barbc

I've decided to make a portion of our backyard area into a pseudo "tropical" paradise. Zone 7, partial shade from 100+ degree F days in summer. Shade is from 50 year old, VERY tall pine, douglas fir, arborvitae and other evergreens. I'm trying to give the understory a tropical feel, at least after it emerges from winter slumber each year. I'm in a desert climate but have plenty of irrigation water on short, several-times-a-day cycles due to using heat pump wastewater for irrigation. When the heat pump runs to air condition the house, the yard gets watered somewhere. The hotter the weather, the more water gets put out there. Ought to work, I think. This is just one small area of our 3/4 acre property. I do have a decent area away from root competition, and in other places I can either gradually berm up or put in limited raised beds so as not to suffocate the gigantic pine's roots.

I'm starting with selecting the "bones"...meaning the hardy stuff. After I get a decent amount of hardy plants placed, I'll hopefully have the ambition left to deal with a few tender items that I bring in to protect every winter. For bananas, I'll start with Basjoo. Also want Musella Lasiocarpum for sure. Possibly Musa Velutina. I'd also like to try some fruiting ones, like Texas Star, Golden Rhino Horn and maybe California Gold Hardy, since I have a decent shot at keeping these in the ground through the winter.

I've ready plenty of warnings on nurseries to avoid, so I'm looking for advice on more reputable nurseries. Also, if anyone here wants to sell something I might want, (including non-nanner plants!) I'm happy to purchase from a forum member rather than a nursery. Just pm me. Looking at colocasias, hardier cannas and basically anything with a tropical look. I have a LOT of plants in my cart at Brian's Botanicals, so no need to refer me there. TIA!!!!

Richard

"Zone 7 hardy nanners" -- a myth unless you mean inedible ornamental bananas; e.g. basjoo.

BTW, Brian's Botanicals doesn't have a good reputation around here. So, if you're blogging for that site then I advise you give up now.

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barbc

Thanks, Richard. Definitely NOT blogging for BB. Hadn't run across any posts that indicated anything negative, so I thought they were safe. I'm just a newbie to bananas and growing anything "tropical" outdoors (I have stuck to indoors until now) and have spent some time reading information here. I'm a little OCD when I start on a new gardening kick. I've been around long enough to have gone through many gardening phases (and many homes). Hope I didn't just throw away a couple hundred bucks. I will post pics when I receive the plants.

Botanical_Bryce

I never got bananas from them but I was more than happy with my Brian's Botanicals purchases. If your not happy with them they make it right. Richard does not speak for me.

Richard

Barb, as long as you're on an edible gardening kick ... check out this site which has lots of plants for your climate: One Green World.

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Botanical_Bryce

If you want tropical get Gunnera manicata, Dracunculus vulgaris, and google for the most giant hosta you can find.

Botanical_Bryce

psa

Great to see people here from the dry side of Washington. Are you north, middle, or south, where I am? If you're near enough, I've got extra basjoos and m. lasiocarpa kicking around taking up space.

I had no trouble with Brian's Botanicals, though it's been a few years. Some of his zone recommendations are a bit optimistic, though, I think, and you have to be ready to deal with young tissue culture plugs sometimes.

barbc

psa -- Gasp. I'm in North Richland. Awesome. I'll pm you!

barbc

Richard, thanks for the link to One Green World. I've shopped their catalog for many years but have never ordered from them. I have purchased many plants from Raintree over the years, including this year. I do recommend them. I learned to graft fruit trees at their nursery. Definitely a fun day! I did a few apple grafts after that with some success but that was a couple of houses ago.

Bryce, thanks for the plant suggestion. Right up my alley, and I'm amazed that it's hardy to Z5!

Richard

Now lets see ... barbc is in North Richland WA, latitude 46.29°.


Gunnera manicata (giant rhubarb): native to latitude 27.24°

Dracunculus vulgaris (devil's tongue): native to temperate portions of Mediterranean coasts, as far north as 42° on the balmy island of Corsica FR.

Yup.

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barbc

Paul--pm sent.

Snarkie

I purchased my first two basjoos from Greenearth Nursery. I had excellent results with quality and shipping. I also purchased two more from Lowe's directly from their garden dept. Prolly Monrovia origin.

I am quite familiar with your area (love the Scablands, BTW!), and I have some recommendations for a drier but still subtropical feel, if I may.

I have successfully combined basjoos with windmill palms, needle palms (bushy, but hardy to -5F), and several yucca species, for a beachy, subtropical look and feel. I also added pilings and starfish which I doubt you can pull of in the Great Basin Desert, but the plants, along with other recommendations thus far, should give you a nice customized look for your area.

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The Only Eastern Redwood Forest in America




"Nuke my 'nanners, will you?!"

barbc

Thanks for the recommendations, Doug. Actually we are on a beach of sorts...the Columbia River, so I tend to go beachy/aquatic on decor when I can and it doesn't get tacky. Being so close to the water apparently gives me a half-zone hardiness advantage. Been looking at palms--thanks for sharing your experience!

Snarkie

Oh okay. Here's a shot of what I was talking about, then:

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The Only Eastern Redwood Forest in America




"Nuke my 'nanners, will you?!"

barbc

Looks like you're ready for Memorial Day!

Snarkie

LOL, that's actually from last year. The yuccas are a lot bigger now; one is even flowering. I do a different theme for each season and/or holiday. For Valentine's Day, Bunny was offering Kitty a rose.

Last week, I found Bunny laying on the ground with both feet broken off. At first, I thought it was kids, but then why didn't they break the bottles? Yesterday, I found my alligator head laying in the ditch (I have a nice resin alligator head popping up through the flowers to attack passersby), so I picked it up and there was a dead possum underneath it. Looks like I found my vandal. Smells really bad too. Gonna don my gas mask (and freak the neighbors out, no doubt) later on today and add it to the mulch pile out back.

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Doug (D.A. Hänks) http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2955582/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1


The Only Eastern Redwood Forest in America




"Nuke my 'nanners, will you?!"

JP

Last year's pic! Still looks great!

barbc

Dead possum??? Eeeeeew. Mulch is not what comes to mind for me...

Snarkie

It looks a lot better now. After I glue Bunny's feet back on and get the decorations up again, I'll post an updated pic.

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Doug (D.A. Hänks) http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2955582/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1


The Only Eastern Redwood Forest in America




"Nuke my 'nanners, will you?!"