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BananaLee
11-04-2009, 03:08 PM
Hey everybody! I love the look of the rain forest and have studied them for a long time. I'm thinking of making a cold hardy rain forest with rain forest like plants. I'm looking for plants with buttress roots (like figs). The only ones I found are bald and pond cypress trees. I also am desperate for canopy trees like this http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6e/Coast_Eucalyptus.JPG and other emergent layer trees. Does anybody know trees like these for zones 6 and 7 or any plants like these that will grow in Kentucky, northern Virginia, and zone 7 Arizona type climate (though I don't live there!) I really need an answer! Thanx! BananaLee :woohoonaner::goteam::birthdaynana::lurk:

Ivanov_Kuznetsov
11-15-2009, 11:03 PM
I don't know much about bananas that far north other than digging them up to store inside in pots or dry and dark. I googled for bamboo and found this: Cold Hardy Bamboo (http://www.lewisbamboo.com/cold-hardy-bamboo.html) . It's more of a jungle/tropical look, but bamboo can be useful and fun, making a great structural material. Rainforest look is technically bare on the floor with a huge canopy. You are looking for thick, vibrant greens and reds to survive your frozen temperatures or at least grow back when it thaws, yes?

BananaLee
11-20-2009, 11:56 AM
Trust me, bananas can survive where I live and yes, there a lot of cold hardy bamboo. I'm looking more for canopy trees and trees with buttress roots.

Ivanov_Kuznetsov
11-21-2009, 02:25 PM
From what I understand, these don't tolerate freeze/frost, but the specimen I have seems to grow straight up with most of the foliage sprouting 15-20+ feet up in the air: Moringa oleifera - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moringa_oleifera)

That thing was dead and brown. It got rained on for a week, came back to life, grew through the pot it was in, and is now 20+ feet tall in my front yard. Vegetative propagation serves it well, and I haven't seen it flower yet.

BananaLee
11-23-2009, 03:38 PM
What a beautiful tree! Thank you very much!

Ivanov_Kuznetsov
11-24-2009, 07:54 PM
I am pleased to be of assistance. Looks like it will dip into the low 40's for three or four days starting Thursday night. I will be bringing in the fragile plants and leaving the water on a fine mist all night long.