island cassie

These torch gingers and heliconias were planted as small plants with 2 leaves each in November last year. The gingers are now 14ft tall! Although it is hot here, we get plenty of rain - 49.95 inches so far this year unlike some of the other dry islands.

momoese

Those are awesome! I've never seen a ginger that tall. Do you have a picture showing the whole plant?

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Mitchel

island cassie

The pergola is 11 ft tall and the torch gingers are either side - the left side one is smaller as a tree (since gone) depleted the soil there.





The fishtail palm in the centre was half the size 2 years ago, and the passiflora vitifolia covering the pergola was grown from seed 18 months ago. it is very satisfying as some things grow really well, but cultivars from Europe can't cope with the fierce sun even though the local varieties are fine. Coleus for example - the locals root without a thought but varieties from Europe have to be nursed along in shade. Thats why my compost bin is always full - bury your mistakes!!!!

island cassie

Etlingera elatior is the plant - I had hoped to get a pink version butcouldn't find one at the time.

MediaHound

Beautiful tropical island paradise you have going on there.
I wish I had grass like that. As much as I hate the grass, I would trade mine in for yours anyday. You can tell by the photos that it's not that cheap commercial crabgrass everyone builds with up here.
Enough about the grass though. Great heliconias! I wish the lobster claws would last longer when cut but even for a couple of days in a vase in the house brings some wonderful vibes into the home. You need a lot of them though before you can bring yourself to cutting them and bringing them in!

Beautiful, just beautiful.

island cassie

Yes Jarred - it is hard to cut them when they are not going to last - how they manage to get them to the Chelsea Flower Show in England (my favourite place before I moved here) in such good condition I don't know! The ladies from the Caribbean Isalnds used to be there every day misting and caring for their charges. The RHS Chelsea Flower Show is this week and I miss it badly - the first time I have not been there for many years.

Lilith

Cassie, I grow the red and the one called Heiroglyphica in my greenhouse. It will get TALLER than 14 ft, believe me! Mine hits the 20 ft ceiling and leans. Yours will get bigger! They are gorgeous, good growing!
I used to have the pink one and a tulip torch called Yamamoto which is also pink, but i removed them from th egreenhouse because they were just too aggressive and created way too much shade.

Watch your Heliconia rostrata too...when its really, REALLY happy it too can approach and exceed 20 ft in height. I removed approximately 40-50 square feet of rostata from the greenhouse. Now I only grow it in containers.

island cassie

Lilith, I am hoping my rostrata does get bigger as I have some other sites for it in mind. The torch gingers are already starting to march through the grass and I have ties around them as we have some strong winds and they leant out too far. Visiting the places selling plants here is always an adventure and unfortunately nothing is labelled, but I stumbled across a gorgeous velvety maroon-leaved begonia the other day - perfect for a very shady place.

Lilith

I am glad to see that someone else besides me uses cut logs for landscaping timbers! We had so many trees fall in the 2004 hurricanes, that we still have cut logs hanging around. I used a lot recently to define my planting beds around the property instead of going out and spending $$$ in treated landscape timbers. By using the natural wood I can provide habitat for native bees, ants, wasps, skinks, snakes and all sorts of stuff. And its FREE!

island cassie

yes Lilith I agree with you about the cut logs - just perfect! Here we have used coconut trunks for the uprights (a friend was cutting down a 60 ft coconut palm that was leaning over his house) and waste coco logs for the edging of the beds. They work wonderfully and wildlife loves them as they are not treated. As well as about 10 different fungus, we have many ferns and small plants colonising them. OK they won't last as long as treated timber, but the benefits far outweigh the shorter lifespan and they blend in very well. I like a loose jungly effect rather than regimented plants.