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Tropical Gardens with Hardy Plants |
Dartin Menny
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 29, 2008
Posts: 222
From: Garbage Grove, CA
|  Posted: 2009-06-21 10:58 am Permalink
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RevBambooBen wrote:
p.s.
Rememeber to Pee on your Plumeria!!
They love it!
( keeps animals away too 
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Seriously Ben?
Looks like the ol' Plumerias are getting watered tonight while drinking some beers....
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dewey-surf
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 27, 2009
Posts: 164
From: Clearwater, FL
| Posted: 2009-09-21 8:08 pm Permalink
The passion vine has been cranking for us this year. Still got some good blooms. It seems to love this humidity.
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bananabobs
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Feb 16, 2003
Posts: 824 | Posted: 2009-09-24 8:00 pm Permalink
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On 2008-06-14 19:56, ahvyna wrote:
Tip from a Master Gardener friend of mine: We put everything not cold tolerant in pots in the ground and pull them in fall, force them into dormancy. I've had the same plants in every year, even after the spell of below freezing temps we had a couple of years ago (in San Diego!). And the "nanners" came back fine despite being frozen to the ground. Epsom really made a difference bringing them back.
My brother in Vermont does the pot in the ground thing and says he hasn't lost anything since he's tried it.
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The plant showing in this photo is called a Red Banana, however it is not a banana, it is related.
Ensete ventricosum is a large, fleshy-stemmed plant with a head of banana-like leaves. The plant grows between 6 and 12 m high. It is a monocotyledon and does not have a true, branched trunk, but an unbranched pseudostem formed by the imbricated (overlapping) bases of petioles (leaf stalks), left behind when old leaves die. The pseudostem broadens towards the base and this gives rise to the species name ventricosum, which means 'with a swelling'. The plant seldom forms suckers from the base. The simple, large leaves with a thick, rose-pink midrib and numerous pinnately parallel nerves extending to the margin, are spirally arranged.
This plant only flowers and bears fruit once and then it dies. The flowers form large, showy bunches or spikes 2 to 3 m in length. The male flowers usually occur at the top and the female or bisexual flowers lower down. The cream-coloured flowers have only one petal, but are surrounded by large, showy, maroon bracts. Flowering usually takes place in early summer (October and November). Insipid, banana-like fruits form after flowering. They have a yellow skin with black spots and contain a row of pea-sized, hard, black seeds. Under normal conditions plants flower when they are about eight years old.
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Tiki Zen
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 15, 2007
Posts: 352
From: Too far from the beach Bowling Green, KY
| Posted: 2009-09-28 2:19 pm Permalink
Second season of banana plants that started with four plants last summer. They've done well in Kentucky red clay soil, but soon a lot of digging will be at hand. If only I had a gigantic inflatable greenhouse . . .
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Swanky
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 03, 2002
Posts: 4806
From: Hapa Haole Hideaway, TN
| Posted: 2009-09-29 09:14 am Permalink
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On 2009-09-28 14:19, Tiki Zen wrote:
Second season of banana plants that started with four plants last summer. They've done well in Kentucky red clay soil, but soon a lot of digging will be at hand. If only I had a gigantic inflatable greenhouse . . .
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What zone are you in? Maybe these are hardy. My Musas die to the ground here in zone 6 and come back. Even last year when it hit 5-7 degrees and 20 mph winds.
[ This Message was edited by: swanky 2009-09-29 13:22 ]
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Haole'akamai
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 07, 2005
Posts: 2269
From: The Polynesian Port of NOLA
| Posted: 2009-09-29 09:40 am Permalink
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On 2009-09-28 14:19, Tiki Zen wrote:
If only I had a gigantic inflatable greenhouse . . .
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How long do your frosts last?
Have you tried the "Cut them to 12" above ground, wrap with outdoor xmas lights (that are on a timer), cover in clear plastic" method?
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Tiki Zen
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 15, 2007
Posts: 352
From: Too far from the beach Bowling Green, KY
| Posted: 2009-09-30 06:13 am Permalink
I'm in zone 6 (avg. low 0 to -10F). I'm not sure of the variety of these plants, I bought my starter plants from a local lady who immigrated from Cambodia. She grows these in her yard and sells them off in the fall. I know that she cuts hers back, digs up the bulb and stores it in the garage, which is what I do, as well.
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Swanky
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 03, 2002
Posts: 4806
From: Hapa Haole Hideaway, TN
| Posted: 2009-09-30 09:36 am Permalink
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On 2009-09-30 06:13, Tiki Zen wrote:
I'm in zone 6 (avg. low 0 to -10F). I'm not sure of the variety of these plants, I bought my starter plants from a local lady who immigrated from Cambodia. She grows these in her yard and sells them off in the fall. I know that she cuts hers back, digs up the bulb and stores it in the garage, which is what I do, as well.
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They are likely musa basjoo, and likely hardy.
leave one in the groud and cover with a 10-12 inch layer of mulch. Some also suggest covering with plastic. See if it doesn't come back next year.
Here in 6B to 7A, they are fine.
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Tiki Zen
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 15, 2007
Posts: 352
From: Too far from the beach Bowling Green, KY
| Posted: 2009-09-30 12:27 pm Permalink
Sounds like a good suggestion. I have enough plants now that losing one isn't a big problem. I would need to do a fair bit of digging on the others to split off the pups even if I wasn't taking them in.
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TikiGabe661
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Oct 01, 2009
Posts: 31
From: SoCal
| Posted: 2009-10-06 11:04 am Permalink
Just get fake tropical flowers! They will stay bloomed forever!
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Haole'akamai
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 07, 2005
Posts: 2269
From: The Polynesian Port of NOLA
| Posted: 2009-10-06 12:32 pm Permalink
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On 2009-10-06 11:04, TikiGabe661 wrote:
Just get fake tropical flowers! They will stay bloomed forever!
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Agreed, but you can't have 'em in the backyard for very long before they start getting sun-faded.
When Micheals (or JoAnns, or Beverly's) had a sale on their nicer fake tropicals, I stocked up on some that I put out before parties. I found, though, if they're left out for more than a week, they get really faded.
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TikiGabe661
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Oct 01, 2009
Posts: 31
From: SoCal
| Posted: 2009-10-06 4:01 pm Permalink
True....I guess the best way to do it would be to just take em' out for the parties then store em' away until the next party.
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MamboKing
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 11, 2003
Posts: 194
From: Huntington Beach CA
| Posted: 2009-12-23 11:00 am Permalink
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On 2009-09-28 14:19, Tiki Zen wrote:
Second season of banana plants that started with four plants last summer. They've done well in Kentucky red clay soil, but soon a lot of digging will be at hand. If only I had a gigantic inflatable greenhouse . . .
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NICE! How are they doing now that it's winter? We've got 5 banana plants that I'm worried about here in SoCal. It was recently 35 degrees one night & I'm thinking of moving the pots inside.
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bananabobs
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Feb 16, 2003
Posts: 824 | Posted: 2009-12-24 1:08 pm Permalink
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On 2009-12-23 11:00, MamboKing wrote:
NICE! How are they doing now that it's winter? We've got 5 banana plants that I'm worried about here in SoCal. It was recently 35 degrees one night & I'm thinking of moving the pots inside.
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Mamboking, it would have to be a sustained low temp to damage the bananas enough for you to worry about moving them indoors. Usually it only hits the frost level just before sunup which is enough to burn some leaves but not the plant, even if they are in pots. Be sure that the plants are watered well before any pending cold snap and if you have them a sheet wrapped lightly over the plants help. I am inland more than you and this works well for me.
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MamboKing
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 11, 2003
Posts: 194
From: Huntington Beach CA
| Posted: 2010-01-27 4:34 pm Permalink
Thanks for the info! They are holding out so far!
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