PalmsNorth.com

I was at my local botanical garden the other day when I noticed they had planted a nice selection of tropicals plants next to one of the greenhouses. There are 3 good sized trachys, one needle, I think a yucca rostra, 2 crape myrtles, fig, camelia, acuba, ice cream banana, and two little gem magnolias with some fill in stuff. The first thing I was thinking was how cool that they were going to grow these plants. By looking at the green house I figured they must know what they are doing they are beautiful. So of coarse I needed to find someone to talk to about there recent plantings.

I'm glad I found him because he was under the impression that all the plants were hardy and needed no protection. I was kind of shocked that he said this and thought to myself they have no idea what to do with this stuff to get it throught the winter. So I felt like it was my duty to the beautiful palms to give him some information about them. Well after talking with him for quite some time I still don't think he believed me even after showing him pictures on my camera of my trachys. What a shame, the spot they are in gets a ton of wind too. The poor needle palm has no leaves aiming towards the windy side just wait til we get a nor easter. I will defiinetly go back and try to talk with someone else to see if I can convince them to protect them other wise they will all be dead. Towards the end of our conversation I told him that the bananas where going to die to and he said no there hardy bananas. Come on now Ice Cream banana is hardy but in SC not RI. I did tell him that too but in nicer words obviously, even though I was annoyed at this point. Here's some pictures of what I found. I wish I could dig some of them up and plant them in my yard, the camilia is beautiful probably a gonner too.
[IMG]http://i670.photobucket.com/albums/vv62 ... G_0798.jpg[/IMG]




Bill

It's amazing how much new information there is out there about cold hardy palms and how fast the science is moving.A lot of these nursery men etc,have read information thats 50-100 yrs old or more,isn't it sad to talk to someone who is supposed to know about (palms)plants and see that you are the one who is teaching them? I mean,I would really like it if some of these guys had some new info.When I took horticulture in college 20+ years ago,it was sad to see how many people were just memorizing info and didn't care to much about the plants.Just think how long these guys would have to study to catch up to us doing cold hardy palms! The internet and these palm(etc)forums have really pushed this ahead farther in the last 10-15 years then the last 100-150-at least as far as cold hardy palms go-
Anyone of our gardens are nicer than the cold hardy gardens(if they even have them)of Botanical gardens,I guess they figure it's to risky,they are after all supposed to be experts

It really is to bad. I like the fact that they are trying to grow new thing but like you said they need some new info for sure. I don't blame them as much as I blame the people who sold them the tree's.

Imagine how nice of a botanical garden we could make if the whole group of us lived in the same area. Now that would be something to see!

Bill

Yea,like if we all lived right around the area where the Botanical gardens are and nobody even went in because our yards were so much cooler

Yup those palms look so beat up from the wind, leaves fold inward along length from losing moisture to drying winds.

I certainly don't blame the people who sold them the plants...it's business after all.

Maybe head back after the first coldish snap and offer to dig them out and buy their "dead specimens".

Bill, what a nice sentiment.
That would be super...all of us in the same area, that'd be ONE GREEN VALLEY!
and the glow of Christmas lights at night in our plant "teepees",
and crawlin' around at 5 a.m. to make sure the plugs didn't trip out.

Barb

Good stuff Barb

You made me laugh Barb "the glow of Christmas lights at night in our plant "teepees"" I could picture it in my head.

Bill

Bill,heres a pic of what my yard looked like last winter,in case you never saw it

Have you ever looked into tree ferns? I noticed they have a fern in the first pic,probably not a tree fern but it got me thinking.They have similar cold tolerance to Washys but would handle a winter dormancy better.Google the Cold hardy tree ferns page and check out the info there.
I have a small D.cooperi.Part of the prob is finding a larger one but for bling factor in your yard these are right up there!

Heres my front yard last winter.
http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... ion010.jpg

Actually Bill, it was EXACTLY THAT NIGHT PIC of JIM's lit enclosures that I was thinking of ... and there JIM is giving the link right afterward
Sheesh, Jim, go buy a lottery ticket...you're psychic!

Did that look like a tree fern? I didn't think it was.
You wanna see beauty? Here's an Australian Grass Tree...

http://www.jungleseeds.com/images/XanthorrhoeaBB.jpg

Barb

I remember those pictures quite well Jim, I even showed my girlfriend so she could see that I wasn't the only one out there with a glowing yard. Good stuff! I can see you shovel snow around the bases of your palm huts too. I got lazy and started using the snow blower.




I think those were ferns of some sort, they didn't look all that impressive so I didn't really pay them much attention. I did also look into the hardy tree ferns but I couldn't seem to find any like you said at a resonable size, I might look a little harder this spring.

Barb I can't remember where I saw a picture of the grass fern but the one I saw was amazing. I think it was from Fla somewhere I'll look around and see if I can find it. I can remember thinking how awsome it was though.

Bill

Holy cow, the first snow pics (albeit from last year)

Clever technique.
Barb

Just to get away from that snow here's a cool pic of Tree Ferns.
They'd be worth a small fortune!

http://www.kingco.co.uk/images/bamboo-t ... /Ferns.jpg

Barb

Sorry about the picture I don't know what I was thinking, must have been lack of sleep. I'll post some make up pictures I promise.

Those tree ferns are nice for sure, if I could find some like that they would be added to the collection for sure.

Bill

Hey don't apologize for the pic!
It's been so freaking hot here it was almost good to see the snow...ALMOST

I couldn't justify spending near a thousand dollars for one of those.
It took me six months to tell my husband I paid $200+ for the bottle palm.

Barb

You guys are great!
Nice pics.
I saw some tree ferns like that for like 250 US,you would need to be in Europe though,still it would be cool to try one of those!
What was under your winter cover Bill?

Oh yea,that grass tree is awesome

I don't think it was a tree fern in Bills pic but it looked so lousy I thought they most be trying

Just teasing ya Barb! I knew you were kinding, it was a scary sight though.

Jim I just had my big trachy in there, it really got baby last winter but it payed off huge growing 2 and a half feet in height and a foot of trunk so far. The leave production is almost scary, one after another, they just keep coming. I counted 27 or 29 leaves total last week and a new one opened since then with three more on the way. The last time I fertilized was the beginning of July with carl pool, I guess I found my new favorite palm fertilizer. The two new ones got leaf tip burn from the same application but are kickin ass now. Hope one is a female so I can distribute Ma. seeds next fall to everyone.

Bill

Bill I`m constantly shaking my head after talking to owners of nurseries who tell me I don`t know what I`m talking about when I ask them to bring in yuccas and palms to PLANT here. After all they will never survive here right. I hope they do the right thing and use that space between their ears. The internet is the best encyclopedia in the world. GOOGLE!

John

I hear ya on that! This is our hobbie and we all take great pride in it, the guy looked at me like I was nuts when I was taking to him about protection. There's to many places giving just half of the information when they sell this stuff lately. Like basjoo bananas are hardy to zone 5, well yeah they are if you protect the crap out of them. Well at least we all know whats up, and I'm glad to help anyone out that needs help just like the rest of the people on this site if they want it. I'm not giving up on those palms yet though, we got a solid 3-4 months to protect windmills here so the head person in charge will be the next person I talk to even if I have to make an appointment.

Bill

Thats freak'n crazy growth! You know that palms got some carbs put away.
My fastest Trachys is pushing up leaf #8 after starting with 0! It sure is fun when they grow that fast!
I will try overwintering my Basjoos this winter,I have so many damn babies it doesn't matter that much if they bite it,althoug it would be cool to see what they can do with a well established root system.
I think with the winters we had before 2007 basjoos probably could make it(zone 5) through with a liitle mulch and a few banana leaves thrown over,not th last 2 years though.

Yeah that trachy is one healthy boy. I just measured 7 and a half feet to the top. Heres a picture for Mid April to Now. It grew a half a window or more, and burned the two new ones.





I would say 8 leaves starting with 0 is very impressive! Your summer temps are warmer then here by quite a bit I think.

With the basjoos I plan on cutting the stems at 6 feet or so and piling my 40 stuffed leave bags all over them, sprinkling some kind of rodent poision around here and there, and them cover with some kind of plastic to keep the rain/snow off them. Should work I think. I could always use the heat cables too. What difference dose it make if I get rid of the leaf bags in the fall or the spring.

Bill

Looks nice Bill
I think with that much insulation around those nanars you should be able to use the really small bulb lights(not leds) since they don't put off much heat,then again if you have heat cables under the nanars just the insulation should keep the roots to the good.

Bill, that is impressive.

At that rate, you'll want to move that hydro line next year.

Barb

Bill,are your nanars behind the stop sign Rowe Red?

Sorry guys I was vacationing with the great whites on Cape Cod the last 4 days. Water was 74 in Hyannisport not bad I guess, last year was warmer though.

Anyways the nanas behind the stop sign are zebrinas. Really ratty looking when I first planted from a small 10 dollar 2 gallon pot. It's midway up the stop sign now and the Orinco is up to the second floor window! I wasn't gone that long my god this stuff grows fast.

None of these have heat under them Jim only the basjoos out back and the washys. The rest need to go in the basement for winter storage. I think with the size of the 14' 6" orinoco I might get fruit next year if it over winters right. Orinocos are the easiest to over winter and I have a few big ones. Jim if you over winter your maurelli don't water hardy ever and keep as many leaves on it even if they are dead.

Bill