Anyone here into tropicals as well?

[MuseRider]

I am in a new home on my farm finally. This is the year I start with serious veggie gardening. I have done so in the past not not nearly as serious as I want to be now. As I wait for the stupid (but lovely) rain to stop and the area to dry I have a developing obsession for tropicals.

Outside will be mostly native but inside and on my deck I will be covered in Plumeria and Ginger. I have just begun this. I have two Plumeria rooted and in their new pots, one has an inflo so flowers are coming and yesterday I received 4 more cuttings from Maui. I also have started learning and growing orchids and Ginger. I built a sun room on my house specifically for plants but I never guessed this would happen to me.

Anyone else stuck with only mud outside right now want to talk about tropicals?

[sazemisery]

1. I love tropicals and use them a lot.

Banana, Ixora, Bird of Paradise, etc. I like to feel like I'm in paradise when at home.

[MuseRider]

2. I realized after I posted this

how stupid that sounded. Of course there are people here who are into them! What else do you do during the winter?

I am over run at the moment. The Plumeria place apparently always sends a mystery cutting so I now have 6 of them! I got my Curcuma Ginger today and they sent 3 when I ordered one. My son just got back from Maui and he brought back a Bird of Paradise, a White Ginger and something else...can't remember. I figure I can give cuttings as gifts now forever and ever and who would not like one of those plants? Heck, once they mature I will be begging people here to take some!

I just looked up Ixora, wow. Beautiful. I too love to feel like I am in a tropical paradise.

[flying_wahini]

3. well, (gush) I LOVE tropicals-

I have gone nutty the last two years planting everything and then some....
my husband says it is an obsession; have to admit that is most of what I do all
day, every day.... Garden !!!!! :crazy:
I have banana trees, at least 6 brugmansias (angels trumpets) in the ground,
one has even bloomed a month ago and is ready to bloom again,
Gigantic white Bird of paradise lots of gingers, elephant ears, colocasia,
cannas, just scored a cute little ginger called Sherry Baby at the Mercer
Plant sale last month, a Red Cloak (brazilian) and just tons of other stuff.

Can't get enough of it.... whoever said Houston weather sucks was wrong!

It is a gardeners paradise!

[MuseRider]

4. Ahhh Houston!

I used to spend time there when my brother lived there, yes it is great weather for gardening. There used to be a place there, maybe it still is, called the Plumeria People. I ordered my first try with Plumies from them. I failed but this year it seems I am succeeding beyond my wildest expectations.

I am a bit obsessed at the moment, especially when you consider I can't plant any of these things outside. They will be in huge pots I have to move in in the winter. I hope my sun room is big enough and my time is enough so that I can deal with the winter storage requirements for some of them.

It sounds like you have a lovely selection, I would bet your yard is beautiful. It would be wonderful if you wanted to post some pictures. :)

I am biding my time while waiting to plant my veggies. I think tomorrow may be the day since there is rain the rest of the week and the beds are ready now. We did just have a frost last night but maybe that will be the last???

[Gato Moteado]

5. i've got marañon (cashew) trees sprouting right now.......

....that i will put into the ground soon.

i'm loaded with heliconias, torch gingers, maraccas, passifloras, aristolochias(dutchman's pipevines), bananas, cannas, papayas, orchids, brugmansias. i'm up in the temperate central valley in costa rica, so the cashews will get planted on my coastal tropical properties where they will be able to fruit. the rest of the stuff seems to do well even in the cooler climate, but i'm already out of space.