I was thinking how some plants I have could really do a good job of imitating veritable z11 plants. I can't grow Coconuts,but I can Archontophoenix. I cant grow Crotons...but I can Aphelandra. Ficus dammerops is way out of my price range..so Wigandia does the fake big leafed fig..and a bonus of blue flowers. And so forth. DO you ever look at some exotic and sort of imagine it as THAT ungrowable tropical?

Yep, you're much better off than someone in Chicago (LOL).

Hi Stan,


I have given up trying to grow seriously out-of-zone plants (except for some greenhouse fruit), because even if they grow, they just never look happy. This picture sums up my position:







This is not the tropics, this is a warm temperate climate (Lord Howe Island). It is the 'tropical island' look I like, not necessarily the plants. I'm much happier with rainforest-type mild temperate plants than say the dry sclerophyll forests of inland tropical Australia.


Another picture, this time from warm temperate Auckland. Everything in this picture is an easy grow in a near frost-free climate. I'd rather grow these plants than spend alot of time and money on things that will not look this good. Yes, I'm losing the 'edge'!

Well Auckland looks more subtropical then warm temperate to me! A warm temperate climate would be for example that of Rome or Wilmington in North Carolina. There you could not grow these palms.

Alexander

Hi Alexander,

Agreed, this picture "LOOKS" subtropical! But it's not. It's at latitude 38S, in an area that very rarely hits 30C, and can get some light frost in winter. Mean annual air temperature around 16C, similar to both Rome and Wilmington. The difference is Auckland has consistent rain all year around (unlike Rome), and mild temperatures year around (unlike Wilmington).

Palms in the second picture are Ceroxylon quindiuense, Euterpe edulis, Chamaedorea linearis in foreground, and probably Hedyscepe or Laccospadix in background (cant remember exactly), all coolish climate adapted palms.

Well, exactly...not sure what you're doing here, Bennz. Why be on the edge when you can have a garden that looks like that without being on the edge! (JK)