Backyard Jungles - Home Tiki Bars

F fatuhiva Member Melbourne Beach, FL Joined: Mar 25, 2002 Posts: 638	F fatuhiva Posted posted on Tue, Sep 30, 2008 12:33 PM Tikipaka- It looks like you certainly have the raw material needed for complete tiki landscaping :) Being able to grow elephant ears is a really good thing. Anything with huge leaves is a big plus. If were to take a crack at "tropicalizing" the landscaping for your tiki cabana, here is what I would do: I would start from the cabana and work my way out- the idea being to try and create an environment surrounding the cabana- so that once in your tiki environment, everything you see outside looks tropical. Perhaps you'd have to enter the cabana area from a path through some bamboo- the path could sortof spiral in towards the door a bit, so that once you hit the door- everywhere you look is jungly plants. I know there are many types of alocasia and colocasia that can overwinter there.. so that is one option. I'm sure there are also cool plants in local nurseries that even though they are adapted for your climate, have an odd or tropical look. Bamboo is great for creating a tropical effect, and also for screening to keep areas and environments seperate. In your climate, it may be that the only bamboo options are runners.. that is OK as long as they are properly contained underground before planting. There are websites that sell cold hardy bamboo and also containers for runners. It maybe be easier to just dig a big deep hole and then use mortar and cinderblocks to "wall in" the bamboo. In fact, if you did it that way, you could build an underground cinderblock "mote" so to speak- and the running bamboo would fill it in. -Using the technique you could create bamboo screens in any shape along the ground you needed. There is also at least one cold hardy banana that from what I've heard can get pretty big in northern climates. Here are some links that might be handy: COLD HARDY BAMBOOS http://www.bamboogarden.com/Hardy%20clumping.htm http://www.bamboogarden.com/Fargesia%20robusta.html http://www.bamboogarden.com/Phyllostachys%20aureosulcata%20'Spectabilis'.htm http://www.bambooworld.com RUNNER BAMBOO BARRIER http://www.bambooworld.com/bamboo%20rhizome%20barrier.htm ALOCASIA / COLOCASIA (be sure to check on cold hardiness for each particular variety) http://www.briansbotanicals.net/index2.html http://www.centralfloridafarms.com/alocasia.htm COLD HARDY (basjoo) BANANA http://www.bambooworld.com/hardy%20banana%20plant.htm http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1251/ http://www.banana-tree.com/Product_Detail~category~17~Product_ID~1243.cfm COLD HARDY PALMS http://www.bambooworld.com/hardy%20palm%20trees.htm GIANT RHUBARB Gunnera manicata http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/53097/ http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=&=&q=Gunnera+manicata+&btnG=Google+Search http://www.plantswap.net/forum/f3/need-info-gunnera-manicata-579/ [ Edited by: fatuhiva 2008-09-30 12:58 ]

Tikipaka-

It looks like you certainly have the raw material needed for complete tiki landscaping :)

Being able to grow elephant ears is a really good thing. Anything with huge leaves is a big plus.

If were to take a crack at "tropicalizing" the landscaping for your tiki cabana, here is what I would do:

I would start from the cabana and work my way out- the idea being to try and create an environment surrounding the cabana- so that once in your tiki environment, everything you see outside looks tropical.

Perhaps you'd have to enter the cabana area from a path through some bamboo- the path could sortof spiral in towards the door a bit, so that once you hit the door- everywhere you look is jungly plants.

I know there are many types of alocasia and colocasia that can overwinter there.. so that is one option.

I'm sure there are also cool plants in local nurseries that even though they are adapted for your climate, have an odd or tropical look.

Bamboo is great for creating a tropical effect, and also for screening to keep areas and environments seperate. In your climate, it may be that the only bamboo options are runners.. that is OK as long as they are properly contained underground before planting. There are websites that sell cold hardy bamboo and also containers for runners. It maybe be easier to just dig a big deep hole and then use mortar and cinderblocks to "wall in" the bamboo. In fact, if you did it that way, you could build an underground cinderblock "mote" so to speak- and the running bamboo would fill it in. -Using the technique you could create bamboo screens in any shape along the ground you needed.

There is also at least one cold hardy banana that from what I've heard can get pretty big in northern climates.

Here are some links that might be handy:

COLD HARDY BAMBOOS

http://www.bamboogarden.com/Hardy%20clumping.htm

http://www.bamboogarden.com/Fargesia%20robusta.html

http://www.bamboogarden.com/Phyllostachys%20aureosulcata%20'Spectabilis'.htm

http://www.bambooworld.com

RUNNER BAMBOO BARRIER

http://www.bambooworld.com/bamboo%20rhizome%20barrier.htm

ALOCASIA / COLOCASIA (be sure to check on cold hardiness for each particular variety)

http://www.briansbotanicals.net/index2.html

http://www.centralfloridafarms.com/alocasia.htm