My Banana Collection - Post will update monthly!

Musa Sikkimensis 

    This was a purchase from Plant Delights in Summer 2022. It overwintered in the garage this year and is the second fastest to sprout back. 

May 17

Ensete Maurelii

    This was a purchase in fall 2022 on clearance. It overwintered in the garage is and always the fasted to sprout back! 

May 17

Musa ?

    (It was sold as Veinte Cohol but probably a different variety) It overwintered in the house. I separated it's pups and accidentally damaged the top of the stem and had to cut it back down to about 5 feet tall. 

May 17

Musa Velutina 

    I puchased this in Miami this Spring. I think it could have been mislabeled and is instead Viente Cohol. Time will tell! 

May 17

Musa Siam Ruby

    This was purchased from a local nursery last May. It did okay indoors but it has struggled outside. It was also very challenging to start last year and really needs heat to get its footing. 

May 17

Musa Basjoo

    This was it's first winter and although it was mild, it did die to the ground. 

May 17

Musa Sumantra

    Another purchase from Miami! The stem broke in half during transport, but it's growing out of it. 

May 17

Musa Thai Black

    This was a pup without roots and is really slow to start growing. It's pushing out a leaf now though! 

   May 17

Musa Ae Ae 

May 17

    

Early May - Here's what's in bloom!

I love this time of the year. Plant nurseries are absolutely overflowing with plants. It's amazing what a pretty annual can do to dress up a tired tropical plant. Like my Bismarkia. It overwintered inside beautifully, but these dark leaf dahlias really add a needed pop of color. 

I'm excited for my Giant Peach mandevilla to bloom. Planted underneath: Calliope geranium "Pink Splash", Truffula Pink Globe, Cuphea Sweet Talk Deep Pink. 

These Hibiscus were so colorful! The pink one will go to my parents house. The yellow was for my aunt. The pink are called Cotton Candy wind. I loved the leaves!

Osterosperum are so much fun. They can handle surprising cold too!

I'll also bring these fun yellow blooms. They're going in my parents yard. It's called Grandaisy - and it's not supposed to love heat. So we'll see!

My first year growing Dinner Plate Dahlia. This is Kelvin Floodlight

Dahlia "Seattle"

My Mickey Mouse elephant ears need a little work to compete with these gorgeous Del Sol begonias

Bartzella Peony in it's second year. Last year I had one flower, this year it looks like I have a few! 

Ponderosa Lemon is about to bloom. Yay! 

My Sir Winston Churchill Daffodils. Love the smell of these! 

My Pond is FINALLY clean!

 I am so happy I can finally see my fish. What a difference! 

Last year

This year

I'm growing alphina ginger here again (overwintered beautifully in the house), some tillandsias mounted onto my Mendillina magnificarum, and my vanda orchid has a hanger this year! I feel like it's a little more fun than danginging it from a tree. Thanks for looking! 

I am really excited for my Musa Sikkimensis to fill out and I'm hoping my Spindle palm doesn't burn, so far it still looks good!

Coming back to life!

May is a tough time of the year for a tropical gardener in New York. It just isn't very warm! But there is a lot of beauty from our northern plants to tide me over & even the tiniest things in the tropical garden get me incredibly excited! 

The snow load was tough on my palms, but the milder winter was very nice. I'm planting a Musa Velutina next to my needle palm. 

The bananas are doing wonderful things! Unfortunately my musa (sold as viente cohol but probably not) broke in half, but a new leaf is emerging!

It had a large pup that I decided to separate to try in a container in the front garden. 

That pup also snapped in half but is growing back! 

The citrus did excellent this year! Owari and Meyer are in this photo. Also looking like a good year for my grape vine! 

Musa Sikkimensis is going in the pond garden this year. I also have a Mekong Giant and my Alphina Ginger.

My Musa Ae Ae was an october purchase. This is it's first summer!

Musa Siam Ruby has seen better days, but it's alive and that's the most I can ask for!

Musa Basjoo coming back for it's second summer. I actually did have it for a few years in a container.

Alocasia stingray with a sprouting Dahlia I overwintered in the garage

Hedychium Vanilla Ice. Usually I keep them in the garage, but this year I wanted to keep some greenery on them so they could get larger.

My new Pink China Colocasia from Brian Botanicals. Hopefully it will prove cold hardy!

Magnolia Ashei. I hope it blooms! This is year 2.

My Star Jasmine survived its second winrter. It was a mild winter, but still exciting!

My tropical hibiscus and plumeria are getting maximum sunlight against the house ... except in this photo. But trust me, it gets hot!

Begonia Luxurians looking good. I think it's set to get big this year!

Fatsia Japonica overwintered with ease

All my Hedychium ginger are coming back from the ground. This is my Butterfly ginger by the deck. 

Hedychium Daniel Weeks 

Calla and canna coming back beautifully. The calla lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica Swartberg Giant) was a Plant Delights purchase in 2020 and was originally in my work garden in South Carolina. 

Crown of thorns hanging in alongside my desert rose which are breaking dormancy

A good year for figs! This is Lil Fig in it's second year now. I had it next to my needle palm initially, but it was getting too big.