Thursday, December 20, 2012

Tropical Aspirations

While visiting a friend of mine, who is also an educator and a gardener, he showed me some  tropical plants he had been growing. Though the bananas are in the greenhouse, he has managed to plant some papaya and pineapple outside.


A banana tree growing in a greenhouse

A papaya tree in Tucson

Growing Pineapples in Tucson can be a bit risky.

I may take my chances in my gardening aspirations, but I don’t think I am ready to try growing tropical plants in a Zone 9 climate. I really think what my friend is doing is cool – though I personally have neither the time nor the desire to experiment with exotic tropical plants.

4 comments:

  1. I love the little pineapple growing...what fun to experiment...I would need a greenhouse heated to grow tropicals but it does sound like fun.

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  2. Most tropic are annuals here, but I do grow some tropical looking plants in my 7b-8a climate. Tropicana Canna Lily comes back reliably every year. I enjoyed my red banana plant enormously this year. It looks very tropical, and while it is dormant now, I am hopeful it will emerge from its blanket of mulch in the spring.

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  3. I'm also in Zone 9 and like your friend, I'm trying to grow ALL that stuff. My latest acquisition are male and female kiwi plants. We'll give you time. Eventually, the bug will bite.

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  4. Experimenting is like exploring... sometimes you find something wonderful and worthwhile. Kudos to those who do!

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