Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Nov 03, 2009 8:59 pm I wanted a lush, tropical kind of effect in a corner of our back yard...but living in a cooler climate, I thought I was just fantasising. Then I came across these fact sheets from Gardening Australia: http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s829802.htm http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1480272.htm Whenever I've visited our zoo, I've spent at least as much time admiring the gardens as gawking at the animals. So why did it never occur to me before to use some of those plants in my own garden? So what if they're not actually tropical plant, as long as they have "the look". Today I've been out hunting for a few of the recommended plants. Found Plectranthus, and I've grown those before with great success. I've also seen Impatiens Sodenii and the Rice Paper plant growing well here. Ginger lilies and bamboos also grow pretty easily. Some of the suggested plants might need a bit of babying to get them established, but I'm up for the challenge. Whaddya think Fu? Any favourites to recommend? Re: Love tropical gardens, but you live in Melbourne...? 2Nov 03, 2009 10:02 pm Thanks for those links, I will find them very useful in the near future. I love tropical gardens and I lived in Qld for quite a few years, but I have had very little success growing those sort of plants in Melb. Blog: http://bluemistkids.blogspot.com "Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, and professionals built the Titanic." Re: Love tropical gardens, but you live in Melbourne...? 3Nov 04, 2009 11:04 am I think I remember another story or two that they've had, about specific gardens. It seems to be a matter of choosing plants with the right look even if they aren't tropical and creating a microclimate so some hardier tropical plants can be grown. Sometimes I long for a tropical garden but then I console myself remembering a story on one of the gardening shows about a garden, near Cairns I think, that needed to be pruned back every three weeks otherwise it would have turned into a jungle and taken over the house. Re: Love tropical gardens, but you live in Melbourne...? 4Nov 04, 2009 11:00 pm I remember that one amazing garden though. If you choose Bamboos, then get into the cool season bamboos. That way you will get much better success. http://bamboo.org.au/community/ A lady up near Lancelin got me onto this mob for Heliconias, they export to WA The specialise in Bamboo http://www.bambooland.com.au/catalogue.htm and on Bamboo, if anyone is ever near the Porongerups near Albany, I would totally suggest lunch at this place. It is a bamboo nursery that to this day has served up what i could easily say is the very best Thai food I have ever tasted!! It rocked our world and the view of the Stirling ranges is great http://www.maleeya.com.au/ We go there when ever we are in that part of town Bloody good wine round there too Joe, it depends on your certifier but we are noticing the ones we deal with are really cracking down. So i would recommend you follow your approved landscaping plans to… 4 10972 Hi Simeon, Thank you for laying it down for us. Makes sense. Appreciate it very much. Have a nice day. Cheers 2 9010 |