Situated among the cotton fields south of Greenwood, in the Mississippi Delta, there is a tropical oasis that is the home of B.B. and Charlotte Gilmer. There’s no doubt, this place is something special.
Palms welcome visitors and create a Caribbean-like flair. There are several picturesque Sago palms which are also called cycads. Some are grown in combination with the Imperial Taro elephant ear.
Two other palms you’ll find here are the tall, stately-looking Windmill Palms and the exotic looking Pindo palm, also called the Jelly Palm.
The Windmill palm has fan shaped leaves while the Pindo palm has long, olive-gray pinnate or feather-type leaves.
The pindo palm has produced fruit that is ripening. It has a unique, tropical flavor that’s suitable for jams and jellies.
No tropical landscape would be complete without banana trees and the Gilmers have several varieties, ranging from the large, edible plantain type to the hot-pink flowering banana flanking the house.
In the backyard, the bananas create a resort-like atmosphere around the various outdoor seating areas.
Charlotte has also incorporated gingers, like the white-flowered butterfly ginger. Its fragrance equals that of a gardenia. In another area there is a large clump of the closely related scarlet ginger.
To complete the tropical look she has incorporated other coarse textured foliage from plants like the rice paper plant.
The Gilmers have shown you don’t have to live in the Caribbean to have a tropical garden and they will tell you, that you can do it too. I’m Norman Winter for Southern Gardening.