Hey Vince!!!

I did see a beautiful Foxtail on the eastern shore at the Produce stand. The one at the 13 bypass and route 13...(emailme if you need the name and phone number...i dont think i should put the name on the forum...) They did have great sale on their palms and i couldnt resist stopping in. They were selling a BEAUTIFUL FOXTAIL for 250.00 It was at least 20 feet tall. My mouth was drooling. Its so bad that the owner knows me by name!!!! LOL..He had two on the lot along with many other different palms as well as other plants/trees. He has a huge sign out front.."Palm Sale" He is trying to get rid of all thst he has left before the season ends.

I asked him about the huge Foxtails and who would buy them that size. He said that he has customers that come from Ocean City that put them in and then let them go for the season. I was stunned, speechless actually. I just shook my head and said that i couldnt believe it.

The sad news is who and where can they be stored? Who has a place for them in our area to keep them alive?

I was speecless when i saw them. You might want to give them a call if you are looking for something special. It might be worth the drive for you if they have something that u want.

Im so glad that you found a great buy.

Makes u feel great when u get a great buy on something that you have been watching.

I did pick up a small palm when i was there... ill post a pic soon. The bad news is that i had to have DH help me unload it when i got home. He just gave me the look..and said...."What are you going to do with this?" LOL...

Did i tell you that i cant hear well? LMAO!!! I just said that i would find a spot...LOL!!!

Hope all is going well with you. That was so nice of you to give a palm to your neighbor!!!

Take care everyone!!!!

Laura in VB

Nice find! The Lowes and Home Depot here never seem to have sales. I gave up looking because the plants there are way too over priced (I went to a HD out on Long Island and found great deals, but no luck at the ones here).

I havent done any planting recently. Everything is slowly getting ready for winter, but things are all still growing fast. Im hoping for a papaya flower before frost, and I think I might get one! The bananas are still putting out a leaf per week and the Trachys grow their fastest this time of the year so they are doing great.

I already have so many ideas for where to put things next year! My potted philodendron's leaves are very light green, so I think Im going to plant it in the ground next year, and I plan on getting another brugmansia and moving my Musa Saba to the pool area where it will get much more sun and heat than the spot its in currently.

The only good thing about winter is that you get to plant thngs over again. I think that if I have a year long growing season, things would get over crowded pretty quickly since the plants are already getting huge and are competing with each other for space and light (and so far they are all winning).

Hi Laura! What palm did you buy? Looking forward to seeing a pic from it! The nurseries here are all finished with palms, but figs and agaves seem to be popular buys this time of the year at the nurseries. Lots of nursuries also have ornamental grasses now and I even saw one or 2 trachys at one of the nurseries. Fall is here. I cant wait until next spring already, but Im glad that there is still a good month of good plant weather before things start going downhill.

I think Im going to post an update soon!
Good luck with your palm purchases!
-Alex

Laura, I barely have room inside for one potted majesty palm let alone a 20 foot tall "bargain". My whole rationale in buying a variety of hardy palms is to keep everything outside and in the ground. The beautiful needle fits my parameters.

Home Depot and Lowes both carried hardy palms this year here. First time I've seen that. Good varieties and good prices too.

I'm always amazed by the numbers of tropical palms that are planted by hotels, golf courses, surf shops and the tourist trade each summer in Ocean City, MD and along our Delaware Beaches. They die each year, although queen palms have an edge and sometimes make it to January here. Shame they don't invest in a few hardies along with the tropical. Mostly ignorance I guess. Most people here don't realize there are such things as hardy palms and bananas. Most don't realize what planting zone we are in.

Thanks for the tip, Laura.

The last few years I have been waiting for the end of season palm sales at Home Depot and Lowes near me.

Rhapidophyllum hystrix (needle palm) and Sabal Minors go directly in the ground as I have found they will survive the winter here even planted late.
Tracycarpus (windmill palm) and Butia Capitata (Jelly palm) types go inside the house and over-winter there to be planted out in the Spring so that they will have extra time to get settled in before the next Winter.

I planted out a needle palm and a windmill palm mid fall last year- the Windmill palm was heavily damaged and eventually died,(even though it was covered with a plastic sheet structure) on the other hand the needle palm was completely unprotected and it survived practically undamaged.

Where you located Crispy? I'm on the Atlantic Coast of Delaware. I had some minor damage to two Windmill Palms last winter, probably from two cold nights in the mid to upper teens (17? 18?). I've had windmills in for six years and it was the first time I've ever seen cold damage. One routinely gets beat up if we get snow as snow slides off the metal porch roof and onto the one palm. Bounces back every year, but it is smaller than its companion palm on other side of steps.

It's rare for us on the immediate coast to go below 20 at any time during winter, but a few miles inland, it often is 10+ degrees colder on a winter night.

Damage to the windmills wasn't apparent until they started to grow in April and several new fronts dropped off fully green and part of a spear dropped too, but didn't pull. Thankfully, they both recovered nicely this summer.

Yes, recently planted a new Windmill last weekend. Was going to hold off, but it's on the south side, next to house, in a corner--so really protected. The area actually gets most sun in late Fall and Winter as it's currently shaded by a Japanese maple. Fall is 'normally' pretty mild so I think it'll be okay. I have come around regarding Needle Palms. Didn't used to like them, now I love them! Last Winter my Trachys also were damaged--Needles, no protection, no problems. The Needles are also in a location too hot for the Trachys. Cool thing about them too is that they sucker freely.

Love the bushing nature of the Needles. Same reason I love the Euro Med Fans and planted 3 this year as an experiment. We'll see if they survive. I planted six other needle palms this year too. Great thing about buying hardy palms at Lowes and Home Depot is that they have a one year guarantee. If they die, I get my money back.

Hello Everyone,

HI Vince....

Alex,

I have been so busy and i forgot to reply to your question on the palm that i picked up at the produce stand.

It is a Pygmy Date Palm. I really got a deal on this baby, it really needs to be repotted because it looks like the root ball is the only part left in the container. It is about 3 feet tall maybe a bit larger than that. But for the price ( 40.00 ) i couldnt pass it up!!! He was twisting my arm and i had (HAD) LOL.. to buy it!!!

I will have to repot this soon. It is very big for me to mess with, but i will have help to repot this bad boy!!

I did have a pic of this somewhere, it looks like the Photobucket wizard missed it!!! : ) But , i will take a pic and post one for you here.

Thanks again and i need to go and visit your thread on you end of the season pics...

Its always a joy to see what you have done and what your yard looks like.

Great JOB!!!

Vince,

I hope you get a chance to talk to Brent, he is very helpful and he might have something that you might like...

Take care,

Laura in VB

Hey wetsuiter,
Sounds like a good deal on the Rhapidophyllum hystrix (needle palm). They can be pricey at larger sizes.
Cold hardy palms need to be planted in the warm Spring so they are well estalished before winter. Needles are hardy and should be fine, I'd cover it this year. I'll be surprised if the med fan palm makes it. I'd advise them to cover it or move it inside until Spring and then plant it facing south of their home.

Good finds. I found a marked down Pindo for $20 at HD last year. I have it potted. Its the back up should the one in the ground ever croak.

And I planted a Trachy in late Oct or early November. Another sale find. I had it wrapped a couple of weeks later.

I've advised my friends to cover the med fan this winter especially since its gone in late. They didn't plant it exactly where I suggested -- tucked in their protected pool area out back or nearer the house. Instead, its out front with southern exposure, kinda where I have my Med fan too, but theirs is not as protected. If it survives, it'll be beautiful where it is planted. I have my Med fan in a microclimate in front of my porch and tucked in between two large camellias which will block the palm from the wind.

Hopefully they will follow your advise to cover it. If its planted on the southside, that is good, but without any protection from wind and moisture its "ify".