IÂm not from Ontario, but I do live in Canada.

All my tropicals have been downstairs in a cold room for sometime now. They're all safe, dormant and will be ok.

I keep myself occupied here at the GW, seed trading and now all the seed catalogues starting to come in to help me get thru the winter.

Give up gardening, heck NO, as soon as Christmas is over, I'll be starting my seeds indoors under lights, as well, wintersowing ;)

Sharon

Well Halaeva .. I'm in Burlington .. so we live fairly close. I too grow mostly tropicals ... musa, canna, brugs, EE's, hibiscus .. oh heck there are too many to mention. My house looks like a tropical garden right now .. struggling on in the house after a wonderful summer outside. Anywho .. I guess my problem is that I keep wanting more and more .. BUT .. I never seem to get rid of enough stuff :o) Right now in my basement I think I have about 20 Brugs .. thats just the dormant ones .. plus all of the cuttings etc. My plants are spread out thoughout the house including an 8 foot Musa in the recroom :o) I dont think I could ever give up on the "tropical" gardens that I have. I just love it. I do have alot of perennials .. and will have to move alot in the spring .. but I love it!!! Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with all of it .. especially if the weather changes too quickly and I have to rush to bring things in .. but all in all ..I love it. My DH and I have considered purchasing a larger property just to have more gardening space.

I think in the long run .. its all worth it :o)

{{gwi:520476}}

I take it that plant in the foreground with mottled leaves is a canna. How beautiful! Which canna is it? Your yard looks lush and gorgeous, Peapod.

If you are discouraged with tropicals, you don't have to give up gardening, just give up tropicals. There are lots of beautiful perennials that are hardy in Ontario and can be left in the ground for the winter.

I only grow native Ontario plants. Fall routine consists of raking leaves onto the beds (instead of into bags) and wrapping some trees with plastice guards to keep the rabbits away. Then I'm done! I leave the seed heads on for the winter to feed the birds. In the spring I cut back the old stems and wait for the plants to grow again.

Wow Peatpod, that picture is an inspiration!

Cheers, Jannabeen

Wow, that is gorgeous Laura! YouÂve got yourself a little Hawaii right in your own backyard!

Sharon

Hello:
Crazy Gardener!, Peatpod!, Sharon-can!, Judy-b-on!, Jannabeen!
I would like to thank you all for your friendly replies.
Your words are hidden now in my very special folder.
With my great appreciation-
-Hala.

Hello everyone .. Sharon-can .. that isnt a canna its a Blood banana or a Zebrina. I made the mistake of giving my friend my Blood banana last fall and missed it terribly this year .. but it grew well for him and I was able to get some of the pups and the mother plant back .. just had to share it :o) It is a smaller banana but I do love the look of it :o) That photo was taken two years ago I believe when I first started into the tropical look. The red leaf cannas against the house can get to be well over 9 feet tall. Here is a photo of some of my brugs in bloom this year ..

{{gwi:544515}}

{{gwi:544516}}

{{gwi:520481}}

{{gwi:544517}}

WOW!!! These pics are so gorgeous...you must be the envy of all your friends and neighbors (me included)!!
What an inspiration for us newbies!!
Thanks so much for sharing!!
Brenda

Laura has some seriously amazing tropicals, but don't you newbies get to thinking it is too difficult! All it really takes is space to store them in the winter and some of the same TLC we give to our regular perennials. Some of them do get rather ratty looking in the winter, but it's so nice to see them spring back to health in the summer that it's worth it!

I have a six foot tall hibiscus, a Cycas revoluta (Sago Palm), Bouganvilia, Jasmine Sambac, Clivias, black Colocasia, bananas, Cardamom, Cannas, callas, Hippeastrums, lots of ferns, and a good dozen others - they all go out in the summer to turn my small backyard into a tropical jungle.

I have a tiny apartment to live in and no basement, so I can't overwinter as many things as I'd like, but I do have an inside jungle for the winter while I await the return of spring!

BP

BP is right .. it doesnt take much .. just a little muscle to drag everything in .. regular watering .. fertilizer .. you know the routine. When I first started gardening not that long ago .. really I had no clue what to do where to put things etc .. Im still at that point. I call it creative chaos :o) Nothing, except my perennials , stay in the same place each season :o) I dont think I will ever be totally satified with the look of my garden until I get a larger yard .. and even then .. who knows. I totally agree that everything gets a bit ratty over the winter and sometimes you might think all hope is lost .. then it warms up and the seasonal greenhouse goes up and tada .. everything starts to come back :o) Its great!!! There are a few that dont make it .. usually ones that I am really trying to push the zone limits but its all about finding out what works. If I hadnt found this site I dont think I would have tried alot of the plants that I do have or even been able to afford many of them .. thanks to everyone on GW and the trades and relationships that I have been able to make I have an over abundance of plants :o) You dont want to see my basement lol ... its a mess and still needs to be organized :o)

What kind of seasonal greenhouse do you use? When do you put it up and do you ever need to heat it?

Hi Jimmyjojo .. I just use a plastic greenhouse that I purchased from Canadian Tire. It is fairly large but I am able to set it up on my little back deck where it gets alot of sunlight. I set it up last year at the end of March and moved the plants in the first week of April.

{{gwi:529541}}border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting">

I have yet to have to heat it but I do keep a close eye on the temp inside .. I dont sleep alot so I am constantly up and outside checking it. I did purchase a small heater that if need be can be set up. Last spring the whole thing was filled to the brim with plants .. way too many so I might have to find another one for this spring. I also use the small GH units like the one beside the larger one for my WS seedlings or other plants that can tolerate a bit cooler temps.

I thought I would bring this up once again to show Peatpod's fabulous tropical garden.

I'll like to know where she is these days....what a lovely person she is. She gave me some Cannas back in 06, and they did well for me