My Backyard: Crinum, Tabebuia, and Tibouchina

-  "Queen Emma" crinum is sick!
-  False Cardamom ginger is lusher than ever
-  My entada gigas sea bean is growing fast!
-  Tibouchina, heliconia and hidden ginger are blooming
-  Tabebuia branches are drooping
-  Morning Glory vine is taking over!

I need your help!  My "Queen Emma" crinum is looking like its infested with spider mites, but I figure its unlikely since its out in the open where it gets dew and rain.  Kimberly from Cannas and Bananas had the same issue herself earlier, and hopefully its been resolved.  Has anyone else had this issue?

Oh yeah, and today's pictures are with my cell phone since the good camera was unavailable.  Well on the bright side, my other plants are all lush and green, especially my alpinia nutans, or false cardamom ginger.  Isn't it beautiful?  Just as a reminder, this was one of my toughest tropicals in this fiercest of winters, only getting frostburned on its outer leaves.  I can't recommend it enough, but maybe its time to do a plant profile on it... stay tuned!

To the left of the false cardamom ginger is my beloved everglades palm, and like the ginger it prefers a nice moist spot.  Behind those, my "bolero" ti plant is starting to get some nice color now that its adapted to the sun.  I acquired it after the worst to the cold this winter, so hopefully it proves to be hardy enough.  Still to the right of that is my entada gigas that I started from a lucky sea bean!

The newer growth of entada gigas is lighter green, and the older growth remains dark green and glossy.  I'm not sure if chartreuse is its natural color or if it needs more fertilizer... but doesn't it look cool in front of the purple "red sister" ti plant?  The variegated shell gingers at the base of the ti provide nice contrast too, but they have been a little slow this year, since the rains have too little and too late.  However, another ginger is thriving...

Curcuma Petiolata, or hidden ginger, is in full bloom!  I have found about three inflorescences around the yard, but this plant has the prettiest one.  Its growing in full and blazing sun, but its in constantly moist soil and the other plantings help to cool the root zone.  These gingers grow like weeds in my garden, and even though I shared what I thought was 1/3 of my plants with a friend, I have three times as many as last year.
The image to the left is of a neglected plant that accidentally traveled to the driest part of my garden two years ago along with my radicalis palms.  I wouldn't say its thriving, but for it to bloom under the rain forbidding eaves of the house is pretty neat.

I still can't believe I have heliconias like this in my garden.

See how some of the leaves are getting as tall as the weeping bottlebrush behind it?  This is one fast grower, especially considering it started out as a three gallon container in early winter.  The plant at the very bottom is "kiwi" ti plant.

What a jungly mess!  The plant in the foreground is weeping yaupon holly, and the bush behind it is a tibouchina or princess flower, seen blooming in the photo to the left.  The tall tree is the tabebuia chrysotricha, and its branches have started to hang down low under their own weight, lending a messy look for the time being, especially with the rampant morning glory and moonflower growing behind it!  My mom likes those morning glory vines, so I'll let them grow for a while.

Its hard to tell where the tabebuia ends and the undergrowth begins!  Even though the tree looks untidy for now, this is supposedly its natural growth habit, and the low horizontal branches will be perfect for bromeliads when the tree matures.  Also, the wider the tree is, the more shade it provides!  I've always been a fan of trees with character, and this tab promises to be one special specimen tree!

Related Posts:

Jungle Journal: The Vines
Heliconia Hirsuta "Costa Flores"
Heliconia, Passionflower and Gloriosa Lily Blooming!