Everyday Finesse: A tropical garden

Last Saturday, my sister and I received an email from our friends Mike and Cindy Christie telling us their gingers were in bloom and inviting us to come and see them.

We knew the Christies really loved tropicals. They moved to the Sharpsburg area from Florida and also love to vacation in tropical climates. I didn't realize that they had transformed their property into a tropical paradise here in Georgia.

One of the amazing things we saw as we arrived was a very tall, lush palm tree. I didn't know they would grow here but this one is thriving here.

In front of their palm tree are beautiful gingers. They are growing large with big green fronts just like I saw last year in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.

I still have a hard time believing my eyes but the Christies say that gingers grow well here. They do need plenty of water but this year, he has hardly had to water at all.

Mike says that they aren't really available in local garden centers, but he has been growing them successfully for years.

The gingers have a lovely smell and are a bit like little fragrant orchids.

They do smell a big like ginger but these aren't the same plant as the ginger we cook with. According to Mike, those ginger plant is not showy at all.

They also have large showy cana lilies that welcome you when you pull into their driveway.

And so many tropicals--everywhere!

Of course there are semi-tropicals that I have seen in local landscapes for years.

In beautiful colors.

And these bromelaids are usually grown inside, but Mike and Cindy grow them outside in their landscape.

Outside on their recently added new patio are potted citrus plants. Above is a lemon or lime. I don't really know which.

Or is this the lime or lemon?

I believe they said this was a Valencia orange tree--with fruit. Being from Florida--they MUST grow citrus.

And there are beautiful elephant ears.

And flowers everywhere.

Mike's mother grew gardenias and the Christies have a gardenia garden with tropical gardenias.

Flowers from these tropical gardenias, native to the South Pacific, were used to place behind the ears of natives. The large single flowers are beautiful.