Everything looks great Greg-
The energy eff bulbs don't produce much heat if I'm thinking of the same kind,holiday lights would work well-25(c-7 or 9) are equal to 125wt bulb,you can always unscrew some if it gets to warm.
I would open the vent anytime it's over 30F and sunny possibly less.Make sure you have a thermometer or sensor(out of direct sun)in there so you can keep track of temps.It's easier to fry them then for them to get to cold so,make sure you keep a close eye on those temps.It won't take long to get the hang of it!

B.T.W.
If your leaves touch the plastic anywhere they will contact the same temps there are outside.

Good luck-Great success!
Good luck! Great success

Great tips Jim. Maybe I will use christmas lights instead. So if they get too hot that can be really bad?

My back yard does get some strong winter sun some days. I'll vent it when its over 30*

Here is one of my trachycarpus, the first photo is on March 2007, it first winter here in Brooklyn. It made it but it really looked bad.

Photo #2 March 2008, The palm did real good with only Mulch. All the leafs stayed green.

Photo #3 "third winter" March 2009 It did fair, alot of the leafs had burn on then, but did better than the first year.

Photo # 4. This is a Italian Wall Lizard in my back yard. This is the first year I saw them running around. I search the internet and found out these lizards have been on Long Island since the 1960"s and is now spread into the NYC area.

Photo #5 The same trachycarpus "summer 2008"

Shout out to Shawn in NYC -
OK OK that's a bit of local slang.

There you go - trackys can really do well in Brooklyn, but I think its best to cover them from ice and frigid nites so the leaves do not have to start all over every season and the plant is less stressed to recover - plus a bad winter might do it in without any protection.

The Lizard. THat is odd. I found a small ring snake trapped by my front door steps. And two weeks later another one! I live in Park Slope between 4 and 5th Aves and its densely urbanized and hardly any green space except our backyards (courtyards) for those who have not sold to hi-rise developers (thats another story). Snakes and now a lizard - people let them go from pet stores I suspect. I placed the snakes in the back yard hoping they were male and female and with the palms it should be a real Oasis :-)

Whats up!! Brooklyngreg
LOL! I live along the "R" line also LOL!

I live in Sunset Park, the lizards might be here to stay. In July I counted 6 lizards in one spot. They are very hard to count, they move so fast. So it might be more than 6. The day before yesterday I counted 4 in one spot. I read on a website these Italian Wall Lizard are speading slowly by using the LIRR tracks & other means. Here are some more photos of my plants & lizards:

Great pics. I like the lizards, but havent seen any by me yet. I did once see a huge snapping turtle, and their are a ton of praying mantesis, but nothing else thats unusual.

Apparently their are blue herons in the area, but Ive never seen one.

Good luck and thanks for sharing the pics!

Everything looks great!
Thanks for posting your pics

Howdy Neighbor,

I live on the border of Sunset Park and Park Slope. Your Palms and other tropicals look great and healthy. Where did you buy them? I would like to introduce those wall lizards to my courtyard, we need some extra wildlife. Are you living in Brooklyn long?

I would like to introduce wall lizards to my area too...but you might need a permit.

I looked them up and found out they come from warm parts of Italy and will die if frozen, but they make it through long islands winters well because they burrow into the soil where it stays above freezing (I think they said about 10 inches). They dont think they will be able to spread much farther north, but they are afraid it will take over our native lizards (which are very few in number). They have apparently spread about 50 miles from where they were originially introduced in only 50 years (a mile a year?). I dont think these lizards are very widespead though, I think that they are only in some neighborhoods, but strongy populate them.

Ive always associated lizards with warm humid florida, and we associate florida with the tropics! (and disney world, Defiantely cant leave that out). But if lizards are more widspread in our gardens, it would defiantely add an even more tropical effect.

Another thing brooklyn has that are tropical are parrots (quaker parrots). Ive heard about them, but never seen any. They come from Argentina, and there are alot of stories about how they got here, but the most believeable one was they were accidentally introduced. Now they are all over brooklyn and nest on the powerlines which keep them warm. They are apparently not too fond of freezing weather (they probably can handle quite a bit of it thoguh), but since NYC usually doesnt get below freezing all day (although it happens) they probably can leave their nest for food even during the winter months (thats just my guess). They've been around since the 1960s so they have endured some below 0 temps. Also they can be very good talkers!

Good luck.

shawn NY nice yucca and palms. nice pics

brooklyngreg nice palms also. How long have you had the S. minor? looks very nice. nice pics

tropicalzone7 we have those parrots here also. Same urban legend about how they got here. Trust me they are a pain in the behind. Loud and noisy and they eat everything. They dont care about cold there nest like a beehive there all in one. I guess the more bodies in one nest keeps them warm.

I've heard they can definately be a pain (big downside). The power companies seem to have alot of problems with the nests because they weigh down the power lines, but some people dont want to get rid of them because we used to have a native parrot like that in our area, but it became extinct (pretty sure when people started settling here).

They sound like one of those birds that are better to see in pictures then in your backyard. At least they dont seem to like spreading around too much unlike lizards (but so far the lizards dont seem to have a downside other than possibly damaging the popluation of native lizards). The parrots also make good house pets (and probably arent as loud if they arent around other birds).

Good luck

I'd love to have an Italian wall lizard - to go with my more or less Mediterranean look - - I've got about a zillion little Carolina fence lizards (anole) though - I inadvertently created a lizard paradise with some rockwork. I love the little guys so I did more rockwork.

Mike
Try and get a picture of one sometime
I used to hear stories about Parakeets living in the St.Louis area when I lived there.I only saw one once,it was summer,it probably escaped )-:

Heys guys and gals,

Those Brooklyn Parots flyover my house everyday just about. There's a site called something like brooklyn parots for them easily googled. They are super smart and many folks here feed them and like them because New Yorkers are starved for wildlife - especially somehting exotic like wild parots.

The Greenwood cementary feeds and protects them and yes- the nests are amazing - urban. Con ed kills the ones that build nests on the warm transformers. They actually remember the fruit trees, when the are in season and warm spots-living in the Brooklyn College field lights.

No lizards or parrots on staten island people around here get the raid out when they see anytype of animal. Brooklyngreg I think you are putting way yo much protection on those palms i live on staten island and i am overwintering a pindo a trachycarpus takil, and a needle. The pindo will have christmas lights but it will remain uncovered until 20 degrees when it will be wrapped with sheets and garbage bags. The needle, and takil will be covered at mid 20 with a small plastic structure. All protection will be removed when it warms up.

shawn nyc I recommed you cover the windmill with a sheet and a garbage bag on cold days. Having all leaves killed back every year will slowly kill the plant.

Hi SI,

Good to hear from you,

Thanks for the advise. I hear you, I just do not want the major leaf damage I see on palms barely protected in the botanic garden by my house, plus a bad winter may do even more damage.

My suggestion was, Shawn's palms should have better protection so they do not have to start all over every Spring.

Is this your first year doing a butia over winter?

Brooklyngreg,

I got the palms and yuccas from New Jersey, Florida, Georgia & Oklahoma. Also the Brooklyn Parrots fly over my house all the time but never stop by LOL!

Statenislandpalms7A,

Staten Island has alot of lizards near a zoo. I don't know the location, but they are call Northern fence lizard.

Here is another photo of a italian Wall lizard in my back yard (11-3-09).

Wow!
Those are cool!
Looks like about a 12 footer?
Those are Sequoia stumps aren't they?(-;

it is my first year overwintering them however I know some one who has overwintered a large butias 2-3 feet clear trunk. They planted it against their house and protected it with a tarp and a garbage bag.

Not bad at all :), do they live in a zone 7 too?

Sounds like they like do live around us T7. That's good news:-)

Are any of you guys getting a frost tonight? I think we might be :( , but in our climate its going to happen sooner or later. i still have quite a few tropicals outside, and since I didn't have any time today to bring them in, I threw a cover on them just in case. Im hoping the ocean moderates my temps just enough to keep me in the safe zone, but I guess I'll find out tomorrow!

The big palm is on staten island on richmond ave first block off of hylan blvd. It was planted for about 5 years some years it does good but last year most of the leaves got fried but they grew back quickly

Statenislandpalm7,

What type of palm is this on richmond Ave? My Trachycarpus did great in the 07-08 winter with no leaves fried. But this past winter 08-09, most leaves got fried. So I see my palm wasn't the only one to have as bad winter. Do you have any photos?

I was really curious and went out their and saw it. Its huge! Its easliy 8-10 feet tall, and has a very full crown now. Its hidden behind some other shrubs and trees including a 10-15 foot tall monkey puzzle tree. Its the first monkey puzzel tree Ive ever seen in person and they are rated zone 7b, but was thriving there.

Does it get any other protection (other than microclimates like being planted on the southwest side of the house and the shurbs blocking it from major winds)? I think its about fruiting age, so maybe if there is an unusually warm winter it would fruit too (warm winters dont go below 10 and the microclimate its in probably keeps it at least 5 degrees warmer than that).

SI and TZ7,

That is very impressive and a pic would great. 5 years for a butia pindo living here in NYC -did I get that right TZ7?

Sorry, I forgot to take any pics :(
Maybe I will go back and take a pic soon :)

Also I looked at SI7a's earlier post and found out how they protected it... "protected it with a tarp and a garbage bag".

Is it a butia?

Sorry...
Yep, it is a butia, a very nice one at that! The leaves are very blue and more arching than most. In case anyone wants to know, its on the right hand side when you turn up from Hyland Bvld.

Thanks tropical :)

the palm is a butia I think the guy put a heat cable at the base as well to protect the growth bud. All those leaves on the tree grew back within a couple of months because last march that tree was fried. The guy also tried to overwinter a livinstonia and to sagos in pots but they died. He also has a small trachy near the pindo.

Last year was a bad year for our area (12 degrees first days of march, and snow too) so its understandable for it to get damaged, still its a comfort to know that he overwintered such a large pindo in a zone 7. Hopefully in a few years I'll see a large windmill palm beside it!

Good luck.

I agree its remarkable and a comfort to see a pindo make 8 or so feet high in our zone. We got to get it posted! I am going to try to find it and take a picture to post. My wife thinks I crazy in a good way:) She's asks - "we're going to pay a toll just to see it!"

Hi TZ, Last year we make it down to 6*F as our lowest temp in Brooklyn for the winter, and who couldn't forget that last nasty storm on March 1. give or take a day) I was on a plane heading to FL and the storm was so bad it dropped Central FL temps into the 60s during the day. Ft. Meyers has coconut trees, so to see such cold nites in the 40s was a bummer but beat the 12* in NYC.

That toll is pretty pricey, but its defiantely a palm to see. A pic would be great, and Im going to try to get one as soon as I can, but if anyone can beat me to it dont forget to upload it!!! :)

That march was really bad (I dont think we got a bad snow that late in a while). I was surprised my camellias bloomed so well even after

I'll try to get some pics tommorow of the pindo palm as well as some other palms in the area. theres a monster yucca rostrata near me, as well as some windmill palms

Try to to get some pics! It would be cool to see some palm pics around the area (yuccas, southern magnolias, and crepe myrtles have really caught on, but the crepe mrytles are starting to lose theire leaves now so they probably woulnd make very tropical looking pics)
I also saw 2 citrus like plants, both within the hyland bvld area. They were as green as can be and had some large noticable fruit on them. I never saw (or noticed) them there before but they are way to big to be annuals. If I even can remember where exactly I saw them, I will get some pics of it next time I pass it by.

Sounds like you are going to beat me to getting the photo and I am fine with that and eagar to see that palm.

THanks:)

here is the palm It looks bigger in real life and it was double in size last year all these leaves are new

i got more pics of palms in the area I'll make a new thread

It defiantely looks better in person, but its still a great pic. You can see a little bit of the monkey puzzle tree on the left side of the pic.

A close up of the palm

That monkey puzzle tree

I've seen them in nurseys around here but they are expensive $500 for a 6 foot one. I saw a huge monkey puzzle near the express way on staten island. They are hardy around here.

Many thanks, I see the butia behind a weeping birch, LOL I though it was a little larger.

There's been a monkey puzzle tree growing in south Brooklyn for 15 years. I was wondering what it was.

I found a bigger butia on staten island

another potted one in the background

I think this find of yours deserves its own thread, especially since the butia survived the winter.

I notice it has huge rocks at the base and I bet that is part of why it survived.

Just some february shots of some of my yuccas and the very early arrival of the Wall Lizards.(By the way I didn't cover the small 'Wagnerianus'in the first photo all winter)

Nice pics! Wow I cant believe the lizards are out already! I guess they probably didnt have to go too dormant this winter. And right now there are plenty of insects to eat since I've seen flies, ants, and other insects crawling around outside. No freezing weather in the 10 day forecast either so the animals and plants will all be waking up soon!
Your yard looks great! Thanks for sharing! Only one day left of meteorological winter!
-Alex

My Yucca Thompsoniana & Trachycarpus wagnerianus summer 2010

The same trees early March 2012, I can't wait to see how much they grow this summer.

Everything looks great! I see the lizards are back. I never saw mine again. I'll post some pics soon:)

"Photo of the Day"

Awesome pic Shawn! Those yuccas are really nice and large! The irises look great also.
Getting a little disappointed with the forecast here. Looks more like March than April for the next 10 days. Hopefully May will bring the true summer weather and I hope this week will be the last of the days in the 50s!
-Alex

Beautiful garden!