The tropical garden;

This is just one corner of the garden overshadowed by a huge Araucaria cunninghamia.

This garden looks practically after itself. From time to time some pruning and a little cleaning up is required. It is seldom watered,  only in a very dry spring, when the plants are starting to look very unhappy and stressed.

Costus barbatus, Spiral Ginger  hails from Costa Ricca, are spectacular and not fussy.

Erythrina crista-gallii,  a wonderful host tree for all sorts of ferns, orchids, Bromeliads and fungi, growing from seed lodged on the bark.

. We quickly blame animals or plants to do damage to the planet, or to a certain area, but we never blame ourselves. We seem to be above it to take blame, though we are the ones who do all the damage and manipulations on the planet and around it. We meddle deep into the earth, into the oceans and up to the stars and  always, always we leave a trail of garbage.  We may learn from animals and plants, but we should never ever try to manipulate them, with our  arrogant science and our never ending greed to try to make something better than nature does. In the bitter end we will find out how wrong it was to meddle into nature’s ways. Ts.

Harefoot fern;

Many differently marked  tropical foliage plants  thrive in cool, shady places. Most of them are very hardy and drought tolerant. Some may be a tad  invasive.

Philodendron and leatherleaf fern.

Flower

Giant Heliconia, Giant Lobster Claw, Heliconia Caribaea

Leaves  up to 3m

Plants like this need a lot of space.

Helicona rostrata

Tree ferns establish them selves from seed.






Bromeliads are really fool proof if planted at the right spot.




Maidenhair fern may look delicate but is tough as old boots.




Tall cane Begonia. likes shade and a little moisture,






Euphorbia millii, a beautiful plant with not many demands.

Euphorbia milii is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaciae, native to Madagascar. The species name commemorates Baron Milius, once Governor of Réunion, who introduced the species to France in 1821. W



Believe it or not;
In our garden in Switzerland we planted a Walnut tree, when we left it had already a nice size. the next owner cut the tree down, just to say Orwell regretted not to have planted a Walnut tree.


© Photos #mygarden/Text Ts Lavender & Vanilla

Some of my Salvias, growing and flowering in my garden, now.;

Wonderful plants, flowering for many month, easily propagated from cuttings or seed.

Pink Rosebud Salvia involucrata and Salvia Waverly.

In full flower now until spring when they will be pruned back radically.

Its sister Pink Icicle is just as pretty and attractive, also growing tall and waving its long arms around

 A Seedling discovered in Australia.

 S. Icicle together with  S. Black knight, going well together.

Salvia confertiflora,  a beautiful plant. Fairly tall growing to 1.3-2 m tall, is quite brittle. It is happy with some support from other plants to lean on. Its small iridescent orange flowers are held in velvety brownish calyxes, so very pretty. 

Salvia adenophora, here happily growing between Agapanthus.

Another tall, lanky Salvia from Mexico. I has clusters of beautiful red, somewhat  furry flowers from autumn to late spring. Its textured foliage is scented.cent. It grows to about 2 m  tall and can tolerate a part-shaded site. It also benefits from the support of other shrubs nearby.

Salvia hispanica, commonly known as chia, native to central and southern Mexico and Guatemala. 
  It is an annual and reseeds every year and  produces these pretty sky blue flowers. I let if flower where ever it is happy to do so.

Salvia Waverly produces from spring into autumn a haze of soft purple, with a little pruning in between to encourage new flowers.









Salvia leucantha




Salvia leucantha white flowers




Salvia Pink Velour












Salvia Anthony Parker







Salvia Peru blue, delightful blue flowers, heart shaped leaves and a benign creeping habit.









The very tall growing Salvia madrensis in full bloom for many month.




A well known tall  Salvia, Black Knight flowers on and on.




Here, growing  in a mixed border.




Salvia leucantha , white flowers.





Salvia Embers wishes, here growing from a cutting of the original plant.



Believe it or not:

Herb Lore
Objects containing caraway seed can not be stolen, including a husband with a few in his pocket!


©Photos #mygarden Lavender &Vanilla Ts