Search found 139 matches

by ROBRETI
Sat Oct 19, 2013 10:16 pm
Forum: Cold Hardy Desert Area
Topic: Whatchamacallit's red thorns
Replies: 8
Views: 6374

Could it be Y. gloriosa variegate by any chance?
Rob
by ROBRETI
Sat Oct 19, 2013 10:12 pm
Forum: Photo Gallery
Topic: Palm pics from my trip to Mexico
Replies: 17
Views: 9452

Hi Teebee,

Greetings from Oakville.
I think the plant that you asked about is a Pandanus sp. Not a real palm but can look like one. It may grow many trunks. Its fruit is used as 'kewra' water in the Indian cooking, it is quite fragrant.
It is a great house plant.
Take care,
Rob
by ROBRETI
Wed Jul 04, 2012 6:46 pm
Forum: Cold Hardy Palms
Topic: Sabal minor (Not Growing?)
Replies: 28
Views: 14681

Thanks Barb. And an excellent idea! It is like in the tropics, just wonderful... procided you can breath :lol:
by ROBRETI
Wed Jul 04, 2012 6:04 pm
Forum: Cold Hardy Palms
Topic: Sabal minor (Not Growing?)
Replies: 28
Views: 14681

Hi all, I have a couple of Sabals and a number of (dying) Rhapies. I do not protect them other than applying Freezeproof. Now, most of the needles have rotted away (except for the babies that sprouted from the bases and therefore lean to a certain extent) whereas the Sabals have lost all their leave...
by ROBRETI
Sat Jun 16, 2012 5:09 am
Forum: Cold Hardy Palms
Topic: Niagara Region (s. Ontario) Subtropical Lovers meeting (2012
Replies: 21
Views: 9682

Count me in!
by ROBRETI
Tue Mar 13, 2012 5:49 am
Forum: Cold Hardy Palms
Topic: My Trachy
Replies: 24
Views: 7935

Hi all,

Sorry to jump in uninvited :lol: Could it be that this is a Trachy that was grown under low light conditions and therefore grew longer than ususal petioles?

Rob (who killed his Trachy in Oakville, ON)
by ROBRETI
Tue Jan 03, 2012 8:12 pm
Forum: Photo Gallery
Topic: Visited John today
Replies: 15
Views: 6841

Thanks, Mike. It is just beautiful. Also, its leaves are quite large and look more oval than the regular variaties. Actually, your bush seems more exotic with that look. I have seen a couple of sturdy Pyracantha varieties in Oakville, South Ontario. If not trained, they tend to become leggy. I have ...
by ROBRETI
Mon Jan 02, 2012 7:20 pm
Forum: Photo Gallery
Topic: Visited John today
Replies: 15
Views: 6841

HAPPY NEW YEAR, everyone!!!!
Mike, can I ask you what that bush is behind the baby bananas? Pyracantha maybe?
Thanks,
Rob
by ROBRETI
Sat Jun 18, 2011 5:32 pm
Forum: Cold Hardy Palms
Topic: Giving up
Replies: 45
Views: 20750

Hi Erik, I am with you and I wish you all the best!!!! It must be challenging for you now, but I am sure that this extreme sturdiness of the US folks will just fly you through these tough weeks and you re-emerge as a new, happy and brave guy! I think wherever you go, your basic interests will follow...
by ROBRETI
Mon Jun 13, 2011 6:32 pm
Forum: Other Plants of Interest
Topic: A few photos from today........
Replies: 9
Views: 4780

I really love your yuccas, Tim!
Rob
by ROBRETI
Thu Jun 09, 2011 4:19 pm
Forum: Photo Gallery
Topic: Some Local Yuccas
Replies: 22
Views: 9779

I would tend to agree with Igor in that it looks like Y. recurvifolia. Will make a nice group.
Rob
by ROBRETI
Sun May 01, 2011 11:39 am
Forum: Germination
Topic: Beginning the germination process!
Replies: 623
Views: 665597

Hey Cameron, I waited until April to start with the euc seeds, thinking that they would grow too fast to be kept inside for long.... I used the simplest way: bought a cheap sprouting tray at Home Depot and have sown the seeds directly into the soaked peat bricks. I have kept the seeds in the fridge ...
by ROBRETI
Sat Mar 26, 2011 1:34 pm
Forum: Member Introduction
Topic: New to the forums
Replies: 23
Views: 20571

Hey Andy,

Welcome, my friend! Any pictures on your garden in its current state?
Rob (Oakville, ON)
by ROBRETI
Sat Mar 19, 2011 3:36 pm
Forum: Cold Hardy - General
Topic: Southern Magnolia after winter.......
Replies: 12
Views: 6081

Very beautiful! And nice size, too.
My Little Gem got brown all over, but first winter, pretty tough weather, etc...
I still have hope, because the shoots are flexible...

Rob
by ROBRETI
Mon Feb 21, 2011 4:42 pm
Forum: Cold Hardy Palms
Topic: Tulsa Zoo Sabal minor
Replies: 26
Views: 12948

Hi Erik, The obsession is mine! I just love its large, blueish leaves and wish that they survive my Oakville winter. I confirm that the snow cover makes wonders; I can see exactly how high it was, the leaves over that line turned brown whereas under it, they are so beautiful... The snow definitely h...
by ROBRETI
Mon Jan 10, 2011 10:13 pm
Forum: Cold Hardy Palms
Topic: WHat are your big plans for spring 11??
Replies: 67
Views: 21337

Way to go , Jacklord!!!! I hardly wait to see the pics. Palms and Camellias, oh man.... I guess Sabal would be fine in shade, eh?
Rob
by ROBRETI
Sat Jan 08, 2011 8:35 pm
Forum: Other Plants of Interest
Topic: zone 3 magnolia??
Replies: 12
Views: 13029

Good pictures, nice plant. The same page had a reference to zone 4, too, so I am not sure. But I tell you what. There was one famous botanist in Russia (Michurin) and tried to unheard of i.e. to grow apples trees in Siberia.... Winter can be very long and biting cold there, like -40 and below..... B...
by ROBRETI
Wed Dec 29, 2010 5:15 pm
Forum: Greenhouse & Outside Protection
Topic: Magnolia Update
Replies: 11
Views: 6771

Hey Scotty, Very beautiful plants, congrats! So, you had -15 C, eh? It was already kind of a good indication of what can be expected and they just sailed through it! A have a question: Did I see it right that you had clear plastic wrapped around the Magnolias? If yes, how are you going to prevent th...
by ROBRETI
Tue Dec 28, 2010 5:27 pm
Forum: Greenhouse & Outside Protection
Topic: Just some updates
Replies: 18
Views: 10417

Hi Erik,
Very impressie, good luck!
Rob
by ROBRETI
Mon Dec 27, 2010 11:06 am
Forum: Cold Hardy Palms
Topic: Early Winter Pics
Replies: 23
Views: 8249

I keep my fingers crossed, Paul!!!!
Rob
by ROBRETI
Fri Dec 24, 2010 8:01 pm
Forum: Cold Hardy Palms
Topic: Uninsulated palm enclosures
Replies: 42
Views: 18748

Wow, very cool Wxman! Way to go.
Rob
by ROBRETI
Thu Dec 16, 2010 6:25 pm
Forum: Other Plants of Interest
Topic: Overwintering Plumeria
Replies: 7
Views: 4292

Hi Mike, I once had a Plumeria; its fragrance is heavenly.... So, it grows in the wet tropics; knowing this helps a bit. Problem is, we do not have that much light in winter. It is natural for it to drop its leaves, but the shoots need to be fat/juicy. It will not shed all its levaes, though, but wi...
by ROBRETI
Thu Dec 16, 2010 6:19 pm
Forum: Greenhouse & Outside Protection
Topic: A possible aid in moisture reduction?
Replies: 4
Views: 3272

Yup, and this was one of the ideas of Dr Franko of the book "Palms won't grow here....." He suggested that we should try to fill the trunk top of a Trachy with some material and apply water repellents generously...
Rob
by ROBRETI
Thu Dec 16, 2010 6:11 pm
Forum: Cold Hardy Palms
Topic: spear pull
Replies: 25
Views: 13819

Hi all, This is my two cents: an older tree is more cold hardy i.e. it has thicker, sturdier cell walls. Also, its body is thicker with more protection material wrapped around its growth area. Comes frost and as it is with less winter hardy plants, the cold will try to destroy cell walls. If those w...
by ROBRETI
Thu Nov 25, 2010 4:17 am
Forum: Other Plants of Interest
Topic: Scale on Desert Rose
Replies: 1
Views: 4202

It sure is a beauty, Barb!
Those suckers... I hope the neem oil will take away the oxigen...
Rob
by ROBRETI
Sun Nov 21, 2010 5:32 pm
Forum: Cold Hardy - General
Topic: Some pics from today!
Replies: 24
Views: 10054

Yes, interesting pictures! I think the purple flower is a kind of mallow (Malvaceae family) The small evergreen shrub next to teh rosemary sure looks like one laurel; I would love to see how it will fight winter. The evergreen Viburnum - could it be the V. Rhytidophyllum or are the leaves too small ...
by ROBRETI
Sat Nov 13, 2010 5:36 am
Forum: Cold Hardy Palms
Topic: New Palms!
Replies: 22
Views: 8944

Good job, Paul! I myself drove there in June and was overwhelmed by the selection.... SO, I bought a Brazoria (very blue in the middle, if you check a couple of websites, you'll be amazed by its eventual size; a leaf can easily be 1.5 M in diameter....), 3 large lagerstroemias Tonto and a deep red o...
by ROBRETI
Mon Nov 08, 2010 5:11 pm
Forum: Other Plants of Interest
Topic: Please ID this ginger
Replies: 3
Views: 2900

Hi Canadianplant,

I might be mistaken, but it looks more like a Marantha....
I guess the ginger leaf would be a bit more elongated, but I might be mistaken....

Rob
by ROBRETI
Mon Nov 08, 2010 5:08 pm
Forum: Other Plants of Interest
Topic: Camellia japonica, sasanqua, oleifera and sinensis
Replies: 55
Views: 29830

Hi Mike,

Now that is a beautiful Camellia!!!! Can I ask you if you had changed the soil around it or is your original soil that airy? I have lots of clay and will need to make a complete soil change for my tea garden :cry:

Rob
by ROBRETI
Sun Nov 07, 2010 12:31 pm
Forum: Cold Hardy Palms
Topic: Has anyone tried araucaria angustifolia outdoor?
Replies: 63
Views: 26767

Hi all, Good luck with the Araucaria. as far as I remember, the most cold tolerant member of this family might be the A. araucana that lives in Chile and Argentina. There is a beautiful specimen in Niagara on the lake, which might be about zone 6b... As for the Wollemia, the one that the National Bo...
by ROBRETI
Thu Nov 04, 2010 6:27 pm
Forum: Cold Hardy Palms
Topic: Seeds vs plants
Replies: 59
Views: 19899

Erik, About 25 years ago, I made my thesis on the cold/winter hardiness. At that time, there was a research centre in North Japan, on Hokkaido that performed extensive studies in cold hardiness and in the related plant physiology. What they did was that they gradually decreased the temperature in th...
by ROBRETI
Wed Nov 03, 2010 5:24 pm
Forum: Photo Gallery
Topic: Pictures from Almaty, KZ
Replies: 10
Views: 5784

Hey Igor, Nice pictures, Spasibo.
Is your Hedera by any chance Hedera canariensis?

Rob
by ROBRETI
Tue Oct 19, 2010 7:24 pm
Forum: Photo Gallery
Topic: Photos of Vernon BC (North Okanagan) Canada
Replies: 9
Views: 5939

Yes, BC.... The land of my dreams, Barb!
Rob
by ROBRETI
Sun Sep 12, 2010 7:21 am
Forum: Other Plants of Interest
Topic: russian olive propagation
Replies: 5
Views: 4378

Hi Barb,

That's a great reference site, thanks!!!
Rob

Good luck , Candianplant!
Rob
by ROBRETI
Thu Sep 09, 2010 6:25 pm
Forum: Other Plants of Interest
Topic: russian olive propagation
Replies: 5
Views: 4378

Hi Canadianplant, I would wait until next June. (right now the shoots are already ready to be sleeping and are very woody, which makes the rooting slow or not possible at all) Then in June, I would make semiwood cuttings from its shoots (not fully hardened parts, but already showing sings of "w...
by ROBRETI
Sun Aug 15, 2010 8:30 am
Forum: Cold Hardy - General
Topic: Pushing the limits of cold hardiness..
Replies: 173
Views: 66701

Hi Canadian Plant! I myself am experimenting with fig in Oakville, ON, basically GTA. It grew like crazy in the summer. I am originally from Hungary, where we have only one growing period, say, until end of July and then all plants are simply getting ready for the winter. Here in Canada, I can't bel...
by ROBRETI
Sat Jul 10, 2010 6:53 pm
Forum: Anything Yucca
Topic: Yucca brevifolia
Replies: 269
Views: 750365

Hi Aron,

Your plants, your house and your environment is so cool! I love the adobe wall, the animal painting on the wall, the lights and of course, the Johua tree that looks extremely healthy and happy.
Rob
by ROBRETI
Thu Jul 08, 2010 8:16 pm
Forum: Photo Gallery
Topic: My gardens at home in Audubon, NJ
Replies: 17
Views: 7932

Hey Mike, What can I say? NJ = garden state, eh? Extra lush, beautiful garden, amazingly green thanks to your watering... The crape myrtle, is it the 'Hopi' variety? I have a 'Tonto' and three 'Red Spirits', all in buds, but no flower yet, good for you!!! I guess you just don't feel like going to wo...
by ROBRETI
Sun Jul 04, 2010 5:55 am
Forum: Cold Hardy Palms
Topic: Huge Trachy Growth & More
Replies: 27
Views: 10603

Hey Bill, This is lovely, so beautiful, so exotic! My favourites are still the ones around your house, like the Natchez, the bull needle, the Gardenias.... Man, I am turning green!!! However, one leaf is coming out on my S.minor after 3 months in the ground, which I account for as a success, ha-ha. ...
by ROBRETI
Thu Jul 01, 2010 7:19 pm
Forum: Photo Gallery
Topic: few pics from my cactus and yuccas garden
Replies: 8
Views: 6028

Very beautiful arrangement, artistic even!!!
Rob