Florida Keys Gardening

[Keysguy]

It reminds me of how we use hostas here for the same effect.

Thanks WW.
When we had our farm my wife must have had 20-30 different cultivars of hosta. She loves those things. And so, BTW, do the deer. I call them deer salad! She just looked at it as an excuse to keep buying more.

I actually have a good orchid friend in NH whose wife owns a very impressive hosta nursery. Don't recall how many varieties she has but pretty sure it's well over 100.

[estación seca]

Rav - most commercial succulents are grown under a lot of shade. It can be tricky adapting them to full sun. And a lot of the small ones grow under grass or other shrubs in habitat, never getting full sun. Read up on the plants you buy before setting them out. A very large number of cacti and other succuients can grow extremely well outdoors in the Canaries.

[Fuerte Rav]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Rav - most commercial succulents are grown under a lot of shade. It can be tricky adapting them to full sun. And a lot of the small ones grow under grass or other shrubs in habitat, never getting full sun. Read up on the plants you buy before setting them out. A very large number of cacti and other succuients can grow extremely well outdoors in the Canaries.

Thanks for the tips ES. I've got plenty growing in my garden, successfully, it just really annoys me that the garden centre tempts us with stuff that is just not suited to our environment - no one has shade and shelter here except after a lot of hard work and some years of growing trees, against the odds (heat and wind, and rooted in rock), to create semi woodland areas in their garden.

---------- Post added at 09:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:46 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Keysguy

Ray- I know where the Canary Islands are but had never heard the specific island name of Fuerteventura so I checked it out on Google Earth. I don't know why but I always pictured the Canary's as lush and tropical but are they as arid as they look on Google Earth? Hope you don't mind my asking.

To be fair a lot of the Canary Islands are lush and tropical but all have their arid areas as well. However, Fuerteventura is all arid. There were trees a long time ago but they were all cut for firewood for industrial purposes. Because of the high population of wild goats on the island, tree saplings didn't stand a chance and within a short period the island was barren and desertifying. All the natural water sources, and man made wells, dried up as the rain stopped falling and locals changed to tomato farming to survive and over used the water.
I've worked hard to create a garden because I can't live without 'green'. It's also my main and favourite hobby and I'm delighted that it has inspired others in our village to have a go as well.
A few pics from my garden and on today's teatime dog walk:







---------- Post added at 09:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:07 PM ----------

Originally Posted by WaterWitchin

Drilling rock to plant a tree. I must share that with the husband. Whenever I bring home trees, bushes, etc, there's a lot of eye rolling because he knows he's gonna be digging holes. I will remind him it could be much worse.[COLOR="Silver"]

Forgot to say, we had RAIN last night, all 2mm of it making a total of 3mm so far this year! Guess I'll still need the hose out tomorrow ...

If anyone is looking on Google Earth, I live on the western edge of the village of Tindaya, Fuerteventura.

[Diane56Victor]

Your comment inspired me to take a look on Google Earth. I randomly chose a road, Western side of the village and my view looked exactly the same as your last photo. Amazing luck!
Viewing the panoramic photos on Google it showed what looks like a windmill, which would have been behind and to your right when you took the photo.

[Keysguy]

Wow---that's crazy terrain. Looks like Nevada in the States.

[Dollythehun]

Actually, it reminded me of the scenery in a Mad Max movie. I'm impressed that you can garden at all there! Hats off to you!

If I may be nosy, how did you come to that land?

[Fuerte Rav]

Originally Posted by Diane56Victor

Your comment inspired me to take a look on Google Earth. I randomly chose a road, Western side of the village and my view looked exactly the same as your last photo. Amazing luck!
Viewing the panoramic photos on Google it showed what looks like a windmill, which would have been behind and to your right when you took the photo.

Well done! Same road as the windmill but I'm right at the southern end of it. The last 'street view' was before they finished building our house.

---------- Post added at 09:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:07 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Dollythehun

Actually, it reminded me of the scenery in a Mad Max movie. I'm impressed that you can garden at all there! Hats off to you!

If I may be nosy, how did you come to that land?

For people living in the UK, The Canaries are a popular 'Winter Sun' holiday destination. This was the fourth of the islands we holidayed on and we fell in love with it because at that time it was undeveloped, quiet, and with the most beautiful beaches. We holidayed here twice a year for a further 10 years and then I had the chance of early retirement ...... our feet didn't touch the ground making arrangements to emigrate! To start with we lived in the town we had stayed in for holidays but it got too busy for us so we searched for an area that was still quiet and mainly locals - it's paradise to us!

[Fuerte Rav]

KeysGuy

Is this the same family? Someone gave it to me a year or 2 ago as a houseplant and I never got round to trying to identify it. No room indoors so I popped it in a raised bed. Just remembered about it after reading your posts.

[Keysguy]

I believe that is a bromeliad but I don't think it's a neoregelia. That looks like the kind we see over here in the big box home stores and the grocery stores. I have no idea what they are called but I bet someone else will.

BTW-----you know, a pineapple is a bromeliad too.

[estación seca]

Your bromeliad looks like Tillandsia cyanea, which I think now is in a different genus. It's a shade lover from moist forests.