New growth in the garden after the hail storm

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The hail storm a couple of days ago really tore up the soft plants here at The Tropical Paradise! If you live in Phoenix, you know about the freak hail storm we had. Some of my friend's cars were dented! There was no damage to any other types of plants, but the hail really ripped holes in the cannas and elephant ears. The good news is that after they are cut back, they come back fast. In fact, the cannas are the "Tropicana" variety, and they look their best right after being cut back, when they are at their most vivid reddish color. It's good to cut them back severely several times a season. The beauty of these plants is the tropical leaves, not the bloom, which is just OK.

The spreading vine is ornamental sweet potato, which is now enjoying much more sunlight than before. Luckily, the weather has cooled down or it would be getting sunburned! This is the time of the year to start looking for bulbs re-sprouting. I have planted lots of daffodils, and they come back season after season. October is also the best time here for planting annual flowers here, so I may be tempted to plant a few.

The cycad in the upper right is a Zamia furfuracea, commonly called a "Cardboard Palm".

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