The area by the dining room window is *prime real estate* for my tropical plants. This area gets good afternoon shade from the house (this is morning sun that you are seeing) and excellent coverage from the water sprayers and misters. This area has evolved and expanded from the first planting in 1995 of the dwarf date palm (
Phoenix roebellini) at left, which now has about six feet of clear trunk. Behind it are Elephant Ears (
colocasia) which were planted as tiny bulbs taken from a friend's garden in Los Angeles. They like it here! The little cycad is a zamia (coontie), which does well in this area as it likes a lot of water, unlike most cycads. In front of it are ordinary begonias, which I planted last winter, and are doing well. To its right is an African Mask plant (
Alocasia amazonia) which is an experiment for this year. I was encouraged to try it as the Elephant Ears are doing so well in this area, which is fairly shady and consistently wet. Directly at the tip is a coleus, specifically Dipt in Wine, which I planted just a couple of days ago. In front of it is natal plum, boxwood beauty, which has been there for years. It is very slow growing, requires no pruning, and keeps a nice tight shape. Behind it are the leaves of a hyacinth, which bloomed in late winter, and is now dying back. The orange flowers are freesia, which are finishing up their bloom cycle, which started in late March.
The palm tree is a cross between a
Phoenix rupicola and a
Phoenix reclinata. They came from a grower here in Phoenix but are not sold in nurseries. If you would like one,
contact me and I'll give you the number of the grower, who is in south Phoenix. The tiny cycad that is growing up through the ground cover, which is
ajuga reptans, is an unidentified cycas. Behind, and to the right of the palm tree is another cycad, a
dioon spinulosum. I bought this many years ago at a nursery down in south Phoenix, and I understand that you can find them sometimes around, but I don't see them very often. Very common, and fairly inexpensive, in Los Angeles.
Behind it are
Canna Tropicanna, which are grown for their beautiful foliage. I've seen these for sale around town at Home Depot, or anywhere here in the Phoenix area. Give them a lot of fertilizer and a lot of water and cut down the old stalks often.
Update 4/20/2012. Here is a nice shot of the crown of the
Phoenix roebellini against the blue Arizona sky. The tree is about eight feet tall with about six feet of trunk. I've seen them here in Arizona get to twelve feet, maybe a little taller in California
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