Moving forwardfurther to the East off Ukraine...

[igor.glukhovtsev]

I'm Igor (sounds like the Igor Huricane swept the NE of America or Igor Larionov, the former NHL Star) from Almaty, Kazakhstan. To be a kind of new person at the gardeninf at the edge I like those people who are craisy about making the things come through. I wish to follow you guys. I'm not growing the palms yet 'cos the palms won't grow there... but anyway...I've used living in North York (Toronto) for a few years so I defenetly have some ideas what the NE America climate is. And it would be rather good sharing some experience in growing the stuff either in the Great Toronto area or in place I live now. Thanks to everybody who is sharing their experience at the PalmNorth resource as well as at the Ukarainian one promoting these craisy things over the former Soviet Union countries. Cheers!

[lucky1]

Wow, you're at 43o N...you could grow Trachy, Needle palms with little problem, I bet.
I'm at 50.25oN so it's a struggle, even with an el Nino winter last year.

Are there any palms or yuccas that you've seen growing in your city in Kazakhstan?
It would be great to see photos of plants in your area.

Tell us more please.
Welcome aboard.
Barb

[igor.glukhovtsev]

Thanks Barb for welcoming to the Forum! We start chating last night (the Kazakh time of course). Actually Kazakhstan is not the best country to grow quite unusiual plants for this part of the world. By the way I have four species of Yuccas to be grown at my place. Yu.filamentosa is the common here. There are two varietis of this one namely the Golden Sword anf the Bright Edge growing in my garden. Yu.glauca is the one I brought from Toronto. It's rather small plant but I hope it won't rot here. I have a negative experience with a few of the glaucas rotted completelly in the past. Yu.recurvifilia is doing well being covered in February. Otherwise it feels uncomfortlly under the late winter sun. Yu. gloriosa variegata has 50% chance to survive because of the late spring frost that we have every end of April or the beginning of May. I'm quite new with the palms - strarted buying some specimens this month. I need some time for creating my palms collection. I grow Aucuba for 15 years as well as some Phylostachys I would not able to identify yet. Fuchia megllanica, some cold hard cacti, Laurus nobilis are among the plants growing in my quite big garden... So I'm looking forward for collecting more plants growing at the edge.

[lucky1]

Igor,

Good to hear what you're growing and planning to grow.
Someone here has a Bright Edge yucca, the picture was very lovely.
And the flowers of Y.glauca are so beautiful (Aaron of Desert Zone posted his photo).

It sounds as though you need to protect yuccas (and any new palms) from moisture and late winter cold.

Looking forward to seeing photos of your garden and plants.

Barb

[TerdalFarm]

Igor,
welcome!
I would like to visit Kazakhstan some time. My brother and his wife have been there.
If you can grow Aucuba and Phyllostachys, you are doing well. Both grow in Oklahoma but I have trouble with them.
How is your climate? My assumption is hot and dry in Summer and cold in winter. If so, Barb would be a great resource.
There are several cold desert palms (Brahea, Nannorrophs, Trithrinax, Washingtonia) for you to try if I am right, but all would need some protection from the coldest of winter.
--Erik

[hardyjim]

Good luck Igor!

[BILL MA]

Welcome aboard Igor!!

[igor.glukhovtsev]

Thanks to everybody! I know it's not common seeing the guy who lives the thousands miles away from the Americas! I like the place I live. I love the Torontian fall but the Almaty's spring is much impressive one. A lot of sunshine, the frost expectation even in May. The hight mountains and the hot sand desert nearby. Just two hours driving from the gletchers down to the desert. The winter is cold (January mean average is minus 8C) and summer is warm (July's average is 24C). Nobody grows palms here 'cos" the palms would not grow in Almaty". I wish I'll do that. I started with Fuchias, Aucuba, bamboos and cacti 20 years ago. They are still doing well. Palmsand Bananas are the other turn in my life in Kazakhstan. Of course I'm gonna post my garden pictures shortly.

[TerdalFarm]

Looking forward to those photos!
If you can grow Aucuba and bamboo, you are doing well.
The Mazari plam (Nannorrophs) native to Afghaniston sounds like a good one to try. I only have one small one, but they look nice. You would still want to protect it in winter. --Erik

[igor.glukhovtsev]

It's funny but the south east of Kazakhstan and the area I live in is a rather wet corner of the region. My place is located at the altitude about 1000 m above the sea level. We have a very humid May and June, quite dry July and August. My the 15 years old Aucuba is doing well but the Phylostachis sp. (I could not identify it yet) is only 3 m height has being growing 20 years at one location. Hydrangia macrophyla is blooming ocasionally. I'm very new in the Palms growing. I'm planning plant outdoor a couple of them next spring. And of course I need to find either the seeds or the seedling of the most hardy palms species in a future.

[lucky1]

Igor,
I've ordered from RPS once, and was satisfied with the speed of shipping.
Might be a little late in the year to mail seeds, some are affected by frost.

There might be other suppliers too.

http://www.rarepalmseeds.com/index2.shtml

[TimMAz6]

Welcome Igor......try some hardy Yuccas in your climate!!!

[igor.glukhovtsev]

Tim, thanks for greetings. I'd love to try some truncked species. Perchaps I would order quite mature plants from the Netherlands. This country is only the source the Kazakh suppliers import the plants from. I hate waiting for several years sowing the seeds. I might be wrong please advice.

[hardyjim]

Is your weather sticker right,as of Friday -Oct 22?

Is it still snowing?

[igor.glukhovtsev]

Yep... Almaty is located on the various altitudes . My place is about 1000 m above the sea level and there is a good blancket of snow already. An airport where a weather station is located has a lower altitude.and the snow is melting there. Tomoroow morning I expect higher temperature at my place opposite to the airport area. My place microclimate is a little bit milder.

[canadianplant]

Wecome igor!!

PEople will always tell you palms wont grow here. The only way to know, is to try yourself. Chamerops might have some natural populations around there. if you have dry winters, the mazari palm should do wel there.

Post some pics of your yard... it sounds right nice

[igor.glukhovtsev]

Thanks the Canadianplant! Unfortunately I've never been in NWOntario. I had a chance visiting only a few places above Toronto - Algonquin Park and Muskoka. I will defenetely post pictures from my garden in the nearest future, as soon as winter comes. My garden looks quite different than any Canadian backyard. There is no the turf, no the desk, no the BBQ in the garden. Just trees AND shrubs... Any way I'm gonna share with pictures and ideas what kind of the "growing at the edge plants" would or won't possibly grow there...