I worked out how to do it. When the light was low late afternoon I took the photo with flash. I've done similar before. The background is too dark and the foreground (aerial roots) are lit up and stand out. The first isn't a particularly good photo but gets them in. They're from a Philo. lacerum. The philo grows up the tree trunk and at the right height it seems to settle in and develop into more of a 'clump' which then drops down the roots, in this case about 6 to 8 metre long roots. The climbing stems have few if any leaves and the roots tend to circle the tree trunk more than grow down it.

I'm on the opposite side of the bay where summers are warmer. On average right now every day is in the 75-80f with lows around 60f. S.F. famously cool summers tend to be 65f-70f with lows all summer in the mid to upper 50's. Today,80f in Hayward,65f for a HIGH temp in San Francisco. S.F. does Mork have one advantage- winters are a frost free 10b. I get only 10a winters. Some years for me are frost free,but not most..so far. Houston summers are more like the Central Valley in Northern California..near 100 all deep summer until September. Stockton to Sacramento to Red Bluff have blazingly hot summers..but low humidity.

I must say that folks, who have never lived in California have no idea how different the weather is there, than from that of Florida lets say, but I think folks are trying more of the exotic tropical fruits nowdays, though humidities can be low at times and winter temperatures sometimes chilly, and in some areas it's not unusual to have 50 degree + temperatures even in midsummer by morning , which aren't aways favored by the warmest loving tropicals or tropical fruit trees, but many plants are quite adaptable, and I love your collection, and the results so far, so best of luck and lots of tasty fruit in the future. I have to say looking back and having learned, what I now know about gingers for example, I was somewhat surprised to hear they're so common in California nowdays and do well there, despite the somewhat chilly weather at times, and my memory hasn't gotten so bad , that I don't recall seeing many gingers growing in my area of California in those days. It's just possible they may have just "caught on" in the past twenty years, so they're much more common now, and they may have been more common in my time there, had they been well known and popular as they are today, and equally as easy to grow even then. As warm as Florida is by some standards , even their cooler winter weather hasn't been to the liking of some of the real "hot" loving fruit trees, palms , and some other tropicals, and I'm going on mostly information I've read from different sources. I'd say also , it's not such a leap of faith in a zone 9-10 garden to think you can grow even the most "heat loving" of tropical plants, and should try growing them!! In my zone 5-6, it's only in my dreams or my house , where they'll never reach the size they need to produce fruit, should I even get them through our long, dim, and chilly winters indoors!!

Don To grow ornamental bananas in Queensland you need a special permit due to the possibility of them spreading disease. Pandanus on the other hand are fine to grow in Queensland as there is NO restrictions on them. Pandanus sanderi can be a bit hard to source but yes it has no spines on its leaves and it will grow in the subtropics. I grow a similar but smaller variety Pandanus baptistii (it is quite often confused with P. sanderi but is different). I know the variegated Crinum you are talking about and I have it growing here. I might be able give you a plant of it if you want. The Bali Agave is Furcraea foetida is available but can be expensive. I have a few of them growing in my garden. I wouldn't bother with the variegated Heliconia as it would be one of the Heliconia indica cultivars which don't do too well in the cooler subtropical zones. Andrew.