Re: Sculptural plants for coastal Med Garden

Title: Re: Sculptural plants for coastal Med Garden
I am slowly getting my coastal garden on the Costa Blanc organised with some excellent help from members of this group. - Joes lists are  marvellous!
I am now looking for ideas for some large leaved interesting sculptural type plants ( Not agaves or cactus) for this dry summer area.  I am wondering if banana plant would survive here as we had a few nights under 0 degrees C this winter.    Shards of ice on our swimming pool one night would you believe!


Banana would freeze back but probably survive.  The larger issue is water.  Banana is a very thirsty plant.  Have you ever seen what happens when you slice a banana stalk?  You could drink the amount of water that comes pouring out!

Joe as usual sent an incredible list.

I would add aloes to it, however.  Particularly the tree aloes - Aloe banksia, Aloe dichotoma (if it is truly going to be dry in the summer), Aloe thraskii, Aloe marlothii, etc.

You would have the added feature of gorgeous winter blooms.

I would also suggest some grevilleas - true they don't have big leaves, but they are still very sculptural

Also sculptural but not terribly big leaves is the Caesalpinia cocaloca (I probably spelled it wrong) which has the most amazing thorned (but not sharp) mahogany colored red bark.

Others:
Dasylirion
Xanthorrea
Cussonia

Nan

--
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

Nan Sterman                     Plant Soup (TM)
PO Box 231034
Encinitas, CA 92023             760.634.2902 (voice)   
Talkingpoints@PlantSoup.Com     760.634.2957 (fax)

+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index