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Backyard Jungles |
bamboo stu
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Sep 18, 2007
Posts: 126
From: Oakland, CA
|  Posted: 2008-07-11 07:43 am Permalink
Now, y'all just stop that, looking at this thread makes me wanna cry. If I tried to plant all that water-hungry foliage, I'd be hung with a garden hose from a dried-out oak tree.
Me and my wife are getting ready to do the front yard, but I'm guessing it will be all drought tolerant and whatnot. No pirate's lagoon there, but at least I got The Narrow Escape out back, new pics to come soon.
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ahvyna
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Feb 05, 2008
Posts: 38
From: san diego
| Posted: 2008-07-11 07:50 am Permalink
Here's a few pictures of my get-a-way:
Not alot of tiki yet, but in the works. Found lots of inspiration on this thread!
[ This Message was edited by: ahvyna 2008-07-11 07:51 ]
[ This Message was edited by: ahvyna 2008-07-11 07:52 ]
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hiltiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 10, 2004
Posts: 2775
From: Reseda, calif.
| Posted: 2008-07-11 7:04 pm Permalink
Here is my jungle
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MadDogMike
Grand Member (3 years) 
Joined: Mar 30, 2008
Posts: 6402
From: The Anvil of the Sun
| Posted: 2008-07-11 9:11 pm Permalink
Zone 13 (desert) "jungle". 120 degrees high and 30s low. Cape Honeysuckle, Canna Lily, Water Lily, Palm Trees, Bird of Paradise, Asparagus Fern, Vinca. Most plants grow leaves but no flowers so I attach silk flowers! (like the purple orchids to the right side)
Slacks Ferret, I love your Boston Fern "Palm Tree"!
_________________
Clay, the oldest and most divine art media;
"And now, from the clay of the ground, the Lord God formed man" Genesis 2:7
Pirate Ship Tree House
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Koitiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 03, 2007
Posts: 212
From: Austin
| Posted: 2008-07-12 12:34 pm Permalink
Hiltiki- That lavender with pink flowers, Little Shop of Horrors plant is cool. Do you know what the name of that is?
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hiltiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 10, 2004
Posts: 2775
From: Reseda, calif.
| Posted: 2008-07-13 8:17 pm Permalink
Koitiki, I don't have a name to this succulent plant. I bought it from the succulent, cactus section of some nursery a while back. it was the only one that was pink, and it has grown to a huge plant. It is beautiful when it bloom.
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shampoovta
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Jun 20, 2007
Posts: 99 | Posted: 2008-07-16 9:22 pm Permalink
There is this lady here in Ventura who collects palms. My husband showed me her house . Its cool.
click image.
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Jungle Trader
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 04, 2003
Posts: 3691
From: Trader's Jungle Outpost, Turlock, Ca.
| Posted: 2008-07-16 10:37 pm Permalink
"This lady collects rare palms" What rare palms would they be? Do tell.
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ClassiTiki
Member
Joined: Jul 27, 2008
Posts: 7
From: Tulsa, OK
| Posted: 2008-07-27 5:56 pm Permalink
Swanky -
It's not actually "tropical" but I'm in zone 6 and I've had great luck with Cannas. They bloom gorgeous bold colors and the huge leaves definitely look tropical. They've got them as standard size (5-8' tall) and in dwarf (2-4' tall). I've got some nice dwarfs going on the walkway in front of my house.
Just a thought.
Oh. And Hi. I joined just so I could make that suggestion. 
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hiltiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 10, 2004
Posts: 2775
From: Reseda, calif.
| Posted: 2008-07-28 4:21 pm Permalink
Koitiki, I just got back from the nursery, the pink plant's botanical name is Echeveria "Debbie" I bought another one.
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shampoovta
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Jun 20, 2007
Posts: 99 | Posted: 2008-07-28 8:19 pm Permalink
Another cool property in Ventura. Have no idea how they did that. Oh the boat is there deck.
[ This Message was edited by: shampoovta 2008-07-28 20:20 ]
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Retrotiki
Member
Joined: Dec 19, 2006
Posts: 5
From: Central Florida
| Posted: 2008-09-29 08:02 am Permalink
Fatuhiva,
Man your yard is AMAZING! I'm working on my yard also, similar kind of thing with a boring ST. Augustine barren landscape to begin with. I'm having a hard time finding rocks though. Would you mind sharing your source where you got those rocks for the landscape beds ?? (I'm up the road in Titusville)
Thanks!
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fatuhiva
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 634
From: Melbourne Beach, FL
| Posted: 2008-09-29 9:44 pm Permalink
Thanks I PM'ed you the rock info
Just start planting and keep going- that whole thing was a big flat field of St. Augustine when I started too.
Best to plant your bamboos and trees first- that creates some shade, windblock and a canopy for cold protection.
Bananas can get you some height, shade and a little wind protection real quick.
Then add your coconut palms, etc.
Then, find some sunny areas that are a little protected from the prevailing winds (North and East around here) and plant your heliconias there- as you want to make sure they aren't in too much shade.
After that, you start filling in the holes with various tropicals.
My problem these days is it has grown up a bit since those pics were taken and the grass is having trouble growing in the shade. I've tried all kinds, but all grass needs some sun. Probably don't have much choice other than to keep things trimmed, or lose some of the grass :/
I will try to take some new pics this month- but for now- here's a few blooms from around the garden:
and a little visitor.. er, resident..
[ This Message was edited by: fatuhiva 2008-09-29 22:03 ]
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christiki295
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 09, 2003
Posts: 3616
From: LA-2547 mls east Hawaii &5500 Easter Is
| Posted: 2008-09-30 12:04 am Permalink
Dayam, Fatuhiva:
You have created the Garden of Eden!
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tikipaka
Grand Member (3 years)
Joined: May 31, 2006
Posts: 633
From: New York
| Posted: 2008-09-30 01:45 am Permalink
Wow Fatuhiva, your little paradise is beautiful. Don't think ours will ever be that nice. We're up here in NY in the Hudson Valley and wintering plants is very difficult. The only thing even slightly tropical is the elephant ears and some grasses.  But it is our little piece of paradise, sense we started with a forest of brush, weeds and a old foundation of a barn. We tried to save the flooring pieces of the barn, where the animals use to be but it was pretty broken up so we just bull dosed it. That's about where our little cabana / tiki bar sits right now.
This is a picture of the front of our home which is a 1850's farm house.
So the tropical look just doesn't make it around the entire place. But the cabana is where I love to escape to the tropic's.  I can only dream that I can ever fill up our space like you did with yours.
A view from the front to the back.
Here is a shot from the spring of this year.
Put in a few more grasses this spring and the guy who does our lawn took out the one of the left and it now is smaller than the one of the far right.
This is the Mamosa tree we planted last year and just last week it split right down the middle from the winds. I tried to repair it but not sure if it's going to work? I was so hoping that it would ground quickly to shad the cabana. I might have to just cut it back and start all over.  All the mature trees on the property are either broken up pretty bad from the weather, age and need to come down.
And here is a picture of our little snake in the grass.
We have planted a few new trees but I'll probably be long gone before they get to a nice size. But after looking at all these other tropical paradises it makes me want to go out and try or should I say buy something more exciting and pray that it will last.
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