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Gardening in Oz

Tropical garden on the Sunshine Coast

20 years ago

Hi,

I'm about to give a friend a hand to design and plant a 'tropical' garden. This large bed will be for the most part in full sun and will have an adequate watering system installed. Tropical gardens are not an area that I'm strong in and I would very much appreciate suggestions on suitable plants.

With many thanks and happy gardening

Cheers Jan

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Comments (7)

richardqld
20 years ago
Depending on the space available ,i would suggest planting some smaller Aussie rainforest trees such as Little evodia or native tamarinds and perhaps a clumping bamboo.I would try to resist just planting swathes of palms .This will help get some shade for the understory plantings,without requiring excessive water.Mid story i would recommend Cordylines such as Negra,Pink Diamond,or any others that take your fancy,again reasonably water wise.As far as a ginger i dont think you can get better than Alpinia zerumbet variegated,which looks good all year round,has exotic looking blooms and also is very hardy.
I'm sure others will chip in soon with more suggestions.
Cheers.
Jamus_S
20 years ago
I don't know a lot about tropical gardens generally but I love the bamboo idea. The clumping species are spectacular, something like Bambusa oldhamii or Dendrocalamus asper. Beautiful plants and well behaved in the garden. Be careful with Timor black (Bambusa lako), it's an attractive plant and many people plant it. Unless timor black is REALLY healthy and doesn't get too much sun on the culms they can look bleached and tatty and terrible.
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Actually, your location would be considered part of the greater San Francisco Bay Area, rather than the central valley, although your location is as much influenced by the central valley as by the bay. Your additional comment about large existing pine trees in your adjoining neighbor's yard may not be as bad as you think, unless they are to your south, in which case you will most definitely have limited sun in winter. You might find it just as practical to get yourself some half oak wine barrels and put these on your patio if this is your sunniest spot, and this size container is plenty large enough to grow tomatoes next summer, or use for winter veggies. For a winter vegetable garden, it does help to locate it in maximum sun, but if you get some of your winter veggies started now while they still get sun, some vegetables such as carrots, peas, lettuce, radishes, most root vegetables in general that are cool season growers will perform okay even with less than full sun,(but of course more is always better). You might also find that things like Alpine Strawberries do okay in less than full sun. Get yourself a copy of the Sunset Western Garden Book for general info on what cool season crops are possible in your area; as you do get frost and potentially some ground fog in winter, this will also tend to make winter crops slower growing or more subject to frost damage than locations closer to the bay. You might also consider some perennial crops such as Artichokes, which can be planted to grow over the winter also. Good luck with your endeavor, and realize that besides the shade from your neighbor's pines, there might also be a lot of moisture stealing roots, and raised beds with added top soil will probably give you better results than planting directly in the ground where large tree roots will compete with the vegetables.
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Dry rootballs are often the result of textural differences between the soilless potting medium or claylike field soil the plants came from the nursery in and the soil on the new site. If the rest of the bed was moist with the heucheras only being dry then it was something like that - something involving the heucheras specifically - and not the overall conditions. This should have been apparent when these were dug and pulled apart(?) but heucheras specifically are prone to weevil larvae gnawing the roots off and leaving a sort of nearly rootless husk sitting on top of the ground, unable to keep itself turgid without diligent watering - and maybe not even then. The same thing is common here with primroses.
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Liatris, The main branch of the society is based in Bundaberg which is a bit closer to you than the Sunshine Coast is. We have meetings on the 2nd Sunday of the month (usually but can vary) and have held meetings so far from as far south as Howard to as far north as Gladstone. For interest meetings are held in members gardens and some public gardens. I will email you with the details of the next meeting if you like. Andrew.
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Hi Jan, Where do start ? :) I guess it comes down to your friends definition of 'tropical' - get him/her to show you photos from articles/web pages that appeal, and work from there. My own preference is to use a combination of natives and exotics, but it comes down to finding what works. The key is microclimate, and that means establishing effective barriers to sun and wind which dont completely block either (if that makes sense) - airflow through the garden is very important (as it is with any style of garden). Good soil is particularly important in a tropical garden - palms and other tropical plants are heavy feeders and do best in a deep, rich friable soil. We all know the deal here - lots of compost, gypsum for clay soils etc. The Sunny Coast is famous for the quality of its soil, so you should be on a winner there. Colin Campbell claims that it doesnt hold water terribly well, so the compost remains a good idea. My planting tip is to put in as many advanced palms as you can afford, as they will give the garden an established feel from the outset. From there its a case of choosing the underplantings, and that comes down to the usual practical and aesthetic criteria. Many tropical gardens have been built on a small palette of proven standards - cordylines, crotons, gingers, bromeliads and ferns - but the sky is generally the limit. Find out what works in your area and go with it - its easy to become fascinated with some of the more delicate tropicals, but old standbys like Tradescantia really earn their pay when conditions get tough. I've also had a lot of success with Diffenbachia and various Philodendrons - your mileage may differ. Layering plants, tallest at the back and smallest at the front (ok, ok .. ), is usually pretty straight-forward with tropical plants, and it will give you the best combination of privacy and shade. Jan, I suspect that you know a lot more about gardening than I do - tropical gardens are simply another form of cottage garden, IMO. As with any mixed planting, how you group your plants determines how effective the overall vision will be. Combining plant choice with effective placement is where it's at for mine - things like water features, follies (bridges/ornate doors etc) and statuary can usually come later. Good luck, Artie
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artiew
20 years ago
Hi Jan,

I have posted an extensive reply in the 'Tropical' forum. All I can add here is that Richard's suggestion re Aussie rainforest trees is a good one (I have a swathe of Lillipillies, Tulipwood, Backhousia etc), but palms remain a very cost effective means of getting some vertical cred into your garden quickly and are the quintessential tropical plant. Bamboo is more expensive and wont do a great deal for the first 12 months (ditto most things, admittedly), but its all up to personal choice.

Finally, with the exception of screening along boundaries, the Golden Cane palm is best left at Big W. Spend the money on Ptychosperma (Solitaire and MacArthur), Wodyetia (Foxtail) and Howea Forsteriana (Kentia) species : they will reward you many times over.

Cheers,

Artie
User
20 years ago
HI Jan If the garden is small steer clear of the big bamboo B.oldhamii and dont forget the frangipani, hibiscus, and bougainvillea and did anyone mention the crows nest fern and the sago palms Cycads. I agree with Artie dont buy Golden Cane palms or sheenas gold a shrub why anyone would want to plant these things is a mysterty to me.
User
20 years ago
Dare I butt in and ask what the aversion to Golden Cane palms is? I don't know much about palms and would love to know the answer.

Cheers,
Dee.
artiew
20 years ago
Hi Dee,

The golden cane suffers from the same malady as plants like Aspidistra and Oleander - its just too common. The plants themselves may have many of the characteristics that gardeners seek (hardy, reasonably attractive etc), but they are fairly uninspiring plants overall. I have several golden canes in my garden, including two that could best be described as 'gigantic', and they barely rate a second glance. I admire their toughness, and they are great screening plants, but I wouldnt put them in any position which would draw the eye.

Ultimately, its horses for course - my GF loves them and wont hear my objections. You will find them gamely holding on, alone and unloved, in backyards across Rocky (ditto Oleander), but I wont be planting any more : the tropical gardener simply has too many other great palms to choose from.

Cheers,

Artie
paradisi
20 years ago
hi jan_uk - welcome to paradise :-)

with that much land why not create a couple of tropical gardens?? one for australian natives, one for tropical/sub tropical fruits, one for shrubs one for bulbous thingies (canna, lilies etc) one for tropicals from around the world, one for palms.... get excited and get adventurous and enjoy.

get a digital camera and keep us all informed.

cheers - from another resident in paradise

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