In the forefront of the pic below, is a young Y'lang Y'lang tree, or Cananga odorata. This plant has also been nicknamed the Chanel No.5 tree, because the blooms are said to be used to make the women's perfume scent, by this name:


https://photos.app.goo.gl/MVdN62PbcTqRxUG7A



First the Dypsis Cycad flushed. Then, the Encephalartos flushed. Now, the Cycas, or Sago is flushing:


https://photos.app.goo.gl/HvGom8rAqVZ2S9pb9



The FLAMINGO FLOWERS or Anthurium andraenum, continue blooming. This is PINK:



https://photos.app.goo.gl/d8aa6UgfCB9ciXVUA


https://photos.app.goo.gl/ufLerix4L1p6eNwn7



A LAVENDER or light PURPLE with a white eye Upright PHLOX is blooming. The cultivar of this one is 'Cover Girl'...


https://photos.app.goo.gl/R1MZm5g7i41pWPen8



Another ROSE of SHARON cultivar is joining the mix. This one has a double-flowered, reddish tone
to it. This variety is known as, 'Lucy'...


https://photos.app.goo.gl/91cB76dViebfUyML8



GLOBE THISTLE or Echinops bannaticus, is blooming!


https://photos.app.goo.gl/bdScPeDLjhfYVyYa8



The JAMAICAN CHERRY or Muntingia calabura, is blooming. For anyone unfamiliar with this plant, it is a tropical fruit tree. Sometimes, it is also commonly called the strawberry tree, because its flowers resemble the flowers on strawberry plants:


https://photos.app.goo.gl/JHFbwa8xCjcq69kT8



Here are a few PAINTED DAISY seedlings I started, in hopes of setting out in early fall. For those unfamiliar with this plant, it is a hardy perennial, that returns every year, without having to buy more plants. Plants set out this fall, will overwinter, and bloom next summer:


https://photos.app.goo.gl/kXum9f3a3FPdEZW49



ROOT BEER, anyone? Actually, this is not the plant that produces the extract, that is used to make root beer. However, if the leaves of this plant are rubbed, they emit a scent that resembles that of root beer. This plant is known botanically as, Piper auritum, and is closely related to the plant we get our black pepper spice from (Piper nigrum)...


https://photos.app.goo.gl/cunibJkWg6ua1AGx5



The CHINA DOLL plant or Radermachera sinica, is putting on new growth. This tropical loves the heat and humidity of summer...


https://photos.app.goo.gl/kiuEVkaWoiZg8uRh9



Here's a pic of a new plant. It is an 'Apricot Queen' PHORMIUM. For anyone unfamiliar with Phormiums, is that they are a type of plant, native to the "Down Under" country of New Zealand. Definitely an exotic for my area. Phormiums are also known commonly as, NEW ZEALAND FLAX...


https://photos.app.goo.gl/fure9MicrVAxurz69

Great stuff. Your collection is extensive.

Thanks, Kenneth.
The irony is that all of the subtropical and tropical plants I have now, as well as the temperate species in my collection, were all discussed on this and the "big board", with regularity, in years past.
I wonder what happened, or caused so many to seemingly have given up.
Many of these plant species were known to not be hardy in the North (as well as the South), back then, too. Growing these plants, in colder zones, lends a tropical look, as well, just as in the warmer areas.
I only have one or a few of many species, due to space limitations. Many who post on this board, or lurk behind the scenes, have much more space than I have, and could grow what I grow, and much more.
Everyone's garden should be a jungle, AT LEAST, during the growing season.

It is interesting how interest in zone pushing has seemed to wane over the last 15 to 20 years. There were several of us in middle Tennessee that used to meet. That hasn't happened in a long time. I've moved 3 times over the last 12 years so that has slowed my efforts although I'm getting going again now I believe I've settled.

Ken, as for me, rather than zone pushing, I'm more interested in growing as many different species as possible, from the broad spectrum of plants. Many are hardy enough for the North, and many aren't. The ones that aren't hardy enough, will be either protected in place, or containerized, and spend winters indoors. In this way, almost everything subtropical or tropical can be grown, right where I am. Believe it or not, some who live in tropical or subtropical regions WISH THEY COULD GROW many of the temperate species, but can't, because their climates won't provide the minimum amount of "chill", that temperate plants require. I enjoy growing plants from temperate zones, as well as those from subtropical or tropical areas. Provides a broader pallette.

Mimics winter temps, in their native Tasmania. To be successful, we have to provide conditions the plants like.