Slow Transformation

[KDubU]

Since we moved here three months ago, I have been actively transforming a weedy front yard to a tropical landscape with focus more on the jungle look. Here are some updates with pics. I am covering all the grass with mulch 6-10” worth and have had planted some large palms and planted some smaller ones myself. Being in 9a, my choices are good but not as good as others. I am open to suggestions on any tropical plants, shrubs, flower suggestion as well. 
 

[realarch]

Keep at it, your hard work will pay off. Hopefully some of the palmophiles who live in your zone will chime in on what will thrive and what is possible to grow.

Tim

[Merlyn]

Very nice!  Look into Arenga Engleri for a cold hardy pinnate palm.  They can get moderate burn in the low 20s and are a good full sun or part shade clustering palm.  Another good 9a palm is Allagoptera Arenaria, supposed to be hardy to around 23F and will survive 19-20F with severe damage.  It's a very slow grower but is a really unique tropical curly-que kind of palm.  Silver Bismarck are fairly hardy, but maybe not below 23F.  Rhapis Excelsa is supposed to be ok for 20F.  I have several of all of these in the ground.

[WaianaeCrider]

I'm no expert on grass, but won't it grow through the mulch?  I have NO  lawn anywhere at my place.  Just a water eater.

[Kailua_Krish]

In 9a if you really want the jungle look you have to get some canopy like live oak. This will allow you to grow many cold sensitive things.

All of the choices mentioned by Merlyn are good I would add make sure to put in BxPj if you can find them (they look very nice, the leaves of mine are more relaxed than a mule and not as stiff as JxS). Other good choices are the livistonas. In the sun L decora looks really nice and is much better than washingtonia (use L nitida if you want that look). In the shade make sure to cluster L chiniensis and saribus (green form) as they get huge round leaves that look very tropical.

Backbone understory plants that are useful in 9a for the tropical feel are the green form of shell ginger (most winters are evergreen), Philodendron bipinnatifidum/selloum, Cham microspadix, and white BOP. These all cluster and add green visual barrier that really gives you the feel of the tropics. Most of these are frost sensitive so do better under canopy.

Doing all this I can tell you my yard in Central Fl 9a looks more like Bali then does my yard in a dry beach area of Hawaii. 

[KDubU]

Thanks everyone! Appreciate the feedback.

@Merlyn I have viewed a number of your posts/responses and really like what you have done and planted. I planted Chamaedorea microspadix based on some pics you shared in another post (at least I believe that was they type of bamboo palm you have). Also d Rhapis excelsa albeit only one of each as I wanted to see how good the quality was from the vendor. Also had a couple Arenga Engleri planted on the side yard with some multi-stemmed Livistona chinensis to help fill in an area I cleared out. Planted some bamboo there as well and that area is already getting close to jungle stage.

@WaianaeCrider I am going the “layering” technique with cardboard over the grass first and then mulch. There is debate out there whether just 8-10” of mulch will do it alone but I have my doubts what with this FL “grass”.

@krishnaraoji88 thanks for all this. I do have live oak and pine canopy although the latter is so tall that they won’t provide that much cover. BxPj I had to lookup as these Latin names still have me lost and an acronym early in the morning threw me for a loop. I have found a possible vendor and had stumbled on this one before but forgot. Hopefully I can be successful getting me one. L decora is definitely on my list and I had planned to plant one but opted out due to $$, it was not a small one. Perhaps I will buy it for install in March. Once we have some consistent warm weather, the plan is get some ginger  and other “undercanopy” plants. Got another few weeks before we are out of the cooler night snaps.

 

Edited January 31, 2021 by KDubU

[Merlyn]

I like Livistona Chinensis too, the big wide fans say "tropical" to me!  I have 11 Chinensis around the yard in 4 different spots. 

For the grass, a Glyphosate spray will kill back anything that tries to grow through.  I put 2 inches of mulch over the grass on the NE side of my yard, about a 20' x 50' area.  I had to spray it with regular strength glyphosate once, and then do a few spot touchup to kill a few clumps I had missed.  The only problem I had was weeds popping back through the mulch, but I *think* over the summer I got that under control.

Another tropical option is clumping bamboo.  I see you have one there already, possibly a Bambusa Textilis type.  There are a bunch of Bambusa hardy to about 15-21F.  Good options are Chungii, Eutuldoides Viridi-Vittatta (Asian Lemon), Maligensis (Seabreeze), Tuldoides "Swollen Internode" (a bigger, hardier "Buddha Belly" type), Cornigara (Ox Horn), Oldhamii, any of the Multiplex types, Ventricosa, and any of the Textilis types.  If you want sound damping (highway or neighbor noise) the super dense Seabreeze is a good choice.  Asian Lemon and Seabreeze are my fastest growers, followed by Dendrocalamus Hamiltonii.  I think the Hamiltonii would defoliate below 25F, so maybe not a good choice.  Another cold hardy option if you want an impenetrable mass is Bambusa Dissimulator "Dragon's Nest."  

One thing to keep in mind on bamboo is that the "big timber" types tend to have no low branches once they are mature clumps.  That's great if you want to see the culms, like with Chungii, Kanapaha or Oldhamii.  But if you are using it as a privacy barrier they may have no branches below about 10-15' in the air!  That's really cool if you want to line a walkway or grove in an area, but there's not much sight blocking or noise blocking.  Also keep in mind a "drop zone" for old culms, since you do need to prune them after a few years of growth.  A 50' tall culm isn't insanely heavy, but it is 50' tall! 

[KDubU]

I currently have 8 different types of bamboo planted already . Only two are the “runner” variety and the rest are all clumpers. The two runners I have in a bit of an open area with barriers already in the ground for them. Thanks for the info on the Seabreeze as I have some Graceful currently lining the road but may add a second row.

[OC2Texaspalmlvr]

18 hours ago, Merlyn said:

Very nice!  Look into Arenga Engleri for a cold hardy pinnate palm.  They can get moderate burn in the low 20s and are a good full sun or part shade clustering palm.  Another good 9a palm is Allagoptera Arenaria, supposed to be hardy to around 23F and will survive 19-20F with severe damage.  It's a very slow grower but is a really unique tropical curly-que kind of palm.  Silver Bismarck are fairly hardy, but maybe not below 23F.  Rhapis Excelsa is supposed to be ok for 20F.  I have several of all of these in the ground.

Your absolutely right on all these choices , I would add C.Radicalis too.

My A.Arenaria saw 20°F freezing rain with zero leaf burn with no protection this has been the most trouble free palm in my collection.