Junglegal - I haven't seen photos of your yard for a while, but I remember how blown away I was the first time I saw them several years ago. And it just keeps getting better. You truly have created a paradise! Thanks for posting the photos!!!
Kate

Wow, I'm so in love with your garden, I'm taking your advice right now and planting more palms! It's gorgeous. What did it look like seven years ago? And how much time do you spend maintaining that? It's really stunning

Thanks...I've posted these before but before pics from 2002-2004..Most plants are gone now. Deemed invasive, too much upkeep or naked for too much of the year. My goals were privacy, low maintenance & tropicals to help me escape after a 40 hr week.

WOW!

Your yard is amazing. Actually, the word amazing doesn't even due it justice. I LOVE it. I don't know how you went from the before pics to that jungle paradise.

My neighbor wants a tropical/asian yard. I can't wait to show her your pics. I better have her drink some water first so she doesn't dehydrate from drooling over your yard.

You garden is amazing! My hubby and I want to do something similar in our 1/2 acre of open grass, but you made a paradise! You def have talent there! Enjoy that special retreat.

Stunning! You have done a great job.
There is a similar posting in the Bromeliad Forum, which shows a wonderful garden transformation in Cape Town, South Africa, entitled " On a Misty Morning ", for anyone interested in more ideas.

It's like Fantasy Island! "the plant-the plant" sorry I couldn't resist.
I have a plaque that says "an hour in the garden puts life in perspective. I think it was talking about Your Garden!
Beautiful.
applauding your hard work.
Wow.
Drool.

Oooooo - tropical paradise. I LOVE it.

I love your garden! How big of a lot do you have? I've been working on my yard for 10 years and still don't know what to do with it.

Regina

Just lovely. I can't say enought about how good it looks. I am getting to the age, where I would enjoy a little less work. Funny I am planting more plams as well. :o) Though I don't image my garden will ever look like yours.

What a beautiful tropical paradise you have! I see now my yard is still too 'open'... and I am with Kathy, I want more palms now lol

Evelyn

You've done a fantastic job!
All I can say is " WOW "!!!
............cheryl

Okay, now I know why you chose your User Name...you are truly a Jungle Gal!!! Those pictures are stunning! (Color me totally STUNNED!) Your yard is beautiful, tranquil, and soooo LUSH!! It looks like the IDEAL weekend getaway to me.

I would say you have achieved your goal in creating a great escape. Love all the photos, especially seeing your pond. Thank you so much for sharing!

Marcia

Ditto what Marcia said, you have a great natural spa!!!

Silvia

Thanks everyone! Still very much a work in progress. The back area of my yard is under construction at the moment. I'm always changing things. I'll be removing an old shed, putting in a patio and relandscaping all the beds.

It's a hard area to plan since it's blaring sun and under the power lines. An palm/boo/tree has to stay under 15'. Not a lot of options. Later this year I'll show before/afters.

Anyone in the local area who wants contacts for palms (wholesale, different types from box stores) contact me and I'll put you in touch with some friends who are backyard growers. Also visit the palmtalk board for ideas but be forewarned, you'll become a palm addict like me LOL

WOW Jungle gal!!!!!

-Tropicalfreak

when i look at ur pics i feel like im in Key West... curious if u have dogs?

Tropcialfreak

Yep Tropicalfreak (like the name!) I have 3 dogs, 3 cats. 2 cats work for me (please no debate on outdoor cats, they're fixed and live/work full time in my back yard)

The biggest threat to my plants is my 14 yr old golden retriever. In the past year she has taken a liking to my bromeliads. She will eat the flowers out of any older neoregelia I have. I can only guess because they are stinky.

Everyone else leaves my plants alone and stays on the paths and in their play areas.

junglegal,
congratulation on creating an oasis for yourself.
It is all beautiful! What a difference,the pond before looked good but now it looks gorgeous. I also like the paths. I know it had to be much work. The frogs hugging
looks so loving and the one on the path is looking for a
hug also.
All beautiful.
Felix

What a beautiful space! I am a foliage person, so this is a feast for my eyes...you've done an incredible job. I love the repeating theme combination of palms, broms and ferns. I also love how you've limbed up the sea grape to make it a tree.

In the 13th pic down, is that a trevesia palmata? Is it in the ground or in a pot? I've killed two that I've planted in the ground, but I love this plant and was thinking of giving it a third try. Tell me how long you've had it and how you have it planted...please!

Thanks for posting your beautiful paradise for us all to see. I almost feel like I've been there!

Anna

Anna,

That's a Syngonium 'Robusta'. All the hybrids lose their luster and revert green as they climb. This is a very fast climber here when let loose.
It is climbing/killing my persimmon tree (planned by me, my dogs get deathly sick when they eat the fruits)I do not recommend growing this on weaker limbed trees. Nice tropical touch on the right totems. Tough plant!

Stunning Brenda, it just keeps getting better and better....

Tom

Felix,
The hundreds of tadpoles in my pond makes me believe those toads are doing more than huggin' ;)

Tom,
Thanks...notice I didn't show my veggies~ I here by admit I cannot grow either vegetables or grass! I am in awe of some of your gardens in that respect! Bugs and funk take them both quickly for me. Perhaps I am too lazy a gardener and I mean that!

Holy moly, thanks for sharing!

Absolutely gorgeous! Can I ask how much land this covers? Is this acreage or a suburban backyard lot? This is the look I've been trying to achieve, and, after 20 years here in the burbs, I'm not even close.
Lori

Wonderful tropical setting. Nice pathways, good plant selection. I'm willing to bet the yard is much smaller than it looks.

I want to live in your backyard!!!!

My yard is a typical size lot here in St. Pete. 55x127'
I've not shown much of the side or front yard yet. It's under construction at the moment.

Thanks again

My yard is a typical size lot here in St. Pete. 55x127'
I've not shown much of the side or front yard yet. It's under construction at the moment. More to share later

Thanks again

My yard is a typical size lot here in St. Pete. 55x127'
I've not shown much of the side or front yard yet. It's under construction at the moment.

Thanks again

whoops...sorry for the duplicate posts...it kept rejecting my response

When can you come and do my yard??!!!

Bren2 also in St. Pete

Junglegal,

I know the syngonium, I mean the next picture down, the low plant with schefflera-like large leaves behind the short palm on the right. It has beautiful, wavy-like palmate leaves.

BTW, in the 5th pic I see a dioon spinulosum near the walkway. These get huge and beautiful and have a spread of at least 8-10 feet in a few short years. I'm worried yours is too close to the path. I've found out by experience that they get very heavy and bulky and are sharp. They are awful to transplant when they are big. It's one of my favorite plants and I know you won't want to get rid of it when it gets larger- you will fall in love with it if you haven't already. You might consider giving it more space to grow while you are able to move it easily!

I love the picture with the pond and the surrounding plants. Do the toads lay eggs in it? I have loads of those southern toads in my yard and I have oodles of tadpoles in the pond right now. I just love hearing them at night after a rain!

Anna

Adam says all he needs is a fig leaf. Are there figs in this forest?

Outstanding Photo's!

Anna,

I hear ya about the giant dioon. Thats a temp home in that bed. Unfortunately, that sea grape shading it will have to come out.
It's been diseased for quite some time (due to squirrels eating the bark!) and will have to come out soon. I worry about the limbs dropping. the wood is extremely dense and heavy.
The plant you're asking about I believe is Anthurium clavigerum. I got it in a trade as a NOID in a 4" pot ac ouple yrs back. It's turning into a large plant! Breezes through our winters too. I highly recommend this anthurium.

Virginia,

You emailed and asked about the plants. See my Anthurium ID above for Anna. You asked about the grass like plants in that picture. There are bromeliads and walking irises there. A walking iris walking right out of the bed LOL

Brenda, thanks for the clarification. It is a beautiful foliage plant. Do you have it in a pot or in the ground? Does it tolerate our winters?

Too bad about the seagrape. I'm sure you spent a lot of time limbing it up like that and it fits in so well with your tropical look. I am so sick of the damage squirrels do in my yard. I wish there was a good way to get rid of them.

Anna

Hi
Wow you are an ambitious gardener!! I ripped most of mine out yet again ."Lush planting" turned into "Unmanageable jungle" again lol There seem to be only two kinds of tropical plants those that eat the house ,those that croak unless kept in a biosphere.
Would love to get rid of all the yard plants and concentrate on the "Hanging gardens" as I LOVE epiphytes and there seem to be at least a dozen that I've not grown or killed lol. Doubt seriously it will ever happen ,when i told the wife that what was needed was a MUCH larger shadehouse she said I need a lot less plants lol.
Sad that now that I have the time and ambition to manage a garden my back refuses to do any heavy lifting and climbing . Well I can enjoy the pix of yours !!!
Anna I counted pic #12,with the statue right above the red brom. One with the divided green leaves right behind the small palm?? Sure looks like a "Snowflake tree" to me??
Junglegal You say thats an Anthrurium.?? i didn't know there were any with divided leaves??
Anthurium clavigerum??? will have to look that up!!
Anna had a whole bunch of Trevesia palmata seedlings that were doing fine until the neghbors cat knocked them off the table!!! They all croacked . These were the fabled "variagated "ones also. Have been unable to locate even small ones except at that nursery we can't name. lol gary

I love the bromeliads! This is the best source of inspiration I have seen so far, and I wish more people would go for this look. Excellent work!

Thanks Jax! I've ripped out all of my grass and just put in beds and walk ways. I've found it less work than mowing every every week. I clip here and there every night and as long as the mulch is deep enough, weeds are a none issue for the most part.

"My garden" is at my parent's place and unfortunately I can't talk then into getting rid of the lawn... when I'm a homeowner I'll just have enough lawn in the front yard to please neighbors and keep it small enough to use a pushmower. The bark mulch you use is pretty too but the pest control people insist on cypress mulch, which I feel guilty using. Oh well.

Beautiful as always! You have changed quite a bit since I was there last.

Thanks Robin! Next time you're in my neck of the woods you're welcome to stop by.

I'm under construction in parts of the yard. It never ends LOL. This time I've cleared out an old shed. This area will be a pavered patio and fireplace area. I plan to plant out the beds around the fence line with low growing palms, cycads, ti plants, broms and crotons. The loquat is being removed since it has fire blight. 1/2 has died back already.

As others have said WOW! What a wonderful, secluded piece of paradise you have created! An oasis from the crazy world that we live and work in. Thanks for the before and after pictures. They give inspiration.

FlowerLady

You have a pretty amazing garden! The before & after pictures...what a difference! You have truly created a Paradise.
Thanks for posting.