A couple of varieties of plumeria are now in bloom, with lots of varieties that are budding.



Aztec Gold
DD's Fragrant Pink

One (new) tropical plant variety has now been placed at the base of three palms. I built boxes for them and they'll get their start in rich potting soil. These are climbing philodendrons. I purchased them at the Tropiflora Spring Festival a couple of weeks ago. That's a (white) crinum lily in the pot in the first photo. There are clusia, smaller crinum lilies, and several pots of colocasia esculenta in that second photo as well as the philodendron. I have never been a fan of those huge, invasive "elephant ear" plants, but these colosasia are clumping rather than running and they won't take over a landscape. They only max out around 2.5' tall so make good landscape plants and make nice potted plants too.

What do you think of my giraffe's knee plant, Patty, @Sarasotapatty? It was completely dormant and without a stem 2 wk. ago, and now look at her. It looks like I'll have lots of blooms too. My plant never bloomed last summer, so this will be a first.

Is this the start of a new business, Orchids & More Tropical Plants?

I only laugh because I've seen where you are trying to downsize.

Melissa, Ken was only trying to downsize his house, not his plant collection!!!

Ken, The Giraffe's Knee looks great...wait till that clump of leaves opens up, you'll be amazed! I think the blooms are a little boring, it's the stems and leaves I like! (psssst---they go dormant every winter!)

Did you get those crinum 'seeds' from me, Ken? I have that huge one along the driveway that put out LOTS of those liitle bulb-like 'seeds' if you need any!

It was SO nice to see you again, AND meet your family, at Tropiflora! Now you have to come over to 'harvest' my yard!

Haha- well I have to say that every photo of his plants look beautiful, and if it were me, I couldn't choose.

I always enjoy my visit with the kids and spending time with you and at Tropiflora was simply icing on the cake, Patty.

Yes, all my crinum lilies are those that I got at your house, mere seedlings then, but nice, large, healthy plants now. You can't tell it, but that crinum in the photo is about 3' tall and has a really thick base. I use five of those crinums out at the perimeter of our property, between the creek that is fed by overflow from our pond and the fenced pasture. I alternated these crinums with six white bird of paradise plants. In a year or so, I should have a nice border between my property and the pasture. Hopefully the cows won't eat my plants.

Melissa, I did indeed downsize, both in house and in plants. Between January and April, 2018, I sold or gifted well over 1000 plants. My plant total is a mere image of what I had a year ago. Perhaps the day will come when I will begin selling some plants again. Gosh, I have 200 plumeria and most of them really need good homes (off my property). Perhaps 'Tropical Plants & More' will once again live, but at a much lower level as before my move. I still have a knack for growing tropicals and unfortunately everything seems to grow for me. What was a single plant last summer has often become a dozen plants. I am cursed.

Hmm. Those don't sound like cow snacks, Ken. You can only hope they aren't toxic to cows, or you'll be hearing from your neighbor. As to being cursed...boo hoo! We should all have such problems.

LOL, in the right setting, and Ken surely has that, those two plants will grow so fast and so large the cows will be too scared to go near them. Think Audrey from the Little Shop........

There are a total of 11 plants, Alice. I simply lined that no-mans-land between my creek and the fence with them, spaced 10-12' apart. The (giant white) crinum lilies will get about 5' tall and those white bird of paradise will get 30' tall.

I sure don't know what affect munching on those plants would have when it comes to cows, Carol. Is any plant toxic to cows? They seem to much on everything that's growing in a field and even munch on the Australian Pines that form a wind-break between the two properties. But I was proactive. Not only did I put the plants 4-5' from the fence, I also created a (further) wire fencing by stringing plastic coated wire perpendicular to the barbed wire, from the top strand of barbed wire to the bottom strand and 3' wide. Perhaps, as the plants grow taller, the cows could reach some of those leaves by extending their heads over the top strand of barbed wire. A legally educated person would have to tell me what liability I have, growing plants on my property, but that cows could reach.

Ken, I had to give up on those asiaticas because they also spread wide, far wider than high in my experience. You have left plenty of room for them to spread out.

Alice, I believe that the clump that's in my front yard landscape were planted 7 yr. ago, when the original homeowner had all the beds re-planted. There is only this single clump and this is where I got my divisions from. That clump was only about 3' in diameter and I reduced it by about 1'. This is anything but an aggressive/invasive variety.

Interesting, perhaps they are not as aggressive further south. I have seen clumps 8' to 10' in diameter. Perhaps the previous owners, or their landscapers, were aggressive in keeping the clumps thinned.

Alice, I don't think we are talking about the same plant at all, or at least, not the same variety. I've been here for a full year and the clump isn't much larger than it was when we moved in. I've never grown this specific plant before and thus, can't tell you much of anything about it. All I can go by is my observation.

I wonder if it is just the good drainage in S. Florida, I had seen it in different growing conditions. Or, perhaps only the species is aggressive, there are probably newer and better behaved hybrids out there.

Don't know, Alice.

Ken, those crinums will get taller than 5 feet...mine are way over my son't head and he's 6 foot!

OK, Patty, I was simply going by memory of the height of the plant that I obtained the seedlings. They can grow to 20' if they want. Perhaps you don't understand how much 2.5 acres affords me in growing large plants. I've now planted about 15 white bird of paradise plants. Most landscapes might struggle with one. Believe me, I won't be cramped at all then they are mature plants. Some of those are potted and thus, I can control their growth. But 8 of them are in the ground, to grow as tall and as wide as they wish.

You really need to visit me and my property, Patty. You'll have a better understanding of just what I have here in Vero Beach.

Ken, I was just letting you know that you underestimated the size is all!

I understand how much growing space is involved in acreage...you have 5 times the size of MY yard! Not that I wouldn't love to come visit and see it myself, I just don't HAVE to to understand what you have! I think a 'wall' of white birds and the crinums is a great idea! I bet it will be beautiful when it fills in!

I hope the combination will look good, Patty. At this stage, it's all "experimental" for me. Maybe the cows won't mow them down. Actually, having that crinum grow larger than I thought is a good thing. Tall enough to be out of range of the cows, you know.

Are you done with your business for a while and can sit back and enjoy spring?

Aren't the crinums along or near the stream? They will love that, they can even grow in water. I don't think the cows will munch on them, all parts of the plant are toxic. Deer never bothered any of my crinums, I think most animals know instinctively what to stay away from. Dogs are not so smart but they have been so domesticated they have lost many of their inate instincts.