jam it full of big leafed stuff like

Philodendron selloum, P. evansii, P. Giganteum

Monstera Deliciosa

bloodleaf banana

various heliconia

you can also use "elephant ears" - various Xanthosomas and Alocacias

I recommend putting some taller palms in the background to make for some leaf variance. Areca palms work, but plant them away from the enclosure edge, and trim back stalks that get too tall, or theyll poke the screen.

Non clumping palms, most of them, will eventually get too big and need to be removed.

Canna lily also works well- queen emma is a nice color, and puts out nice flowers.

Monstera Obliqua, or "buckshot plant" makes a nice crawling ground cover, but will eventually need trimming back.

Philodendron Burle-Marx fills in well too.

Hi David, Pictures below are around my pool.john

Here is a link that might be useful: pool

Clumping bamboo, something in the Bambusa genus, like tuldoides, lako, vulgaris vitatta, plus Musa Blue Java or Musa saba, will give a lot of big foliage in a season or two.

Hi David,

I grew up in Gainesville and graduated UofF in horticulture. Stuff that will do well in Ocala and won't freeze to the ground every year will save you a lot of work.

Palms that do well there are your basic Sabal Palm and don't forget Palmetto. A lot of the Date palms are cold tolerant, several choices. Needle palm, Rhapidophyllum sp. and Windmill Palm, Trachycarpus sp. grow there too.

Zamia floridana or coontie is a native and small palmish looking plant.

You can grow pinecone ginger and butterfly ginger. They are root hardy and will come back in the spring. Rice paper plant, Tetrapanax sp. has big tropical looking leaves. Nandina has a bamboo look and is smaller and less messy than bamboo.

Daylily and Society Garlic, Tulbhagia sp. will give you smaller flowering plants.

Those are just some ideas. You could go to Kanapaha Botanical Garden west of I-75 on Archer Road in G'ville and look for ideas there.

ilima

How about some color? tropicana canna (red striped), pretoria (yellow/grn striped), or autralia (dark bronze/burgandy leaves. Hawiian Ti plants (comes in variety of colors from dark to shocking pink and striped varieties), Ferns? Large arching ones (could plant under other large plants to provide some shade), Gingers would look nice (as above), great gunnera looks prehistoric and tropical. Banana ensete maurelli has reddish bronze leaves.

Forgot to add Bromelaids (aechmea blanchetiana) orangish/reddish and can take sun and regular water outdoors.

Wanted to say thanks to everyone for your replies. I have enough information now to make my next trip to the nursery an expensive one. Seriously though, I had no idea that there were so many to choose from... Can't wait to get started.

Thanks again all,
David

Great job, John!!!
Did you build your gazebo yourself?
I love it!!!

And the rocks! 'Specially like this one........{{gwi:1312047}} ...did you paint it or buy it that way? Either way...hope you don't mind if I try my hand at some of those painted rocks. âº

Here's some of my pool...but it needs aLOT of work yet!
The Sea-Grapes are going! I've had only bad experiences with those.

We've just bought the house...but I'm sure we'll have fun with it!

Hi lellie,Thanks for saying so. I had the gazebo shell (no roof) made, and found the mexican cape on-line.The dragonfly was the first rock I painted.I used clear rtv glue on the wings to give them a transprent look.Your pool area looks great. I love the large palms.What varieties do you have?I have anole lizards,green tree frogs,meditranian geckos,red eared turtles around the yard.They blend in so well that there are hard to see so i painted animals on rocks and put them out to add to the jungle look.john

Dunno what type of Palms any of them are yet...I just bought the house.

To be honest with you, I'm up here in SE PA right now trying to sell this house...*sigh!

I just want to get down there and start working on the place, ya know?

Should be out of here totally, by October 5th!!!