Tropical Plants for the Mid-Atlantic

March 10: "Boca" Joe Seamone of Germantown, MD and "Panama" John Saia of the Virginia Palm Society evangelized the incorporation of tropicals--elephant ears, cannas, bananas and palms--into local landscapes at the club's March meeting.

David (l) introduced Panama John and Boca Joe (r):

Seamone said tropicals thrive in area summers and showed photos of plants growing from 12 inches in May to over 12 feet by September. He said they required soils with lots of organic matter and lots of water (though not more water than a typical perennial/annual bed). They recommended fertilizing with Milorganite (it's 5-2-0).

To obtain a tropical look, Seamone recommended planting "taros, cannas and bananas" 6-8 inches apart. He suggested underplanting with impatiens or geraniums.

Saia recommended the Dwarf Palmetto (Sabal minor) and the Needle Palm (Rhapidophyllum hystrix), which he said were native to this area before "the last ice age." They showed a photo of the now two-story Windmill Palm (Tracycarpus fortunei), that has thrived in Sterling, VA since 1994. Saia said these palms planted in this area needed to be winter protected for only the first three or four years and afterwords could fend for themselves.