Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Psst. What could be cheaper than pinching a leaf off of those two.
Root hormone is on sale over by the fertilizers.
LOL. I just had to laugh at that. Propagation is one of the best things I've learned this year. I've done cuttings of fragrant tea olives, wigela, forsythia, gardenias, pyracantha, mandevilla, some roses, etc.
But I did spend $5 a couple months ago on a "dead" variegated wigela. Apparently someone doesn't know that they're deciduous.
A Sago palm.. which I've always wanted...got it at Lowes for $10...pretty good size,too...now that I've killed all the mealy bugs, it looks pretty happy!!!
A Sago palm.. which I've always wanted...got it at Lowes for $10...pretty good size,too...now that I've killed all the mealy bugs, it looks pretty happy!!!
Merry Christmas, Trudeyrose....
The "Sago Palm" is fascinating....not a true palm at all, but a cycad....and cycads are among the most primitive of all complex plants, and I BELIEVE they were well-represented way back in the time of the dinosaurs, long before most modern plants evolved. Cycad fronds are frequently found imprinted in coal deposits.
Landscapers call sagos a "palm-like" plant, based on its look. Another one I'm very fond of is the Cordyline family...my kids always called these the "Dr. Suess tree", because of its 'silly', mop-top look. I have a few here, (about 15 footers) but they are really at their best in a cooler, more marine climate...PNW Coast, Ireland, and their native New Zealand. Sometimes they're called "Dracaenas", but I believe technically that's a different family...very similar, but smaller. Lots of tall Cordylines can be found in the coastal towns of N. California and Oregon, where they're sometimes mistakenly referred to as "palm trees"...
Location: somewhere close to Tampa, but closer to the beach
2,035 posts, read 5,036,028 times
Reputation: 1099
Good afternoon and Merry x-mass macmeal and Trudeyrose...
Macmeal has this one nailed,regarding Sagos You definetely got it at a great price..ive seen a well grown sago go for 50+ dollars,and thats for a small one! The only thing i'll add is to keep an eye on fertilizing it as sagos have somewhat different requirements then many other "true" palms and need more of specific nutrients to thrive..
As far a Cordyline and Dracaena,both are great grows for warmer areas.
My favorite in this group has to be the Dragon tree (Dracaena draco)..what an eye catching oddity!!..which should be seen more in these parts,as it is hardy here...
As for my own experiences, Late this past summer i stumbled on several 7-9' tall 5 gallon Butterfly palms (Dypsis lutescens) at a near by Home Depot for about 40 bucks. While that sounds expensive, a similar sized specimen from many other places start around 60-70 bucks..so 40 was a deal,especially since its rare to find them around here at that size..and the two i picked up were already beginning to form trunks..which will be an advantadge when i put one in the ground come spring..they're hardy to about 22-24F and can resprout from the clump if temps dive into the teens,which has only happened a couple of times in several decades here..
i'll keep you updated on the progress once it is planted..
Lastly, acouple more plants everyone should look into: Screw pines ( Pandanus sp.) very neat "palm like" plants which develop stilt like roots as they grow..The Traveler's tree (Ravenala madagasgariensis) is yet another strange specimen for warmer areas,or the greenhouse in cooler areas. Imagine a giant Oreintal fan with banana-like leaves..I couldn't stop staring at this one when i first saw it in Florida..
The final plant worth seeking out, Madagasgar palms (Pachypodium sp.) which definetely aren't palms at all..what a strange,thorny succulent this one is..and bigger plants will have large Plumeria-like flowers..
This one is somewhat tender,so grow it outside only in fairly warm areas..or pot it up and move it indoors for the winter..its certainly worth having one around..
I always keep a nice big palm going from Home Depot for a few years until it poops out and needs to be replaced..usually costs about $15.00, and sure does fill up an empty corner nicely. In the summer it lives outside.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
