What does the inside of my house look like?

Philodendron Gloriosum, with Adondila, and Flamethrower palm 

The hibiscus is blooming beautifully indoors! These are all buds that developed outside over the summer. The blooms will taper off in a few weeks! 

Flamethrower Palm with Cordyline terminalis 'Tricolor', a Calathea, Medinilla myriantha, and philodendron cortadum

Bigger view. The orchid blooms every year so reliably! 

And the dining room! I was shocked that my Gaussia princeps fit! Hopefully, the old man palm continues to do well too. It only grew one frond this year! 

Mid November in the Garden

The last of the Musa Sikkimensis. I dug this up on November 12th before our second freeze (we dropped to 31F on the morning of the 13th).

Before the first freeze

After the first freeze

Dicksonia Antarctica and a variegated Cordyline australis enjoying the November chill 

Ensete Maurelli still hanging in! 

Hedychium Vanilla Ice didn't get very large this year so I'm going to keep it growing as a houseplant.

 

Yum Oranges!

Technically it's Owari Satsuma Mandarins. This citrus is cold hardy, sweet, and seedless. Also so easy to peel and ripe by November!

 

November Blooms

 During these shorter and darker days, it's nice to have some color! 

Hedychium Daniel Weeks is my new favorite. It blooms sooner than any other ginger, has a study growing habit, and looks great into November! 

Tibouchina grandiflora taken out of the ground (it was sunken in its pot) and still blooming strong). 

Shocking to see Strawberries still in bloom. This is Berried Treasure "Pink"

Dianthus is a great perennial with blooms in spring and autumn!

Encore Azaleas are another Spring and Autumn bloomer!

Last year's mums came back strong!

Tibouchina - Purple flowers just in time for Autumn!

 These are one of my favorite tropical plants for the autumn garden. The fuzzy foliage is pretty all summer, but the purple flowers exude royalty vibes starting in August and lingering until the first freeze. I bring these into the house or in cool storage over the wintertime. 

Late October garden update!

We had a cool and rainy October in New York, but the tropical plants are hanging on. A few, like my calla lilies, are actually ENJOYING IT! 

Here's an update, starting with my Satsuma Mandarin Owari. It ripens earlier and is more cold tolerant than most citrus. This is the second year I've grown this one. I have nearly 20 fruit! 

The banana plants are putting out their best effort and still looking great. I'm especially proud of my Musa Sikkimensis. Viente Cohol did great too, but no fruit yet! 

Peep at the Ti Plant "Singapore Twist" and the Phildendron cortadum that is inching its way inside. 

Hedychium Daniel Weeks survived the winter and was the first of the ginger to bloom this seaosn

Some great growth on the Dicksonia antarctica 

My Queen palm will go inside when temperatures drop below 30F 

I have a Musa Ae Ae Banana!

 I've wanted this plant since I was in high school! This variegated banana plant has never been cheap, but variegated plants became incredibly trendy during the pandemic and prices skyrocketed to unreasonable levels! A plant like this would normally go for hundreds of dollars these days, but fortunately I was able to find one at a very manageable price. This is more than a decade in the making! 

Now can I keep it alive indoors during the winter. We shall see! 

A view of the banana plants from above.

 Showing off my Musa Viente Cohol and Musa Sikkimensis (along with some of my other potted tropicals) right before they all go inside! 

A tropical start to October & what's ahead for winter!

October in my garden is a magical fusion of tropical plants and New York's famous autumn weather. All the plants are still looking good after a nice summer of growth and this week we were treated to record temperatures in Islip, NY here on Long Island. 

Woody Aster is a native wildflower

Musa Siam Ruby, Musa sikkimensis, hibiscus tillaceus (Variegated Sea Hibiscus)

Hardy hibiscus, perfect storm

Tibouchina granulosa

Double hibiscus 

Chinese evergreen houseplant with begonia and impatients 

Here are the high temperatures from my garden during the warm spell: 

10/2: 80F

10/3: 85F

10/4: 85F

10/5: 81F

It was weird to plant pansies in 80F weather, but now is the perfect time. They'll establish their roots before the cold weather arrivers and go in the garage during significant cold spells. These will bloom from now until JUNE!

I love planting cyclamen too. They aren't as cold tolerant, but bloom exclusively in cooler weather and shorter days PLUS they're tropical perennials. They dieback in the summer time and as long as the tubers don't freeze, they'll pop up again next winter for indoor and outdoor displays. *There are hardy cyclamen also that will survive our winters, btw!