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OUR TROPICAL GARDEN

 

Click below to see our garden plants alphabetically listed by common name.
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L page

LANDSCAPING -- INSIDE AND OUT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
LANDSCAPING ON A SLOPE
 
LANDSCAPING WITH PATHS
 

LANDSCAPING IN A DRY CLIMATE
 

LANDSCAPING IN A SMALL GARDEN
 

LANDSCAPING WITH TROPICALS
 

**Lantana Flowering Bush Lantana camara
Not a spectacular flowering bush, but as a hummingbird attractant lantana is terrific. Like so many other plants in a hot weather or tropical garden, the lantana is poisonous. The colors of its flowers range from pink lavender and white through to yellow and orange.
From: It originated in the West Indies.
Photographed: At the Hotel Atitlan on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
Planting and Growth: It grows best in full sun, tolerates dry conditions and appreciates fertilizer.
Text and Photographs Copyrighted ©KO 2008/2010
 
 
**Leather Leaf Fern See The "F" Page -- FERNS
 

**Leeks Allium Ampeloprasum Porrum
Photographed: At our home in Montserrat.
Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2008

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

**Lemon grass Cymbopogon citratus
We were given a slip of this plant from a neighbor a few months ago. Its appearance is that of a weedy grayish green grass about twenty inches high. It now has a home in our herb garden and is doing very well.
Photographed: In our herb garden at our home in Montserrat.
Planting and Growth: It prefers full sun and regular rain or watering.
From: India
Benefits: Aside from being a regular ingredient in Thai cooking, it makes a lovely tea. It also may serve as a non-toxic mosquito repellant.
Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2008

Click here to see the lovely lemon grass growing in our herb garden.
 
**Leopard Lily See the "B" Page -- Blackberry Lily
 
**Lettuce Lactuca sativa
Benefits: High source of silica.
Photographed: In our Mahogany garden at our home in Montserrat.
Planting and Care: Lettuce likes a well drained soil with lots of organic matter, but it will do fine with less if it has adequate moisture and fertilizer. In Montserrat set out small lettuce in a well worked garden and bathe them DAILY in Miracle Grow for the first two or three weeks. NO KIDDING!!!! After that surround them with 12/24/12. Keep them well watered and you'll enjoy lots of salad. In Montserrat bugs have not been a special problem with lettuce (I am knocking wood as I write this). Surprisingly, we do have aphids, but they seem to attack only our very young celery stalks and leaves. So far we haven't had any noticeable diseases. No doubt that will happen next year.
Tropical Climate Varieties: Great Lakes, Mignonette, Salad Bowl or Lakeland. Here in Montserrat the Department of Agriculture sells flats of a variety called Empire. It is relatively good when it works, but it takes a lot of care and bolts too readily to make it a viable commercially grown lettuce in a Caribbean environment. We've recommended that they try Lakeland a variety most typically grown in Tobago. There the lettuce is wonderful; it has a good flavor, great texture and it survives the heat! We even had friends send us seeds from Tobago for us to plant in Taxco, Mexico, because the lettuce was just so good!
Text & Photo Copyrighted ©KO 2007
 
Life Plant See the "K" Page -- KALANCHOE -- Donkey's Ears
 
Lignum Vitae Guaiacum sanctum
This is a relatively small tree growing to be at maturity only about thirty feet tall. Its real asset in the garden is that when it flowers it is spectacular! Plant it where its one inch blue flowers will maximize the show. A native of the Caribbean, this was one of the small trees offered in the Montserrat Department of Agriculture's annual almost free tree give-away. We didn't know what it was and so came away without one. We'll soon change that.
Planting and Care: Like the cordia tree, the lignum is a true friend to tropical gardeners. It loves the rain, but it will tolerate a long dry season, and it will grow happily in the sun or in a semi shady area. It does not grow too fast and will normally bloom in the spring.
Text Copyrighted ©KO 2008
 
Limestone or Lime
Calcium or magnesium ground from limestone rock is normally used in agriculture to "sweeten" soil or make it less acidic. In olden days people actually tasted their soil to see if it were sweet or acid. Then they added to the soil what they believed necessary to correct the pH.
These days the most common way to sweeten soil is to add agricultural lime or ground limestone, though wood ashes are said to work as well. There are two other types of lime: burnt lime also known as quick lime can be used in the garden, but it is very active and can burn plants. Hydrated lime or slaked lime can also be used, but is rarely used because it is extremely caustic.
Note: In Montserrat there is no available ground limestone or what is known as agricultural lime. And, the soil is extremely acidic due to the many layers of volcanic ash that have been deposited over the last decade and to the frequent acid rain that falls when the Soufriere Volcano's sulfuric dioxide emissions flow north over the island and over the area in which we live and combine with a rainstorm. Unfortunately this is not an unusual event. The Agriculture Department has invested in many signs around the island with such advisories as, "Eat from the land, not from the can." They highly recommend backyard gardens, but sadly have none of the equipment to lend or agricultural materials to sell that would see their recommendations come to fruition in productive backyard gardens. As of now you can eat from a can or go hungry.
Hydrated lime is indeed a dangerous material and contact with it should be avoided if at all possible.
 For More Information: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/cabarrus/staff/dgoforth/limefaq.html#L7
Text Copyrighted ©KO 2008
 

**Lime Tree, Key Lime Citrus aurantifolia (L.)
We developed a real fondness for the fruit from this twenty to thirty foot lime tree while living in Taxco, Mexico; it is not bitter like American lime juice yet it is more tart. Lime oil is extracted from the rind of these fruits and the Caribbean island of Montserrat was once famous for the exportation of lime oil produced from its many lime tree plantations. You are probably familiar with the brand, “Roses Lime” whose juice originated in Montserrat.

A century ago, Montserrat lime juice was carried on British ships to prevent scurvy engendering the nickname “Limey,” but the island's orchards were severely damaged by disease in the 19th century and lime trees were never replanted for commercial purposes. Even today lime trees in Montserrat are very subject to what is locally called “die back disease” which starts at the top of the tree and works its way down, eventually killing the tree.
From: Originating in India and Malaysia, this lime is now found almost all of the year round warm climate countries in the world.
Photographed: Just by our wall garden at our home in Montserrat.
Planting and Care: This relatively small tree prefers to grow in full sun and grown from seed will take from eight to ten years to bloom and fruit. We are still waiting, but have only a year or so to go. Wish us luck.
Here in the Caribbean we have been told by locals to use routine watering with human urine to reduce the negative affects of ants on these wonderful trees. We have heeded the advice and our Mexican lime is now about twelve feet tall. It has yet to produce fruit, but we are now at the nine year stage and ever hopeful.
Recipe:
 “Limesicles”
Mix ½ cup of freshly squeezed lime juice, 1 cup of water, and 1 cup of sugar. Heat just until the sugar dissolves then cool and refrigerate. When cold, stir briskly and pour into small plastic cups with popsicle sticks. Freeze.
Text Copyrighted ©KO 2008
 
 
 

LINKS and REFERENCES FOR TROPICAL GARDENING

Books on Tropical Plants and Tropical Gardening

Anderson, Frederick O. How to Grow Herbs For Gourmet Cooking, Meridith Press, New York, 1967.

Honychurch, Penelope N. Caribbean Wild Plants & Their Uses, MacMillan Education Ltd, London, 1986.

Stresau F.A.S.L.A., Frederic B., Florida, My Eden, Florida Classics Library, Port Salerno, Florida 33492-1657, 1986.

Bromeliads

http://www.centralcoastbroms.com/plantslinks.asp
This is a good non-commercial site for folks especially interested in bromeliads.

Bulbs

http://www.easytogrowbulbs.com/index.asp
As the name implies this is a good site for bulbs, tubers and corms, etc.

http://www.bloomingbulb.com/
The name says it all for this commercial site.

Cactus and Succulents

http://www.desert-tropicals.com/index.html
This is a pretty good non commercial site where you will find lots of information on all sorts of cactus and succulents.

Ferns

http://www.srtrop.com/index_hm.htm
This is a page on the indoor care requirements of many of the ferns we have growing outside in our garden.

Fruit Trees and Plants

http://www.crfg.org/index.html
This is the website for the California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc. It is an excellent source of information on any and all fruit trees and fruiting plants you may be interested in growing.

http://www.tntisland.com/fruits.html
This is a lovely site with beautiful photographs of well-known and exotic fruits.

Good Gardening Practices

http://www.tropicalpermaculture.com/
This is a good site for lots of information on growing specific types of plants, but more importantly it a good site for looking at your land and gardens in a new way. Even if you live in an apartment, but have a balcony or terrace this is a good site to take a look at.

Herb Gardening

http://www.growingherbs.org.uk/
 This is a commercial site with lots of advertising, but it has some useful information as well.

Natural Pesticides and More

Oisat.org/home.html
In their own words this is an "Online Information Service for Non-Chemical Pest Management in the Tropics." This may be one of the best sites I've found to help in managing our unwanted garden visitors.

http://www.ghorganics.com/
This is a good reference site for organic solutions to plant diseases.

Orchids

http://www.orchids.org
This is an amusing site which will take you some time to figure out, but I think it probably has a lot of good information tucked into a lot of confusion.

Parasitic Plants

http://www.parasiticplants.siu.edu/index.html
This is a peculiar site, but academically based and amusing as well as interesting. If you are interested in parasitic plants take a look below at the Love Vine.

Seed, Plant and Tree Companies

http://almostedenplants.com
This is a pretty good site for interesting plants. The photography allows you to really see what you are looking at which is a real plus.

http://www.jacksonandperkins.com/gardening/GP/gatepage/SiteMap
This is a good site for the spring catalog of seeds and plants available from this company.

Stokes.com
 Recommended for vegetable seeds.

Thompson Morgan.com
Recommended for all types of seeds.

http://www.plantoasis.com/
This is a good site for houseplants, many of which grow outside in a tropical climate.

http://www.TroysTropics.com
This is the web site of a plant supplier in Sarasota, Florida. It has good photographs and helped me identify several of my unknown plants.

Tomatoes

http://www.alltomato.com/
This is a great site with more information than you ever wanted on how to grow tomatoes.

Tropical Plants, Seeds and Trees

SouthernTropicals.com
This is a good site for photos to help you identify what you have growing and to see and buy what you might like to have growing.

TopTropicals.com
This is a great site for photographs to help you identify what you have growing and to see and buy what you might like to have growing. They provide lots of information and photographs on hundreds of plants, only a portion of which they are selling. I have found their plant information very helpful and I'm sure you will too.

http://www.flowersofindia.net/
This is a non-commercial site with the goal of posting information on all of the plants and trees that grow in India. The site is in English, but does offer information in Indian languages as well.

http://www.naturia.per.sg/buloh/plants/plants.htm
This is a non-commercial site posting information on plants and trees found in Singapore's wetlands.

University Agriculture Department Web sites

http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/veggies/basics.html
This is a good site for advice on how, where and when to plant vegetables in your garden.
 
 
 

**Liriope See The "B" Page -- BORDER GRASS
 
**Lily Turf See The "B" Page -- BORDER GRASS
 
**Loblolly Tree
Very common in Montserrat, the loblolly almost always has termites.
Text Copyrighted ©KO 2004
 

**Locust Tree, Stinky Toe Tree (in Montserrat) Hymenaea courbaril or Inga megacarpa or Hymenaea animifera
The locust tree is a staple in Montserrat and in our garden, especially in the area that borders the national park. It is a stately tree with deep green shiny hard leaves. Our little agoutis (take a look at the "W" Page -- Wildlife) can be heard cracking the very hard seed pods that fall as this is their favorite food, but watch out yourself as one of these pods falling from thirty feet in the air can do some real damage to your head.
Benefits: The locust tree provides a very decorative medium brown wood with shades of red for making distinctive furniture. Parts of the tree have also been used to treat headaches and gout among other things.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



From: Central and South America
Photographed: Just below our banana garden at our home in Montserrat.
Planting and care: The locust appears to prefer very sunny locations with lots of moisture.
Problems: By its very preference of location the locust puts itself at risk to termites who also seem to appreciate moisture. Little can be done about this except avoiding any damage to your locusts. Do not trim branches unless absolutely necessary for the survival of the tree and be sure to treat cut surfaces with a protective covering. Check with your local agriculture department for their recommendations.
Text and Photographs Copyrighted ©Krika.com 2009
 
Lollipop Plant See the "S" Page -- SHRIMP PLANTS -- Golden Shrimp Plant
 

Loofah, Dishcloth Gourd, Vegetable Sponge Gourd Luffa cylindrica
This is the vine that produces the wonderful loofah bath scrubbers which, once used, no one can live without!
From: Southern Asia and India
Planting and Care: This vine likes full sun and lots of water. It covers whole yards and walls and produces its bounty in the three month summer rainy season in Mexico. It is not particularly attractive so put it where it will not be a centerpiece in your garden.
Text Copyrighted ©KO 2008
 

**Love Vine, Devil's Twine Cassytha filiformis
This is a terrible parasitic spaghetti like vine that in no short time will encompass and destroy some of your favorite plants, bushes and trees if you live in a tropical or semi tropical climate. Its color is most commonly a deep mustard yellow, but it may also be seen with a more orange or reddish tinge.
Benefits: Cancer patients may be thrilled to know that this plant produces several cancer fighting alkaloids alongside of producing its other health benefits. It is hard to imagine that this very tenacious parasite will ever become extinct so putting up with it will also have its benefits.
Eradication: This takes determination and constant vigilance. As soon as you see a bit of the vine, stop and take the time to prune everything that has been twined by its tendrils being very careful not to drop any small piece on the way to the disposal bucket or wheelbarrow. Burn what you remove to ensure that any seeds that may be viable will not take hold anywhere else.
From: Hades as the Devil's Twine name implies!
Photographed: Just over the fence at Jacquie Ryan's home in Montserrat.
Planting and Care: YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING!
Link for more information: http://www.parasiticplants.siu.edu/Lauraceae/
Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©Krika.com 2008
 
**Lucky Bamboo See The "D" Page DRACAENA -- Lucky Bamboo
 

**Lucky Lily See The "D" Page DRACAENA -- Lucky Bamboo

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Click below to see our garden plants alphabetically listed by common name.
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