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Late June 2011 pics of my yard (part 2)

tropicalzone7
12 years ago

The deck is finished and all the plants are in their spots for the summer. Here they are!

My large spindle palm

Jamacian Pointestta growing out of semi-dormancy, mexican petunia (still no flowers) and my snake plant (just finished blooming)

Bougainvillea at night

My double peach hibiscus is blooming well. It usually gets more "doube" (like a peony flower) when the weather gets really hot.



Solitare palm

Croton

White mandevillea with at least 30 blooms today!

My Scott Pratt Plumeria cutting

My California Sunset Plumeria Cutting

Pixie lilies and Lantana going well together!

My passion vine had a rough time getting used to the outdoors, but it has more flower buds than ever and it should be climbing up the fence and blooming like crazy soon!

Sky glory vine. Its going to look beautiful if it flowers! You have to see some pics of this vine! They get to be giants in warmer climates. Hopefully it will get to a nice size here too.

White oleander

Pink Oleander

My new Hydrangea. I wish I had a nice spot in the ground, but at least it looks nice in a pot

I have some cannas in the big pot and the smaller pots all have sprouting elephant ears. In a month it should be really nice and full in this area.

My Sabal minor doing well!

Birds of paradise by the pool

My variegated plumeria "maya"

Plumeria Obtusa just coming out of dormancy (they usually dont go dormant, but mine wasnt so crazy about where it was indoors).

Plumeria "Pretty Princess"

My largest plumeria. Its in a new pot and its overdue to make some more blooms!

My plumeria Divine never dissapoints me. It should be starting to bloom in about a week

My Cape Jasmine stopped blooming for a while, but its doing better now.

My gloxina stays indoors all year long. It goes dormant during the winter and blooms in the summer!

My yellow hibiscus (possibly "hula girl")

My potted Queen palm

My musa velutina keeps on blooming! I think its self pollinating which means that these flowers should turn into bananas on there own.

The newly replanted ginger is starting to perk back up.

And I'll end this post with a pic of one of my Lantanas

Thanks a lot for looking! If you saw my part 1 to this then you may have seen some of these plants already, but these are all updated pics taken today.

-Alex

Comments (34)

  • Hunter_M
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow, Alex the spindle palm is another palm I want because I think it looks cool. How long didi it tae to get that big? Also, What Are the two palms on the right in your first pic? Nice plants!

  • statenislandpalm7a
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Nice pics your yard looks great. You really got alot of plumerias the variegated one looks interesting.

    What are the palm seedlings in the 3rd photo

  • tropicalzone7
    Original Author
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks Hunter! I got the spindle palm from a local nursery. I just loved the fat trunk and I had to get it. I used to have one that was smaller (off of ebay) and it did very well indoors. I think they really are one of the easiest palms to keep indoors and they are pretty cold tolerant too! I kept my little one outside one during a night that went down to 30F and it had no damage! Unfortunately that palm did die from scale. The palms you see in the first pic is a Livistonia. I also got those at a local nursery this year. They were selling them for only 25 dollars! They went pretty quickly!

    Thanks Dennis! I do have a lot of plumerias! I think I have 10. The palm seedlings in the 3rd photo are windmill palms. I got them off the internet about 5 years ago when I first started getting into growing cold hardy palms. They were suppose to be a foot tall, but it turned out that they were only very small seedlings that were about 6 months old the most so I kept them in pots. They are actually still in their original pots which is probably why they are still so small, but I kind of like them as small plants because they look nice in small pots and they are so easy to take care of too (I keep them in the garage all winter long with very little water and then I soak them in the spring. They are outside from early March to mid December which is more than 9 out of 12 months!

    Thanks for looking!
    -Alex

  • statenislandpalm7a
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Alex I would plant them in the ground

  • tropicalzone7
    Original Author
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I want to, but I dont really have a spot where they would really look nice, plus if I ever move away in the future, I would like to take as many plants with me as possible and who knows how big my plants in the ground will be by then.
    -Alex

  • statenislandpalm7a
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Alex Well you could always start over.

  • tropicalzone7
    Original Author
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have a feeling that that is what I will do. I will definitely keep the trachy seedlings in a pot for this year, but this winter I plan on protecting all my inground Trachys without heat so if they survive the winter well with just a garbage bin (like one of my trachys did this past winter), then I will put these 2 in the ground (probably in the shade since I think they look great in shady spots!).
    -Alex

  • Loveplants2 8b Virginia Beach, Virginia
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hey Alex...

    Beautiful pics as always...

    Those cuttings look great.... Congratulations on the rooting of the Scott Pratt...it is a very hard one to root!! The blooms on both are stunning!!!

    You will love ur California Sunset...

    Im so glad they worked out for you!!!

    Love to pay it forward!!!

    Take care...

    Laura in VB

  • tropicalzone7
    Original Author
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks Laura! The Scott Pratt wouldnt not root indoors at all, but it started rooting within a week of going outside. I thought it was a gonner, but it looks like it will make it! Im not sure if its rooting yet, but it is supporting itself now and its growing buds, so I think that is a great sign. I just looked at the some bloom photos of Scott Pratt and they are so nice! Im really excited. Its my first deep red plumeria!
    -Alex

  • us_marine
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Looks very healthy and happy :) I bet the jasmine smell really good. Mine are blooming like crazy and my whole yard smells like jasmine. Hows your coconut palms doing? They look happy, I bet they are loving it outside. :)
    - US_Marine

  • tropicalzone7
    Original Author
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks US Marine! The jasmine smells very nice! I really do love the fragrance of them! Its amazing how much of a scent such a small flower has! I first really came to like these plants when I was in Florida this past spring. They are very common in the Southeast! The coconut palms are doing great! They are both growing their first outdoor frond and they should be working on their second by the end of July. How are your coconut palms doing?
    -Alex

  • us_marine
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Yeah, they are pretty common here too. They attract many bees though, which can be a good thing.

    Bad news coming. :( The one outside died just before we reached mid 70f's in Jan which isn't a shock. However my oldest coconut palm died too. I am still trying to understand why. It was growing happy and healthy one day, then the next it was dying fast. What I believe happend is this, the root heating cabels failed and shocked the plant to death :( I dont even know if thats possible but I dug her up to see if she had root rot, I didnt see anything. The cabels were badly burnt and fell apart easily. The only thing they were touching were roots of the coconut palm and the soil around it. When I dug her up I was surprized to see how strong the roots were.

    I know for a fact it wasn't temps or watering because I havnt since just before winter. Temps outside were in the upper 70f's and low 80fs and inside was around 70f. I was just about to water too.The only other possibility is a disease or something. I don't see anything infecting palms around so its a mystery.
    I guess 4yrs,(this would be its 4th summer here), isn't that bad for my first coconut palm. Especially if her death was due to something I didnt do. I wont be using cabels for a while, lol. Even if it wasnt that, they were so close to possibly catching on fire. I hope it wasn't something I did, but I dont see what I could have done to have caused that.

    Anyway it won't be long before I get another one. Each time you try you learn and become wiser.
    - US_Marine

  • protempsfish
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Nice pics Alex! Whatever happened to your Betel Nut? I remember you posted awhile back that it wasnt doing to well but if it survived I would love to see what it looks like. They are one of my faves. Sorry to hear about your Coconut palm USmarine. Sucks when you lose one after having it for many years.

  • Hunter_M
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    US Marine, You are so lucky. The 70's in January?! Wow, Here in 5b or 6a Were lucky to get low 30's. I cant grow any palms here. :( Also I went to California a year or so ago. It was the 1st of Febuary and It was perfect there. Cali. is a beautiful state.

  • us_marine
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    @ protempsfish- Yeah, I did like this palm alot already.

    @ Hunter M- Well we usually dont have 70f's in Jan. Usually its the mid high 50fs for highs, and low 40fs at night. Yeah, California is interesting. Some common palms here are: washy's, cidp's, date palms, queens etc.

  • Hunter_M
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    eah, actually California is what sparked my intrest in tropical plants. I went to Orange county and I loved it. I also went into San Diego. I wish I knew what the palms in Orange County were but thet were really tall. Do you know?

  • us_marine
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Were the fronds fan shaped or feather like? If they were fan shaped, its a washy. Either washingtonia filifera, or washingtonia robusta probably robusta. If it had feather like fronds and was really tall it was probaby a Canary Island date palm. Another good question is how common were they?

  • Hunter_M
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Here are two pics of what I Think they are. They are really common:

  • brooklyngreg
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Nice pictures Ohio:)

  • Hunter_M
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Ha, I wish! Im trying to figure out what type these are.

  • us_marine
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Yeah, they are very common. Those are washingtonia robusta or mexican fan palms. They grow like weeds all over my yard.

  • Hunter_M
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    How hardy? Is zone 7a a possibillity for those?

  • tropicalzone7
    Original Author
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi protempsfish. Unfortuantely I had my betel nut palm for about 2 weeks. It was beautiful while it lasted, but I dont know what I was thinking getting such a tropical palm in October!

    Sorry to hear about your cocos US Marine. Yours survived much longer than many others who are trying them in Cali which is great for your first ones. It definitely could have been the heating cables.

    Hunter, those are definitely Washingtonia robustas. They are also extremely common in Central Florida (probably one of the most common palms in Central Florida). Its native to Mexico, but Washingtonia filifera is actually native to California. They grow very fast, but they are not hardy to 7a. However, with protection, you can definitely grow them. I hear lots of success stories from people who are in zones 7 and colder who heat these palms and have them grow back every year (with damage to the fronds, but it outgrows it by this time of the year). I think Virginia Beach is probably the fathest north that these palms even have a chance of surviving unprotected, and even there, they will be damaged and eventually killed (by a colder winter) unless given protection.

    -Alex

  • Hunter_M
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    If I do move to va. do you think I should try to grow them?
    Also, I know what you mean. I tried to buy my first cocos in January and I had it for about the same time you did. To bad because that cocos was my first ever palm tree.

  • us_marine
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Like tropicalzone7 said, on the east coast Virginia Beach is probably the furthest North they can grow unprotected. I believe they are 8b? On the west coast they grow as far north as the southern tip of Oregon. Interestingly, I am further North than Virginia Beach which makes me wonder why my area is as warm as it is.

    Thats a seedling I found in my yard. They grow like weeds here.

  • Hunter_M
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Aww, how cute! How much? lol.

  • tropicalzone7
    Original Author
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hunter, I would check ebay. They have nice 3 gallon sized washingtonias for 20 dollars including shipping and they are pretty good quality. They are dirt cheap in areas where they grow well. And US Marine, Virginia Beach is a zone 8b. But the same latitude on the west coast (about San Fran) is still a zone 10 despite much much cooler water temperatures. Unfortunately during the winter the wind blows offshore on the east coast which means that we dont get the moderating effects from the ocean as much as the west coast. In comparison to the east coast, the water temperatures on the west coast are much colder. During the summer, the water temperature here in NYC is usually the same or warmer than San Diego! I wish we were as mild as the west coast though. NYC would easily be a zone 9!
    -Alex

  • jacklord
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I would add that California benefits from 1) the fog serving as an insulation layer, and 2) the Sierras blocking cold winds. There are some other reasons as well, but that is the gist of it.

    Virginia Beach is on the ocean but also benefits from other bodies of water like the Chesapeake Bay and the James River. I believe the Gulf Stream as some effect there. Its only 2 1/2 to 3 hours from me, yet a different paradim as climate goes.

    It often comes down to whether or not the ground freezes. You get frost in the South and in California, but the ground rarely freezes and if so, not for long. Gives you a lot more options.

  • tropicalzone7
    Original Author
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I think thats really true about the duration the ground freezes. That definitely ties into the fact that duration of cold has a lot to do with how well plants do.
    -Alex

  • theyardman
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hunter M (OHIO),

    I grow saw palmettos and trachycapus fortuneii here in SE Michigan. I know that we are a pretty solid Zone 6A or 6B. I plant them at the southern location near the base of my house and they do just fine. I'm in my 4 year for one, and 3 year for two others.

    I know that SE MI can be a slightly more moderate climate than most of Ohio, esp. in the Winter due to our Lake Effect. On real cold outbreaks, Cincinatti can be way colder than Detroit. It's weird, but it's the position in which we get most of weather patterns.

    BTW, I also grown, 4 types of cactii, 3 kinds of bamboo, fig trees, bananas, and monkey puzzle trees. All in the ground year around.

  • bananatree94
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    @theyardman: i know you want other people to grow plants like you and thats great, but you forgot to mention that you protect the crap out of your palms.. i too live in SE michigan and i grow bamboo, cacti and musa basjoo, but i would never torture a palm by putting it through our winters. surviving isn't thriving.

  • Hunter_M
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi guys! I'm on vacation right now and I have some new additions to my plant collection! I didn't realize I had wifi here lol. I will post a message of my new plants when I get back.
    -Hunter

  • tropicalzone7
    Original Author
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I hope you are having a good time on vacation! Im looking forward to seeing what you bring back!
    Good luck!
    -Alex

  • Hunter_M
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks! I will be back sometime next week. I want to keep them a surprise. I think you will like some of them Alex. ;)

    -Hunter

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