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Tropical Plants

Need to build out a tropical garden.

9 years ago

South Florida House, Just under 30,000 ft.² property. Looking to get some guesstimates on what it would cost to turn this into a lush tropical garden. Hi medium and low estimates would be appreciated. Also interested in collecting staghorn ferns. If you have any large varieties in South Florida and are considering selling them please let me know.

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Comments (4)

tropicbreezent
9 years ago
It is a bit of a "How long is a piece of string?" question. There's so many variables it's not an easy task. You'd have to know whether the existing soil is good or if top soil needs to be brought in. What sort of irrigation are you looking at? How much open space would you want left, how much devoted to garden? Do you want an "instant garden", ie large plants brought in? What types of plants do you want (some are very cheap, others very expensive)? Is there anything there already or is it a "clean slate"?

In actual fact, the cost could be virtually anything you decide it to be.
Oliver Kamm thanked tropicbreezent
garyfla_gw
9 years ago
Hi Would have to agree with tro[pic lol Be sure to do a LOT of research and planning unless you hire a landscaper . There are only two kinds of plants in florida . Those that sulk and those that devour the house lol

Most difficult are trees ,palms and vines they take up a lot of room require a lot of maintenence but are the backbone of any design so start there .

I've redone my grow area at least a dozen times over the years (Wrong plant in the wrong place ) The hurrricanes have helped me redesign it several times also lol gary
Oliver Kamm thanked garyfla_gw
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First of all, I'm not a landscaping pro or any type of expert, just a homeowner who likes maps and plans. So I'm wondering about the actual usable amount of space in your front yard. I see a distance of 24'6" (maybe 24'8"?) from the front of the lot to the corner of the window on the right. Is the front property line the location of the curb? Will there be a sidewalk along the street in front of the house? Will it be right along the street, or will there be a parking strip (grass area) between the street and sidewalk? One of the lines in the front yard is labelled "ACHD easement." That's your county's Highway Division. It's 8' from the front property line, so it's 16'6" from the front of the house. My county doesn't allow trees -- or even tallish shrubs -- in the easement, so ask before you plant. The other line -- 12' from the property line, so only 12' 6" from the corner of the window on the right -- is the utility easement. That's another area where planting large shrubs or trees might be restricted, if power lines/pipes are underground. And hopefully they won't put any unsightly boxes in front of the house. But in any case, there may be significantly less space in front of the house where you're free to landscape as you wish, than you expect. Boise's snowfall averages only 19" per year, but you might want to ask the neighbors how much of the street snow will be dumped in your yard.
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I second the Needle Palm and the Hedychium. Chilean Jasmine Vine ( a type of Mandevilla, white, fragrant, not Alice DuPont) is root-hardy here. The Swamp Hibiscus is like a tall, skinny red version of the Tropical Hibiscus that all are familiar with. Having lived in the tropics, I fondly remember several tropicals that had finely divided leaflets and provided a ferny look. I know the anti-invasive nazis will open a can of W-A on me for it, but Albizia julibrissin (commonly called Mimosa) looks just like Delonix and Jacaranda, common tropical shade trees, when not in bloom. And Mimosa blooms look much like the beautiful tropical Calliandra known as Powder Puff. One other off-beat plant for your tropical look: Poncirus trifoliata. It is not evergreen, but the exotic thorny stems are bright green all year. The leaves look obviously kinned to Citrus trees, even to the untrained eye. And the downy-skinned orange fruits look like small oranges. The scent the "oranges" put off each fall is one of my favorite of all natural plant fragrances. You can bring in a bowl-full to freshen the air for early winter entertaining. The big problem, as you know, with all these cool ideas is availability more so than hardiness. But I wouldn't use Sabals or Pindos around Atlanta. People are going to be sorry they zone-defied with those two one day soon. Windmill Palm is fine here but it is not near as pretty as the Needle Palm. I have never tried Gunnera but I have heard-tell they don't like Atlanta humidity. And I believe all the tree ferns are too tender. Eucalyptus (cinerea, I think) looks more Asian than tropical, and seems to survive or return from the roots each year.
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You doing a beardie or uro, I'm guessing? In any event, though I had to burst your bubble, you are best off: 1) Make VERY sure that extra humidity and moisture will not be a hazard to your lizard. Many of the arid dwellers are prone to fungal infections if their home is not kept very dry -- and water draining into the soil will not dry out quickly. 2) Go with fake plants -- seriously. Attempting to keep live plants in with a herp is not an easy thing. a) If you keep conditions sufficiently arid for the lizard, the plants will suffer/die because it will be far too dry for them unless you go with some of the cacti or succulents. b) Cacti present obvious safety hazards (spines and some contain poisons) and many succulents contain compounds to make them unpalatable to animals. c) Furthermore, giving plants the lighting they require for healthy growth is not easy (and in a vivarium is extremely problematic for cacti, many succulents and even other plants). Remember, just because the light seems bright enough for our eyes, that does not mean it is bright enough for the plants' needs. d) In addition to all this, herps are notorious for digging plants up, knocking them over, or crushing/breaking the plants as they sit on them or run over them. (For the latter, think of how quickly grass in a lawn gets matted down and killed off when people or dogs repeatedly walk over it. It does not take long.) Not trying to be a wet blanket, but while I understand your desire to design a neat, naturalistic set up, the reality is that it simply is not a practical idea.
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Jose, I think a staple gun would be your best bet. Also, since the bed is going to be sitting on concrete rather than soil, it will act more like a container. You won't get the wicking effect having it on soil would give you. As such, you may need to take a slightly different approach than just following the rules straight out of the sfg book. It should drain just fine without raising it though, if you are concerned about the drainage, you could always drill a few holes around the base. Don't let my words discourage you though, you will still be able to have a greatly successful garden, it just may take a slightly different approach than a standard raised bed on soil would. You may want to search the container gardening forum for advice from others growing in situations like yours. Good luck:) Mike
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steiconi
9 years ago
If you're looking to do it cheap, I would check Craigslist and Freecycle regularly for cheap plants and starts.

Cheap or not, join local garden groups. They can hook you up with plants, advice, contractors, and anything else you're likely to need.
Oliver Kamm thanked steiconi
In2florafauna
9 years ago
Did you plan on doing the work yourself? If so, a great advantage to being in south Florida, is the range of 'free' tropical plants available. By this, I mean plants such as bromeliads that beget more plants. If you have a neighbor growing them, there are always 'pups' you can separate from the parent plant and grow elsewhere! Bromeliads come in ground cover to large accent plant size and thrive in a yard with little to no irrigation. That is one way of so many to save money on a beautiful landscape. If you please, give us some more information about your needs, I'm sure you will get much advice. I guess, first, are you planning to do the work yourself? If so, you might measure each bed or planting area, describe exposure (sun, shade, east, west etc.) surrounding view, buildings etc., in order to determine size of plant or tree needed at maturity. Is there a view you want to block out, or highlight?

Level of maintenance! Will you be doing the maintenance or will you hire a service co.? You probably don't want to spend many a weekend cutting unruly plants back. So important! If you want to hire a landscaper, these are some good questions you can make sure are addressed when getting estimates.
Oliver Kamm thanked In2florafauna

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