunk seems okay for now   (base of trunk rotted, and I also found knotted roots.)
Rhizopoda (Red Mangrove)  A cluster of seedlings plucked from the beach.  Outer leaves wilting, but mostly fine!  (died from drought)
Strelitzia Nicolai  (White Bird of Paradise)  Bronzed and crispy.  Did this last year but came back.  (came back)
Yellow Poinciana  Seedling started in summer.  Leaves look yellow, wood seems firm though.  (dog trampled)
Tabebuia Chrysantha (Yellow Tabebuia)  Leaves looking a little bronzed, not much.  (leaves dropped but has made a full recovery, looking great in May.  No blooms this year though)
Tibouchina (Princess Flower)  Whole six foot tall bush is crispy.  Usually returns around here.  (returned pretty quickly)
Yucca Elephantipes (Giant Yucca, Spineless Yucca)  No damage. 
(Wild Lime)  No damage.  (last frost knocked it to the trunk)

Smaller Perrenials
Agapanthus Africanus (Lily of the Nile)  Melty except for newest leaves. 
Canna Edulis (Indian shot)  This species canna that I started from seed in summer is bronzed.  Will return in spring. (returned quickly)
Crinum Asiaticum (Giant Crinum)  No damage!
Dietes Bicolor (African Iris)  No damage.
Maranta Leuconeura (Prayer Plant)  No damage!  I expected this one to die, but it looks fine.  (died of drought)
Pentas  Looking wilted, but in a protected spot.  (died of drought)


Aechmea Gamosepala


I just couldn't risk damaging the flower spike of this Aechmea Cylindrata (Or is it just a large form of Gamosepala?) with those lows of 22 degrees, and it makes a wonderful indoor diversion to keep me in from the cold.  If you look closely there are three droplets of nectar at the tip of every blue flower, and I can attest that it tastes pretty darn yummy.  Double bonus! 

Washington Oaks Gardens State Park

If you live in northeast Florida or happen to be going up to Jacksonville via I-95, be sure to check out Washington Oaks for its amazing gardens, natural maritime hammocks and its unique anastasia limestone outcrops on the beach.  For the purposes of this entry, lets just focus on the gardens for now. 


















Here you can see Shell Ginger (Alpinia Zerumbet) in the background, White Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia Nicolai) and Musa spp. Bananas, and even a Screw Pine (Pandanus) in the upper right hand corner.  What makes this look so much like a rainforest is the coarse textured architectural plants layered under a canopy of varying heights.  The water not only looks refreshing but also allows a clean view.


















Billbergia "Striata" nestled among mondo grass in a winding garden path. 




































Alpinia Zerumbet and its porcelain blooms



































Slender Lady Palm (Rhapis Multifida) towering over some rather lanky Fingernail Bromeliad (Neoregelia Spectablis)


















Leather fern (Acrostichum Daneifolium) and Shell Ginger in their element.  Looking at this scene, I can't believe its not tropical!  These are two awesome plants for the wet tropics look, and both are hardy in zone 9a and possibly 8b.  They may die back a little but grow bigger each year nonetheless.  Be sure to give them lots of water!

Washington oaks is one of Florida's best kept secrets and is sure to inspire the tropicalesque gardener and any others as well.  It has a prime location between Hwy A1A and the intercoastal waterway, and on the other side of the highway is one of florida's only 3 rocky beaches.  Hint:  The other two are Indian Rocks beach and Blowing Rocks Preserve.  Hope this provides you with some ideas!

Steve






Here is a progression of a year's growth, from January of last year to Christmastime of this year.  The ultimate goal is to create "The Rainforest Garden", and in one year I have come much closer to doing so! 




















This is the garden in January of last year, looking pretty barren.  You will notice a dark mound to the right, and that is my beloved clump of alocasias after being burned to the ground by the cold.with no protection.




















Making progress!






































Now its more lushly panted and is finally looking like a real garden!




















You will notice that the tree fern is really starting to take off, and the gingers and paurotis palm are filling in nicely.






































A wider view, showing off one of my favorite plants, the alocasia calidora elephant ear!  Look at how well it has recovered in just a year.  The trunks are now over a foot tall.






































Here is a good view of the fishtail palm (which I really hope survives) surrounded by the ti plant, monstera deliciosa, peace lily, coffee bush, and three types of alpinia gingers.




















Our super cute sheltie by the name of Panda shown for scale!





















The tree fern has grown nicely, and so has my rajapuri banana. The dense growth to the left includes Tabebuia (a rarity here), Callistemon Laevis (a bottlebrush), firespike, and areca palm.  Can't wait to see how everything does in the cold!
Steve