Tropical Garden~Closed!

[Dominie]

Create a Tropical garden for your sims in their own backyard!

This is a one round contest!

Contest Dates: December 4th-December 27th
Sims Version: Sims2 only
EPs Allowed: All
Difficulty Rating: *** for the work and picture range
Custom Content Allowed: Yes
Pay Site Content: Yes
You can also make your own Stuff
Multiple Entries Allowed: No
Photoshopping: Only the basics allowed; blur, sharpening, etc.

Design and decorate a Tropical Garden. Imagine your sims, wherever in the World they live, have decided to transform their back patio and yard into an exotic tropical paradise.

Descript and Tips from different websites I arranged together:
Tropical designs can be contemporary, jungle-like, or look ancient. You can get bold and intimidating with your garden.  Or more understated.  As long as there is a sense of wildness and exoticness. Less is more, or rather, less, but more of them, is the key to tropical garden design. Think thick and lush.

Main features include plants with very large leaves, vegetation that builds in height towards the back of the garden, creating a dense and lush garden. Large plants and small trees hang over the garden, leaving sunlight to hit the ground directly.

Not all the foliage needs to come from tropical locales. There are many sub-tropical plants that have a tropical look to them. Think large and dramatic foliage, plus bold colors; large leaves and bright colorful flowers, many of them large as well. And then if you like, smaller plants and bright flowers as extra touches. Yet, allow room for the roots of the larger plants to grow. Remember to contour and throw on mounds of soil here and there for their roots to travel. Maybe consider certain plants to be in containers...ones that may not do so well when the frost comes in some areas.
 
Your garden needs to include along with plants and terrain paint, the following as well:

A Pathway/pathways: path of stone or other natural materials. (can be made by terrain paint and/or tiles, and deco)

Natural Decorations: such as boulders, rocks, and cobblestone that look as if they belong naturally. (can be made by terrain paint and/or deco)

Unnatural Decorations: examples are hanging chimes, bamboo fencing, and island or Mediterranean type statues and objects.

A water element: swimming pool or a smaller water feature like a pond or riverbed, maybe a fountain or a pond-less waterfall...wherever your imagination goes...just give us a water paradise in some way.

A Private Sun patio: whether it is right off the house or somewhere down a path from the back door. With furnishings, think about bamboo, Tiki, Hawaiian, and even polished wood looks great for a more modern garden.

Lighting: This is important to the tropical garden. Light the paths and uplight the bold foliage and palm stems to create a warm and interesting landscape to view while you sit on the patio or while looking out a window from the back of the home.

Suggestion: Do your own research as well...and take advantage of your creativity

Required Pictures:
Take us on a tour of your garden with 6 to 10 pics (at least one pic taken at night)
You may include in one pic: one or two sims.
I recommend using at least a 3x3 lot or larger.

Contestants:
1. AmyLuthien
2. Verly
3.
4.
5.


Judges:
1. Dominie
2. FanaticalWhovian
3. Netra
4. ?
5.?


Prizes:
TBA  

[Dominie]

Okay...since it goes with the theme of the week, we are giving this another try!

[Nat]

If I'm not on a contest ban for dropping bach I might enter

[Dominie]

Nat, you are not banned..you were considered a withdrawl

[Nat]

aw bless ya

I  will see what I can rustle up

[AmyLuthien]

Woo hoo!!  Here's my entry - t'ain't I the speedy one? 

=====================================================================

May I present, Calamity Cove!  (I felt the name was apropos, considering one thing or another kept crashing while I was trying to build it lol!) 

A few years back, I was in Fiji, and saw a beautiful resort (amongst many) with wide sweeping lawns and lots of palm trees, with clumps of flowers here and there.  I used that as my inspiration for the vegetation for this entry.  The idea for the 'hardscape' I drew from misc. homes and wharves and things I saw when I was in Hawaii.  Black lava rock predominates on the 'Big Island', plus lush lawns and again, lots of palm trees!  And finally, the house I put on this entry's lot is far from the norm for me!  I do not generally do modern homes, but I felt all that blue glass it would look good for what I had in mind.  I drew my inspiration for the house from Miami.  If you've ever been down Miami Beach and the surrounding areas, you'll see several similar to the house I recreated here.

Click for larger pictures.

Oh, and the Buddha statue, I saw those when I was in Singapore and Malaysia, and the Corona beers are from Mexico!  The coral reef in the ocean, well, I'm a SCUBA diver, so I've seen miles of those in various states all over the tropics.  So I really pulled a lot of influences from all around the globe!


p.s. For extra-credit-which-doesn't-count-at-all-but-just-because-I-really-like-the-pictures-and-want-to-share, check out  SHARKS!!  SANDCASTLE!!  and  AWWWW!!

[Nat]

It's like you were just waiting for this Amy lol

Fantastic garden

[AmyLuthien]

I know Nat!  *widens eyes and looks innocent*  See how quick I whipped that sucker out!  It's like I was prepared or something! 

[Dominie]

lol, Amy!

[Netra]

Lol@Amy Me wonders how you whipped up one so fast too. Maybe it was magic.LMAO Looks great btw.

I hope too see an entry Nat, your building & landscaping skillz are very nice.

[Nat]

Thanks Nets

Will have to see if I get any inspiration, not sure I could top Amy's though

[AmyLuthien]

It's just because I'm THAT talented Netra!    "And I'd like to thank AMD, for their super-fast processors, and Kingston for their always reliable RAM, and Western Digital of course, for their high-capacity hard drives!"  hehehehe!

Oh pleeeeeeeease join Nat!!  Pretty please with sugar on the top?  Pwease?  Pwease?  Pwease?  



p.s. Thanks Netra, for the compliment!  

p.p.s  HERE'S some inspiration for you Nat! 

[Netra]

Lol@Amy. Yeah you really are. You and Nat could make lots for me any day with my horrible building skills. Lol

[Nat]

You trying to tempt me Amy? lol

Just tell me what you need Nets, I'll make you a lot

[AmyLuthien]

Yuh huh, I sure am Nat!  I'm going to resort to hyp-no-tism next!  *Look into my eyes, look into my eyes, the eyes, the eyes, not around the eyes, don't look around the eyes, look into my eyes.* 

And I'll second that Netra, you need any lots built, just holler out what you want