Tropical Plants

Beth Gallagher

Beth Gallagher

Well-known member
I have always enjoyed having house plants both inside the house and outside on the patio. I think they add a lot to a home and they are relatively easy to care for.

I have several really large tropicals in heavy clay pots that are a challenge when freezing temps hit each winter. We have used a furniture dolly, my garden wagon, and any other method of moving the big plants into the garage but it's just too much for us anymore. Those things are heavy and have to go all the way around the house to get to the garage.

So I bought each large planter a roller base so I can roll the plants around on the patio. I also ordered an 8x8' walk-in "portable" greenhouse with the plan of putting the temporary greenhouse on the covered patio, then rolling all the big plants into the greenhouse and use a small tent heater to keep them from freezing. This is the "popup" greenhouse image from the Amazon website...

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That looks like a great idea, @Beth Gallagher ! A few years ago, we had 2 lemon trees that we were bringing inside for the winter, but they eventually just got too large to bring into the house, and they didn’t make it though the cold season outside here. That little pop up greenhouse should be perfect on your patio and keep the plants warm enough with the heater, and you have fairly warm winters down there most of the time, anyway.
 
Beth Gallagher said:
I have always enjoyed having house plants both inside the house and outside on the patio. I think they add a lot to a home and they are relatively easy to care for.

I have several really large tropicals in heavy clay pots that are a challenge when freezing temps hit each winter. We have used a furniture dolly, my garden wagon, and any other method of moving the big plants into the garage but it's just too much for us anymore. Those things are heavy and have to go all the way around the house to get to the garage.

So I bought each large planter a roller base so I can roll the plants around on the patio. I also ordered an 8x8' walk-in "portable" greenhouse with the plan of putting the temporary greenhouse on the covered patio, then rolling all the big plants into the greenhouse and use a small tent heater to keep them from freezing. This is the "popup" greenhouse image from the Amazon website...

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As long as you don't get strong winds while relying on the house to keep the plants safe. One daughter in Washington lost a heavy polycarbonate with a large metal frame that was staked down to strong winds. It should all work well under normal conditions though.
 
I have tried lemon trees several times, and they have died after a year or two. I think the humidity is too low in winter. It is 16% now, so it is something of a desert environment. I have to rig up some kind of humidifier before I try again.
 
My daughter brought me a plumaria start from their last trip to Hawaii. It looks like a twig in a plastic bag, and the directions say to just stick the cut side down in potting soil and sit it in full sun. So, that's what I did. It's been out there about a week and nothing happening yet. 🌿 :rolleyes:

Last time they went she brought me an hibiscus twig that was a dud. I'm going to tell her to bring me a t-shirt next time.
 
John Brunner said:
Back in my old place, my living room looked like a jungle. My favorite place to be was my local nursery. I always walked out with a new plant.
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Between my "inside" tropical plants and the Aerogardens, I have a jungle thing going on, too. When my niece was here to buy our motorhome, she commented on my "artificial" plants and I told her they are all real. She was astonished.
 
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Beth Gallagher said:
Between my "inside" tropical plants and the Aerogardens, I have a jungle thing going on, too. When my niece was here to buy our motorhome, she commented on my "artificial" plants and I told her they are all real. She was astonished.
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One chilly evening heading into winter I walked out to my car and found a praying mantis on its way to freezing to death. I brought it inside and let it free range in my living room jungle. I'd be watching TV and it would buzz across the room from plant to plant. I bought feeder crickets at the pet store, "disabled" them so they could not get loose in the house, and place them in front of him/her. I also had shallow water dishes strategically placed. Then one day it was gone. Either natural causes or Death by Feline, I'm not sure which.
 
Beth Gallagher said:
Between my "inside" tropical plants and the Aerogardens, I have a jungle thing going on, too. When my niece was here to buy our motorhome, she commented on my "artificial" plants and I told her they are all real. She was astonished.
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I and my daughter raise a lot of plants. I raised some plumerias from seed hoping for them to be red or pink (In Wisconsin). Nope. After 5 years one had one bloom and it was white. When a branch would break off, I just stuck it in the ground. Ended up giving them all away.
My favorite was a six foot tall angel's trumpet (yellow) that lived under a small basement south window and thrived. Had it for 15 years. But when we moved to this house and gave it an expansive south bay window in the dining room, it became infested with all sorts of bugs and died. :(
I don't do exotics so much any more. More seed starts for veggies. Although we have a weeping fig that my hubby got from neighbor's garbage years ago. It is eight feet tall (we have vaulted ceilings in the dining/living room) that I have to prune it. Hubby won't let me put it back to the curb.
 
Beth Gallagher said:
My daughter brought me a plumaria start from their last trip to Hawaii. It looks like a twig in a plastic bag, and the directions say to just stick the cut side down in potting soil and sit it in full sun. So, that's what I did. It's been out there about a week and nothing happening yet. 🌿 :rolleyes:

Last time they went she brought me an hibiscus twig that was a dud. I'm going to tell her to bring me a t-shirt next time.
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The plumaria was a gigantic dud. It actually rotted to a goo so no plumaria for me.
 
We have been working on getting stuff shaped up in the backyard and on the patio. I have two good-size tropical plants that are taller than me that need repotting, so we picked up some potting soil at the garden center earlier. We'll probably tackle those tomorrow since we have run out of steam for today.

In past years, we have had a terrible problem with squirrels digging in my patio plants to bury their winter nuts. They dig the soil out and make a big mess all over the patio. :mad: So last summer I had the bright idea to put volvanic rock on top of the soil in the pots, effectively covering all the top of the soil. Well, this WORKED. Not a single peanut was buried in my tropical plants last year and NO digging mess.

An added bonus is that the rock adds a little weight to the pot and helps keep it from tipping over in high winds. We have really windy spring weather and I often find big plants turned over out there. So if you have potted plants that squirrels like to dig in, get yourself a bag o'rocks. :D
 
When I quit drinking I treated myself to a Club Med vacation on the island of Martinique. (It is half French/half Dutch, and I was on the French side during Bastille Day. THAT was an experience.) I paid extra for a hike through the tropical rain forest. It's crazy seeing house plants in their natural habitat. Bromeliads are beautiful in the wild. I wish I had pics I could find, but this was in the days before digital cameras.
 
Beth Gallagher said:
Between my "inside" tropical plants and the Aerogardens, I have a jungle thing going on, too. When my niece was here to buy our motorhome, she commented on my "artificial" plants and I told her they are all real. She was astonished.
Click to expand...
For some reason, I had a green thumb for things that were supposed to be difficult to keep alive, and failed at the basic stuff (weeping fig, rubber tree.) I don't have any plants now, but keep thinking of getting a prayer plant at my friend's greenhouse. He has some nice, healthy large ones. They're fascinating.
 
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