My family on my mom's side always seemed to enjoy gardening. My grandmother had two greenhouses and just enough "exotics" to make it interesting to me. My mom followed suite most of her life. Both sides of my family were big into agriculture at one point in the past - now just on a small scale. I never was much into it - I was a tech buff and really ignored all things green until 2002. I visited my 50th state that May, Hawai'i, and I guess you could say I've been hooked since. It took me several years and multiple trips to the islands to figure out why I loved HI so much - but the tropical vegetation (amongst other things of course) was a huge draw for me. I should have figured it out sooner - I always was bringing cuttings back home to grow part of the islands locally. Hawai`i is so fertile because of the soil and trades, and the lush windward coast is a place I could only dream of living. I would have loved to live in Hilo or Volcano on the BI or Kapa`a on Kaua`i (I especially love the garden isle - go back almost every year now). I started my collection in early 2003 with a few Ti's and an Elephant Ear or two. I expanded rapidly once I moved out of my folks home and into an apartment (which drove me nuts due to lack of space) and now have my own jungle at my own place - with plans to move to a warmer climate one of these days (Florida likely). I also want more land next time, I've already about run out of room - I tell my wife grass is over rated, LOL.
I really got into bananas about a year and a half ago, started with one, and will have close to 70 in the ground next year total. It'll be really nice when I don't have to dig up and take things in for the winter anymore. I spend a small fortune heating and lighting everything indoors. I am definitely ready for a tropical climate. The wife didn't really want to move as far away as Hawai`i, so I'll head south to the Sunshine state and be happy with that. I have made myself three promises. One, I will grow myself a full travelers palm. Two, I will grow an Ae-Ae. Three, I want to grow a pothos to have leaves the size I see them in HI.
That's my story
Great thread idea.