Late fall update. Still only had a very light frost here.

[wxman]

Coldest temperature so far this season has been 33.7. Very light frost on the grass and rooftops. Cleaned up the yard today so I decided to take some pictures. Hoping for a warm winter with minimal snow!

Overall front yard shot. Bare and ready for spring.



Yucca color guard and cleaned up perennial bed. All cutback, awaiting springs warmth. Beds freshly edged and grass nicely mowed



Magnolia 'edith bogue' and yucca color guard.



Rhododendron loaded with flower buds for the spring.



Mountain laurel nice and evergeen.



My prized trachycarpus fortunei.



My other trachycarpus fortunei.



My potted trachycarpus wagnerianus. Marigolds still blooming -- no hard frost yet to take them out!



Thanks for looking!

[sashaeffer]

Beautiful yard you have! Were all enjoying this mild fall were having and enjoying our palms and flowers more.

Scott/Omaha

[TerdalFarm]

We've had a 29 this month and a 30 last month so you're doing better than we are up there. Hope for your sake that keeps up all season!

But to be real: when will you cover the windmill palms?

[sashaeffer]

I have 7 total windmills, three of which are seedlings(two in 3 gallon pots, 1 in the ground..and doing the best. All bought at the same time off Ebay) Other 4 are larger. All but one are in large pots that I will bring in garage for the winter, while I "experiment" with the other two.

The seedling I want to train to be be more hardy and currently have him surrounded by a plastic barrel I got from work that I will wrap the outside with layers of bubble wrap, surrounded by bags of leaves I've been collecting for it, and my banana's that I'm protecting the same way.

The seedling has 6ft of heat tape around root ball, and inside of barrel has string of 25 C7 Christmas lights plugged into a Thermocube. There has been a few mornings where I've seen the lights on, so know everything electrical is working. I also have seedling mulched pretty heavy as well. I will be putting Styrofoam panel over the top when it gets colder.

Other bigger palm has a structure of PVC around it, heat tape and will have christmas lights as well.

Both have Freezepruf sprayed on them as well, and will spray crown with fungicide when I button them up. Not sure what more I can do than that!!

From what other members in cold climate states have told me is to wait till temps tend to stay in the lower 20's before closing up for the winter, so my hope is weather holds at least to Thanksgiving.

[hardyjim]

Trachys are looking good Tim-

It will be interesting to see how your Colorgaurd Yucca do
this winter if they are covered/or not by snow this winter.

I removed mine from the front of the Cactus bed so,they
are on their own this year....we'll see if they really are a
zone 5/6 plant....TBC

[lucky1]

Look how that leggy Trachy has settled in nicely, not looking so leggy any more.
Great growth on them both this year, Tim.

Scott, nice pic of barrel protection for your Trachy.
I like the suspended lights versus laying at the base.

Barb

[canadianplant]

I love how the yard is slowly loosing lawn, and gaining planting area....

Everything looks quite good. My yucca filamentosa (bright edge) made it here with no protection at all, even from moisture. If i remember, "coulour guard" is a type of filamentosa, so they should be good.

What kind of Rhodo is that? It looks like my "Helikkii", and looks good too!.

OF course that trachy never ceases to amaze me. It looks like it got really wide this year!

[wxman]

We've had a 29 this month and a 30 last month so you're doing better than we are up there. Hope for your sake that keeps up all season!

But to be real: when will you cover the windmill palms?

I'm 3 miles west of Lake Michigan. My frost dates are almost a month better than areas just 15 miles west of me. West Bend, WI which is 12 miles west of me had a freeze (32F) on September 16th this year and several more since! My average last frost date here by the lake is April 20th or so and the average first frost is October 20th or so.

I probably won't cover my trachys for several weeks yet. If the Euro weather model is right we'll be well above normal right through the first week of December.

Both have Freezepruf sprayed on them as well, and will spray crown with fungicide when I button them up. Not sure what more I can do than that!!

I never put anything on my trachy before closing them up. I think if Freeze pruf gets in the bud area it will induce rot.

Trachys are looking good Tim-

It will be interesting to see how your Colorgaurd Yucca do
this winter if they are covered/or not by snow this winter.

Thanks, Jim. I think colorguard yucca are hardy to zone 5. You think I should cover them with a rose cone this winter, or is that inviting trouble? They are where most of the driveway snow goes, so if I don't do something they will end up flat. Maybe at least ziptie their leaves vertical?

Look how that leggy Trachy has settled in nicely, not looking so leggy any more.
Great growth on them both this year, Tim.

Thanks, Barb. I cut all the leggy fronds off this year as new growth has replaced them. I couldn't wait until they died naturally, lol. Now I can let it fill out like the other one. My older one has 25 fronds (counted yesterday). It seems the more fronds you can retain on them, the faster the vertical growth is. My older one really took off this year!

I love how the yard is slowly loosing lawn, and gaining planting area....

Everything looks quite good. My yucca filamentosa (bright edge) made it here with no protection at all, even from moisture. If i remember, "coulour guard" is a type of filamentosa, so they should be good.

What kind of Rhodo is that? It looks like my "Helikkii", and looks good too!.

OF course that trachy never ceases to amaze me. It looks like it got really wide this year!

Thanks! Yes, the yard is slowly disappearing. Maybe one day all that will be left is grass paths! My rhododendron is 'Catawbiense Boursault'. Picked it up this spring from my local garden center. I have noticed yellowing along the leaf edges in the last few months. Thought it was iron deficiency due to too alkaline soil, so I mixed some peat moss in the top layer of soil and applied a foliar spray of chelated iron, but the yellowing still remains. Take a look below:





Older leaves still look good though.



I'm having a hard time believing now that it is chlorosis due to iron deficiency from too alkaline soil because the chelated iron spray didn't cure the problem and the yellowing doesn't leave behind just green veins like chlorosis would. Any experts on rhodos? Could use some help.

It is loaded with flower buds for next year, so it can't be too sick. I dunno.

[canadianplant]

You would have to ask PaulOnt, hes the Rhodie expert (literally). I planted my rhodie in peat mixed with native soil. I multched with pine needles, and coffee grounds, and top dressed it with 2 inches of peat.

The way I see it (its a guess), is that the treatments you described, may only effect the new growth. Im guessing this, only because the old growth is uneffected.

[TimMAz6]

Hit 21f this am......... I Have not protected bananas or palms yet. I hope my Washy is ok. PS, your plants look great!

[CTPalm]

The Palm on the right looks like it grew a lot this year! Cute little potted waggies.

Paul

[Okanagan desert-palms]

Tim your Trachy`s are putting on some serious growth! Thanks for sharing those pics.


John

[lucky1]

Rhodos need really acidic soil (5.0 or even less).
I'd hit it with Miracid in the spring (or Ammonia sulphate/aluminum sulphate).
Bet that fixes it.

By the way,

I never put anything on my trachy before closing them up. I think if Freeze pruf gets in the bud area it will induce rot.

I'm with you there Tim.
Think that's what killed my planted NainiTal a few years ago...that and a bloody cold winter.
Where I had applied the Freeze Pruf the leaves went necrotic and crunchy first
But, to be fair, I applied it at just below freezing temps...which isn't what label instructions advise.

Barb

[TimMAz6]

Regarding Rhodo's......every other house has one around here......I agree with Barb.....they need acidic soil to thrive. I don't see those yellow edged leaves around here. Try to drop the soil pH. We have Hydrangea around here too......if your soil is acidic the Hydrangea blooms will be blue.....if the blooms are red your soil is too basic (not acidic).