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amester_gw

Denver(ish) source for tropical annuals?

amester
15 years ago

Does anyone know of a Denver/surrounding area (Boulder, Longmont, Co. Springs) nursery that has a good selection of tropical annuals? I'm particularly looking for variegated tapioca (Manihot esculenta 'Variegata') and variegated shell ginger (Alpinia zerumbet 'Variegata'), maybe some banana plants and/or cannas too. I can order online but would love to find a local source if possible.

Thanks!!

Comments (4)

  • Skybird - z5, Denver, Colorado
    15 years ago

    Hi Amy,

    It's nice to see you around here again!

    Call Paulino's. I don't know if they have the exact things you're looking for, but they do have a very large selection of tropicals. (You might just want to go and look around. It's a great place to walk around in in winter!)

    Gotta go. I have to get ready for a trip, and I'm not movin' too fast. I'm getting over pneumonia! Can't go too long without some kind of a catastrophe! ;-)

    Hope you find what you're looking for,
    Skybird

    Here is a link that might be useful: Paulino's

  • amester
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Please feel better soon - I can't imagine doing your job whilst under the weather...hope you're on the mend!

    Thanks for the heads up, I will definitely head up there - I trust your good opinion enough to make the drive. :)

    Take care!

  • Azura
    15 years ago

    Amy-
    I made the venture up to Paulino's as a treat on my birthday last year (Feb 28) based on Skybird's recommendations and it was so much fun Im going back again this year. It was my last stop in a tour of Denver nurseries and by far the best.

    Skybird-
    Please feel better soon! You asked in another post how I'm doing and since Im too lazy to go find that post Ill hijack this one for a moment and say Im doing better and working towards 100%.

  • Skybird - z5, Denver, Colorado
    15 years ago

    Jill, Except for a black and blue butt where I got a mega shot of antibiotic 11 days ago, IÂm doing fine! I think maybe the chicken soup I made helped as much as all the antibiotics! Maybe!!! Got back from a 3-day last nite and was so exhausted I slept for 10 hours! My eyes are open again today!!!

    IÂm glad to hear things are going better for you again. Hope to see more of you around here if you have time.

    And I hope to see both of you at at least one of the swaps this year. ItÂs been a while since weÂve seen you at one of them Amy.

    Amy, let us know if you found what you were looking for if you get over to PaulinoÂsÂor maybe something else you decide you like. I donÂt recognize either of the names you posted, but then I never really worked inside with the tropicals very oftenÂand theyÂve enlarged the greenhouses and added more houseplants since I left there anyway. If you get over there, since youÂre looking for something very specific, ask for Mimi (Paulino). She buys all the tropicals and knows exactly whatÂs there! I will add one word of caution! With our low humidity out here, a lot of tropicals donÂt do very well. At the garden center where I worked before PaulinoÂs I worked inside with the house plants most of the winter and they had a gingerÂno idea if itÂs similar to what youÂre looking forÂbut I spent a couple days one time trimming all the brown tips off because they werenÂt selling. After I got them cleaned up they were put on sale and we got rid of most of them, but this was in an environment with higher humidity than most places out here, and they still didnÂt do well, so be sure itÂs something thatÂs worth spending the money on before you get it.

    And, I would kind of think theyÂd have banana plants, but do you realize how BIG those things get? And I donÂt know if they have cannas in winter, but theyÂll have plenty of them by the time they start selling the bedding plantsÂand they may have the bulbs (is that what cannas are???) available now.

    Skybird

    P.S. Jill, I just checked and you havenÂt signed in on the WhoÂs Here thread yet this year! IÂll be looking for you over there! :-)