Golden Brush Ginger/ Burbidgea schizocheila

I've had this plant 3 summers from a tissue culture, left it in the greenhouse the first two and babied it with out results. Then this past June I potted it and gave it one last chance, fertilizer, and put it in the shade outside the door under some long leaf pines where I water every day, and it did this.

I just yesterday brought it in the house for the winter where my wife can see it. I've had good luck overwintering many gingers and other tropical plants in my house, where they don't seem to know it's cold out. It's a good time to start cuttings and seeds off season.

The plant is now 20 inches tall and fully mature. Next summer I'll put a division in the ground here in zone 8b Louisiana,U.S. and see if the rhizome will survive our winters, as most go dormant and return in spring. Gingers appreciate being thinned/divided in the ground and out, and potted every spring. Gingers/Hedychium/Costus/Zingiber/Curcuma are easy to grow, add contrasting form to your garden, they are voluptuous in stature and bring the generosity of the rain forest back home for you.

Ice Cream Banana, Musa Blue Java

This is a mature grove of ice cream banana I've had many years, but I've never tasted one because here in zone 8b, September usually catches the bunches at about this stage of developement, and cool temperatures won't allow the two more months further development needed to ripen , so they just linger until frost.

However last winter was not cold enough to kill the plants and for some reason they bloomed early. The bananas in this image should have time to ripen before the cool weather gets here, so I fertilized them, which helps development. They are supposed to have the flavor of vanilla ice cream. The plants are about 15 foot tall. Average trunk diameter is 12 inches.

Bananas are easy to grow providing they get lots of water, they like being watered from the top, as if it were rain. It cools the tree from warm temperatures that occur at the hottest part of the day, which is when thunderstorms occur in the natural environment, and the plant drinks from where water collects in natural pockets formed, where the leaves meet the pseudostem, as well as the roots. They love rainy weather and the past couple years here have been abnormally wet. I don't usually fertilize them unless there is a chance I get fruit. This summer there are more flowers in my Banana groves than I've ever seen.

The banana tree is not a tree at all, but a herbaceous plant, a herb, or a berry.There is no woody substance in the trunk (pseudostem). However bananas are fruit.

One surprising thing about banana trees I've experienced is that once a banana tree has achieved its mature form, it does fine in temperatures to cool for it to have matured in the first place. It will do well, and seems to like temps around 60F.

October 14,16 my banana bunches are ripening beautifully. This is a very sweet, fruity, slightly tart, tasty banana.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Java_banana 

Pink Circuma

The pink circuma is very easily grown. It likes full, even harsh sun, ample moisture, and mulch around its base, an environment similar to that of bananas. It has no pests here in South Louisiana zone 8b, not even a lawnmower once or twice. It has a weakness for cheap fertilizer and lizards.

It freezes to the ground here every winter, and returns every spring just like this. A mature clump would stand 6 to 7 feet tall (foilage) and 5 feet wide, the flowers are 20 inches tall.

It looks pretty good in front of Washingtonia Robusta.   (Mexican Fan Palm)

Firebush / Hamelia patens

Firebush is a first-class tropical plant / butterfly and hummingbird attractant. Though it freezes to the ground most winters, in late spring when temps warm it returns faithfully to its flawless form, not one brown leaf, not one spent flower. 

It grows to 7 feet high and slightly less wide naturally, and I don't trim it at all until frost, when I cut it to the ground and leave the trimmings to insulate the roots during winter. It has survived 15 degrees for 2 consecutive long nights here in zone 8b south Louisiana just fine.

 It loves full sun and drip irrigation, but I have one in a dry spot that does almost as well. In fall leaves develop red specks to complement its special color. It looks particularly well next to Musa Thia Black banana you might see in the distance.

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamelia_patens 

Caesalpinia Pulcherrima / Pride Of Barbados

Pride of Barbados, sometimes called Dwarf Poinciana or Peacock Flower, is surprisingly unknown to many long time gardeners.  I've seen it growing  throughout the Southern U.S. Gulf Coast region  as far west as Phoenix and Tuscon Arizona in city flower plantings, as pretty as pie in the Sonoran Desert heat, yet, it loves the wet weather here in the cooler rainy season of the Southeastern U. S... It's remarkably uncommon for a plant to tolerate both environments.

Though its been around a while, it's true value as a 1st class tropical plant is largely unrecognized. Possibly because it's a plant for larger yards at 4 to 6 feet in height 6 to 8 feet wide, but it also has the ability to overpower everything but the classiest creations of nature.

The red orange and yellow flowers grab the attention of human beings, bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds  before any other color, across distances far past mans ability to identify what In the world it could be. This is an attribute very few subjects possess, and it is undeniably powerful. It's fern like leaf texture and habit, it's airy suggestion of peace and harmony are specifically wonderful. If you only get to grow 10 plants in your time on Earth, this should be one.

The plant pictured here is one I've grown for about 8 or 10 years in a hard and dry spot, in my Southwestern Louisiana zone 8b yard, in full sun, on the south trunk of a Long leaf Yellow pine tree, in acidic infertal sandy soil, where it's roots have survived 2 consecutive winter nights of 15 degrees F for 10 hours.

Seeds sprout easily for propagation purposes, but the plant is not invasive. It loves heat, pine needles around its base, ample rain but has endured drought, likes a little fertilizer but doesn't usually get any. It just sits there and looks like this from late June until mid-Septmber when seeds demand all Its energy, freezes to the ground in most winters here, and returns to full form every year to make us happy again. It is a living Prayer with healing capacity.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesalpinia_pulcherrima

Musa Velutina Banana

Musa Velutina is an ornamemtal banana that has  grown outside my Southwestern Louisiana zone 8b  kitchen window for 15 or 20 years, freezing to the ground most winters and returning to this form every summer. The mature grove is 6 foot high and almost as wide. It loves rainy weather or daily drip irrigation, inexpensive 13-13-13 fertilizer 2 or 3 times a year, temperatures from 57 to 90 degrees F. , but will tolerate more heat. Bananas love full sun early May to end of September, then get sleepy in this climate. Over all a most gratifying plant to grow here.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musa_velutina

Nun's Orchid

The Nun's Orchid is a tropical plant suitable for an 8 to 12 inch in diameter, deep pot. If kept indoors by a window in winter, it will grow to approx. 40 inches tall at blooming. The foliage alone isn't much to look at, but while the world outside is frozen, it will bloom its heart out for nearly a month, reminding its keeper of its true character and quality as a houseplant. It looks best elevated on a table near light where it does successfully_ I'm pretty sure_  pray for an end to winter.

Alocasia Black Stem

An inquisitive spirit and a new plant, in the same space_ in the same time_ is a world forever young.

Canna Orange Crush

Alocasia Calidora Persian Palm

Here in Louisiana zone 8b, Calidora usually freezes to the ground every winter, resulting in a slightly smaller stature than it would attain in its natural tropical climate.

Last winter was mild and my tropical plants are beautiful. This plant is in full sun. I believe the stems would lengthen and the leaves would broaden if it were in shade, resulting in a plant height of 10 to 12 foot. It is now 8 to 9 foot.

Spring after winter low of 25° for 8 hours froze them back to the insulated lower stump.

Heliconia Garden

My lifelong companion in the most beautiful garden I have ever seen. Imagine this world.

Paradise is in part perfectly tangible, fluent in its abilitys to appear at will to hearts who can see it in any realm, hand seeded by humble souls who would suffer its blessings at great sacrifice.  Inspired by the Spirit of all things good and beautiful, it is Holy_ Greater than the sum of all its parts.

Image of Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden near Hilo,  Hawaii ( Big Island )

http://www.htbg.com/

Louisiana Tropical Greenhouse

These are some of my 2013 new experimental plants along with a few older reliables. Some are absolutely new to the Universe,  imagine that darling,  thanks to people who believe,  and really do change the world, just for you and me.

Foreground waterlily Albert Greenburg, far left  Miami Rose,  Director Moore, far corner of pond  Trailblazer,  Bull's Eye,  Tanzanite, far right almost out of the picture  Ultra Violet.  The colors are fairly accurate except Trailblazer, which is a bit more yellow,  via smartphone.

These are tropical waterlilies, and will go dormant or expire at some point during the fall and winter when the water temperature falls below 60 degrees in zone 8b environment, however, the tubers will survive the cold better in a cold frame, or heated green house  where they can be forced.

  Most tubers do survive here which will provide you and all your friends with plant-lets identical to the parent...... If your already a gardener, and you really love plants, waterlilies are like fine wine my good friend, and will escort  you inside the colors, where you will experience impossible  beauty from within.  See link below.

In the far right there is a large dark leaved elephant ear. It is Colocasia Dragon Heart, at about 5 foot tall, it's only 3 months old from a 4 inch pot tissue culture.

The three dark stemmed bananas are Musa Thia Black . I'm thinking this banana is going to be the epitome of the phrase " fabulously elegant "...


.http://iwgs.org/

Bambusa Chungii Bamboo

Bambusa Chungii  (Tropical Blue Bamboo) interred the quarantine station in the 90's after which I purchased a start from Robert Saporito of Tropical Bamboo in South Florida. Being a plant hunter collector for many years I must say this plant has an ornamental value in the top ten percent of anything I've ever grown.  

This particular plant is approximately 6 years old and if you could imagine, very much neglected. It should attain 2-inch culms 20 to 30 feet in height and a spread 8 feet at 10 years of age.  New shoots arrive in August with very good bluish white bloom color, hardy to 22 degrees here in South Louisiana, where only the very top is bitten by the cold.

If you could only have one plant, you would love it, because it's got da stuff you need.

Banyan Tree, Big Island, HI

God has cared for these trees, saved them from drought, disease, avalanches, and a thousand tempests and floods. But he cannot save them from fools.

John Muir

Lower right is the prettiest girl I ever knew.