I Have A Dream

[ScotTi]

After cutting the lawn in this area of the yard yesterday. I thought how much of a pain in the ash it is to go around the palm islands and color is needed here. I thought it would be a great idea to plant Crotons in drifts of a dozen or more of the same Crotons between these palm islands,this would put them out of the way of fallen fronds. I already have a dozen Gloriosum Superbum, easy and cheap to pickup Petras, Mammys and other more common ones. I would also leave planting areas for not so common Crotons. The area is basic dappled shade with a shot of sun as it sets to the west of the Lake. Frost is not a problem in this location of the garden. Your thoughts....?

 

[junglegal]

Go for it, think about how much of your life you'd get back with less lawn to maintain

 

[ScotTi]

On a rainy afternoon I came up with a look like this. Yeah the yellow,red and green are Crotons. A few Ti plants were also be added.

 

[koki]

Dare I say It's easy to catch the croton bug this time of year. You may ultimately be more satisfied creating color drifts by using hardier plants. Coonties, bromeliads, firecracker plant, crown of thorns, queen emma and other lilies. Then save a dozen or so prime locations along the path for select croton varieties.

Those NW winds blow cold in winter. I have been frustrated trying to establish crotons with that much exposure. I, however, am by no means an expert.

What a nice yard you have to work with!

 

[Moose]

In my opinion -

Lillies melt down in the winter like gingers, time consuming to clean up beds.

Crown of thorns, more thorns than color and full of thorns.

Coonties (Zamia sp.) great plants but not colorful for Scott's needs.

Bromeliads awesome plants. Their colors are of an intimate nature and would not be realized accross the lake. They also have teeth and need to get thinned out every other year.

Scott - I think you dream is an excellent one. The lake would provide high humidity and radiant heat in the winter. The crotons would acclimate to the sun and after about three years you would have some very robust hardy colorful plants.














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[Crazy for Crotons]

A mix of Broms and crotons would be great. Believe it or not, bromeliads can create a microclimate with all the standing water inside their centers.

 

[junglegal]

If that were true Ray, I wouldn't have lost 1/4 of my yard this winter

 

[Crazy for Crotons]

Aren't mosquitos and slightly higher humidity a microclimate? I never said temps LOL.

 

[Moose]

I think Bren's Skeeters were ice skating in her Bromeliads last January wearing little Green Bay Jackets. LOL

 

[junglegal]

Good one Ray & Ha ha Moose ya smart ass.

Many of my bromeliads melted believe it or not. And in defense of broms....those tiger mosquitoes which are the prevalent type now don't even need water to breed. They live in leaf litter, the grass EVERYWHERE. Little bass turds. Don't let skeeters deter you Scott

I grow many full sun varieties that I can share with you going forward if you want a little variety. The alcantarea and some of the larger Aechmeas have red/orange hues and/or blooms that would compliment the crotons that would be in a lot of sun. Most put off 2-3 pups per year and not a big deal to remove.

 

[junglegal]

Good one Ray & Ha ha Moose ya smart ass.

Many of my bromeliads melted believe it or not. And in defense of broms....those tiger mosquitoes which are the prevalent type now don't even need water to breed. They live in leaf litter, the grass EVERYWHERE. Little bass turds. Don't let skeeters deter you Scott

I grow many full sun varieties that I can share with you going forward if you want a little variety. The alcantarea and some of the larger Aechmeas have red/orange hues and/or blooms that would compliment the crotons that would be in a lot of sun. Most put off 2-3 pups per year and not a big deal to remove.

 

[Moose]

Scott - are you comng to Jeff's sale to "fill in the blanks"?

 

[ScotTi]

Scott - are you comng to Jeff's sale to "fill in the blanks"?

I am going to try very hard to go, but other plans had been made. I am trying to work it all out at this time.

 

[ScotTi]

Picked up a dozen Petras for this area. The pots have 4 plants in each pot. The plants themselves are around a foot tall. I know the growers plant more than 1 rooted cutting in a pot to give a fuller look and gives the look of a larger plant. The guestion I have for my purpose of large Croton color drifts should I separate to a single plant? That would give me 50 plants instead of 12.

 

[Moose]

Scott - You could but you would be tearing up their fine roots. There would be a re-establishment time period, its your call. Use 20-20-20 water soluble fertilizer weekly and hope we have a mild winter, we deserve one.

 

[ScotTi]

Ron, That was my fear for this late in the season. I will let them stay as they are. I really do not need 50 Petra Bushes, but it would look great from across the lake.

 

[junglegal]

Did you get them planted out Scott?

 

[ScotTi]

Bren, No planting yet, still making the planting plans. I want this area to make a color splash from the main yard. Trying to get the colors in the right spots and who looks good with who.

 

[Moose]

Scott, get r done. Favorable growing conditions will be gone before you know it. You could always reposition them next April to accomplish your overall dream plans. Just my opinion dude.

Whatever I get at Jeff's Sale is going into the ground pronto. At least to get a good root system going before the stresses of winter arrives.

 

[Crazy for Crotons]

6 more weeks of heat left although a cool front could slip in here at some point mid October. If it's warm enough to do a few air layers, it's warm enough to plant a few small, protectable things.

 

[ScotTi]

I am really thinking of waiting untill spring for the in ground planting. The plants collected so far will be pot planted in the upper garden for now. I remember last winter to well to do all this labor and have it wiped out in 3-4 months.

 

[Moose]

That is very valid reasoning Scott!

 

[palmisland]

Scott, If you're going to wait till spring, use the time to work some organics into your new beds. It'll give the microbes time establish themselves & the crotons will explode, plus it's good excercise!


Randy

 

[ScotTi]

The 3 players (around 30 plants) collected so far for this area. Petra, Gloriosum Superbum and Twist & Point.

 

[Moose]

All you need now is: Columbiana, General MacArthur, Irene Kingsley, Joe Friday, Jungle Queen, Commotion, Charles Rutherford, Lord Belhaven, Mrs. Snyder Disraeli, Magnificent, Pride of Winterhaven, Prince of Orange, Royal Flish, Sybil Griffin, Thomas Edison ...

 

[ScotTi]

All you need now is: Columbiana, General MacArthur, Irene Kingsley, Joe Friday, Jungle Queen, Commotion, Charles Rutherford, Lord Belhaven, Mrs. Snyder Disraeli, Magnificent, Pride of Winterhaven, Prince of Orange, Royal Flish, Sybil Griffin, Thomas Edison ...

Moose, Find me 10 of each and I will add them to this area of the garden. I may plant Magnificent as it is easy to find. My Magnificent has improved after being removed from a sunny location a few weeks ago.

 

[ScotTi]

I think a dozen Batik will do well in the Dream Garden.

 

[ScotTi]

This morning I was playing around with the potted plants collected so far and need ideas. Make each drifting bed one cultivar or mix it up some? Would you just random plant to distribute the colors garden wide or have each bed mirror from the center? Or?

 

[junglegal]

I like them mixed up and with different plants. I love crotons but large beds by themselves can look a little garish to me. I'd also stray from planting in straight lines. Besides petra, what will you be using because some will grow taller faster. Have you thought about perhaps extending your existing bed out vs. planting in the middle where the eye might be cut off from your existing beds?

You've already got a great eye for design so I'm sure it'll be stunning by this time next year. I walk around my yard fifty times until I plant anything and then half the time I get it wrong so take me with a grain of salt

 

[ScotTi]

Bren, My mistake, the Crotons are not being planted where you see them in the pic. I was trying to see who looks good with who so far. I am leaning towards mixed beds now. I think other plants are needed for contrast and texture. Here are a few ideas...

 

[ScotTi]

and....

 

[ScotTi]

a few more...

 

[junglegal]

IMO Nix nay asparagus fern, it never stayed that pretty and takes over. Alcanteria odorata, and imperialis rubra, some coonties, and other broms. The sanseveria may be nice too. I always forget about them. The lower growing are better behaved. Macho fern become a problem if they get too comfortable although they pull out easily but will outgrow the crotons and start to cover them.
The cardboard palms get quite large too. Big spread and will be 4' in height or more. Consider moses in the boat too. Non invasive here and the purple undersides would compliment all that yellow nicely.

 

[ScotTi]

Bren, That fern is the Foxtail form, and behaves well. The plants were here when the house was purchased. Plant size 1.5'tall x2' spread, I have not seen seedlings from them ever.

 

[junglegal]

Ah, better pic. I really like the form. I'll have to look out for this one then

 

[Moose]

Scott - is the mass planting going to happen in March? I know you have a ton of material waiting to get planted. Make sure you take pictures!!!

 

[Crotonologist]

This morning I was playing around with the potted plants collected so far and need ideas. Make each drifting bed one cultivar or mix it up some? Would you just random plant to distribute the colors garden wide or have each bed mirror from the center? Or?

If it was my yard, I would lay out the bed shapes and sizes first to accommodate the lawnmower and overall fit with the rest of the landscape...
I usually make the bed first and work on amending it, then figure out the plant layout last...
Plants can always be moved and re-arranged, but the bed layout is much harder to change after it is made.
Just my 2 cents

 

[ScotTi]

Scott - is the mass planting going to happen in March? I know you have a ton of material waiting to get planted. Make sure you take pictures!!!

Ron, All I am going to say is "some-times plans change". And it is going to be big.

 

[ScotTi]

Scott - is the mass planting going to happen in March? I know you have a ton of material waiting to get planted. Make sure you take pictures!!!

Ron, Here is a sample of the first plantings that went in this weekend.

 

[Jeff Searle]

Hi Scott,

It looks great! I see at least 6 different crotons and two cycads. What's the large cycad towards the back? And...you could name the crotons if you like.
Jeff