Growing palm trees and other (sub)tropical plants up north. (growing plant, cactus)

[mdawg]

Originally Posted by ColumbusNEWb

No plastic? do you think it's safer without the plastic? such as the mulch and leaves stay warm but allows for the transfer of fresh air avoiding mold and such?

I use burlap and stuff it with pine needles, it keeps mold from forming because the pine needles dry out very quickly after it rains.

[Moth]

Originally Posted by ColumbusNEWb

No plastic? do you think it's safer without the plastic? such as the mulch and leaves stay warm but allows for the transfer of fresh air avoiding mold and such?

Not sure. My omission of plastic was more laziness than anything.

Actually, while I wanted to protect them, I also wanted to begin the acclimation process so they eventually do not need any protection. The mulch and leaves keeps them from freezing so an extra layer of plastic struck me as a luxury. Were I further north though, I would do it.

[si33]

..So, after a busy week, finally, i have a chance to catch up here and share some pictures of some of the newest members of the garden brought back from my recent trip to San Diego and Santa Barbra..

On this trip, my focus was mainly on specimen palms, And orchids rarely (as of this date) widely available to interested folks up in this part of CA. where many great Sub Tropicals have yet to be extensively tested..even though there are great examples of thriving specimen species scattered around the valley..( The Cambrian Park Coral trees come to mind..more on them later)

In the spirit of a true Plant-aholic, I was determined to come home with some rarer finds and indeed, i did..adding not only orchids and palm specimens but also a couple finds which id almost bet might be the first experimentals of their kinds for this area..

Now in all fairness, these two aren't exactly unheard of trials in a zone 9b climate..but here in the southern bay area..?

Anyway.. as for the palms, the three i picked up include:

Roystonea borinquena or the Puerto Rican Royal palm..a highland species which is showing promise in several California gardens...this one seems to tolerate our cool/wet winter soil conditions better then the more common Roystonea species..

This one is often called the Flame-thrower or Blushing palm because as the newest spear unfurls, it is often bright deep red..There is also another species which unfurls with yellow coloration..and some of this species (Chambeyronia macrocarpa) don't ever show red in the newest spear..still, it is a great New Caledonian species preforming well thus far in Southern Cal. and so far in trial gardens scattered around the bay area up here..

To the left ( in the picture) of this palm is one of my Tabebuia chrysotricha saplings..both of them were untouched this past winter when we hit 28 twice..and they were fully exposed. Attempting to germinate Tabebuia impetiginosa from freshly collected seed right now..Specimens of this species have been reported numerous times both here and in FL to withstand down to 18..so it might be a spectacular option for some in 8B gardens in the future..if not presently..

This species, Dypsis baronii,while similar to the more commonly known Areca palm (dypsis lutescens) has been reported by many growers down south to take the cold a little better. It also has more relaxed foliage and grows larger stalks then the Areca..It also is under trial in gardens around town..

As for the orchids, the specimens i aquired include several Laelias..a genera in the Cattleya alliance which come from Mexico and cooler regions of Brazil..and can handle temps. down to at least 26..with reports of L. anceps surviving 23!.. The brazilian specimens are also reported to take at least down to 28.. Regardless, all of them will have the protection of the patio roof in winter...and the dendrobiums have been there for years untouched..

Now, as for the others.. I picked up a few exotic fruit trees while in San Diego including a "Carrie" mango.., Strawberry Guava,..and these two:
Though just saplings, these two are true Allspice..can't wait for them to produce berries..and they can handle down to 26..though they will be covered if it drops below 33 this year..

Lastly, i picked up this little Jabatocaba..an interesting fruit tree in that the flowers/fruit are produced on the main branches/ trunk of the tree unlike most other fruit-producing tree species..The tree itself has smooth Crape Myrtle like bark..
The fruits look like large black grapes and taste about the same..It too can take down to 25 or so but it will be a few years before it starts to produce fruit..Still, what a neat addition to my list of experimentals..

One more thing, though i diddn't pick up one of these, i wanted to include a picture of one of my all time favorite palms Rhopalostylis sapida...or the Shaving Brush Palm..kind of sad this one won't do well in Florida.. strictly Californian..but then again, we rarely succeed with Adonidia..and coconuts are a holy grail event success here ..even in San Diego..so, its all fair

[si33]

Ok..since it appears as though most of the pictures i posted in my last post seemed to have mysteriously vanished..i might have to take new ones and post them...sorry about that guys..

Kind of intrigued as to why they aren't showing up..even though when i look at the post..the attachments are noted.. very strange indeed

Oh, and just to update..my Gold Medallion tree planted last year is getting ready to flower..and yes, i will share pictures.. Just hope they too don't vanish into the same place these seem to have gone...

[Moth]

Seems like some good finds si33. I am sure you will do well with them.

[United_Caps_Skins_Fan]

Tennesseestorm, Sorry to hear / see your windmill is in such bad shape. Did it ever put up and new growth? I know many a palm that has come back from spear pull. Im not sure that it was so much the temps that caused your damage as it was freezing moisture down in the crown. Sometimes that can do it. I know last winter here was the coldest since 1996. I measured a low of 9F about 5 times at my place. My windmill seemed unphased by it. My windmill was just in a large pot, directly on the ground,and the pot was inside of another pot, and that was wrapped in plastic, and the trunk was wrapped in plastic very loosely. That was it. No additional protection was provided. a couple of the fans suffered some freeze damage but that was it. nothing else happened and it put up 5 nice new fans this summer.

Well I hope yours has recovered/ will recover, if not, well glad to see you have not given up! Best of luck!

[terriroy]

Well, here is my situation....I totally understand your point about "if you want those plants, stay there"...but my situation is we HAD to move- husband's job transplant....we go back to FL several times a year to visit our family and friends and I LOVE the tropical plants...so I am going to plant some here in NC so I can enjoy them year round....BUT I also plant plants that are native to NC....I want to enjoy both...lol...my house is also a mixture....much nautical stuff, florida stuff, as well as Americana in the kitchen, etc. I feel I can have both and mix the old with the new! Blessings!

[Moth]

Originally Posted by terriroy

Well, here is my situation....I totally understand your point about "if you want those plants, stay there"...but my situation is we HAD to move- husband's job transplant....we go back to FL several times a year to visit our family and friends and I LOVE the tropical plants...so I am going to plant some here in NC so I can enjoy them year round....BUT I also plant plants that are native to NC....I want to enjoy both...lol...my house is also a mixture....much nautical stuff, florida stuff, as well as Americana in the kitchen, etc. I feel I can have both and mix the old with the new! Blessings!

No worries. A great many of the palms you see in Florida are not native. Same with California.

[arctichomesteader]

I've got dwarf citrus trees growing indoors in Vermont. Bananas and some others are also possible. You can have tropical plants in the North, but you'll need to keep them indoors when it gets cold. I like tropical plants myself, but I could never live in the tropics (too warm).

[Infamous92]

Here's a Windmill Palm (I think?) pic I took this past March outside a McDonalds in Queens, NY (zone 7b/8a).

http://i892.photobucket.com/albums/ac127/HS55/c107ba99.jpg (broken link)


Not too far away I saw some Majesty Palms and a Canary Island Date Palm.