Red Hot Poker Plant - A MUST HAVE!!

This post is dedicated to a plant that really takes my breath away. Kniphofia uvaria, known as a torch lily or red hot poker plant is cold hardy and so so beautiful. It appears this plant can handle temperatures down to at least -10F. I can vouch that it's definitely hardy to at least the single digits and has no problem in NYC if you have good drainage and full sun.

The grassy part of the plant is nice enough in the landscape (it kind of has a yucca appearance), but the blooms are the reason to grow this plant. Mine will bloom sporadically through the warm months, but the biggest show is in early summer. This plant will not perform well in shade, but is the perfect solution to a dry and sunny part of your yard that needs a plant that thrives on neglect. It pairs beautifully with yuccas and agave!

There are some great cultivars out there for increased cold hardiness and bloom time, so definitely look into those before purchasing to make sure you have the best for your growing situation. I believe this one is "Hot and Cold" but I regretfully lost the tag years ago.

These photos were taken in June.

What a Difference 2 weeks make (and a comparison to this time last year!)

This weekend was the hottest in a long time in my yard. While the air temperature "only" maxed out at 97F (which is pretty typical for the hottest August days in NYC),  the dew point temperatures have been brutal. For those of you who aren't too familiar with dew points, I'm going to put my meteorology degree to use and explain it very briefly.

Slight Tangent: 

      The dew point temperature is a way of measuring how much moisture is in the air. Cold air is denser than warm air so there is less room for water in colder air than there is in warmer air. That's why it doesn't feel muggy even when it's wet outside in the winter - the air can only hold so much water when it is cold outside. When dew points are above 70F, it's means it's very humid -- because if the air temperature were to drop to 70F, the water vapor would begin to fall out (as dew) simply because it couldn't hold any more water. Any object below 70F would fog up.

      The past 4 days have had dew points in the 80s in my yard! That's about as high as it gets in the US. The windows around the house are dripping wet every morning and my plants are growing right before my eyes.

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Ok back to the plants! Basically to summarize, it's been very hot and very humid and my plants are very happy. So I figured I'd try and compare some photos from earlier this month (and from August 2015) to now and see what's improving and what's not!

2 weeks ago

Now - the banana canna grew the most and the basjoo is growing modestly. Nothing too impressive in this planter bed this year but still some more time left for good growth!

Last year - the front yard definitely looked a bit nicer last year with the ensete, but I don't have to dig much up this year so this new look is lower maintenance! And I think that the front yard holds its on this year!

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Watch the way the castor beans shoot up. The cannas also got huge. All of these tower over me now. Remember I didn't even plant these castor beans!

2 weeks ago

Now - (slightly different angle). 

Last year  - the cannas are MUCH bigger this year! 

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Look at how the Mekong Giant Bananas and banana canna filled out in just 2 weeks time. The Mekong Giant, which died to the ground and did not sprout until nearly June looks bigger and better than last year at this time!

less than 2 weeks ago

Now 

Last year

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Not much growth but I love the cordyline in this spot.

2 weeks ago

Now

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Not much has changed in a year for the pool plants. 

Early August 2016

Early August 2015

You NEED Hardy Hibiscus to add the tropical look to your yard!

Hardy hibiscus are probably the best investment you can ever make to your tropical yard in a northern climate. They can survive in just about any climate the US has to offer. I've heard of people successfully growing them in zone 4 where temperatures can reach -30F every winter (unfathomable cold to me!). The flowers and foliage come in so many shapes and sizes. Some are very small shrubs, others can grow to be large trees. Mine range from 3 to 6 feet tall. Here are some photos of my hardy hibiscus. All these varieties are pretty easy to get!

Hibiscus "Fantasia"

Hibiscus "Kopper King"

Hibiscus "Summer Storm"

Hibiscus "Robert Fleming"

Some Blooms Around the Yard

Delosperma blooms. They are very hardy and should return year after year.

My yucca filamentosa hasn't bloomed in several years, but it is blooming again. I keep my filamentosa potted because I think it makes a great focal plant in a planter and it is nice to have a potted plant outside all year!

I have 3 types of roses blooming in the yard right now. I picked some of the Knockout Roses and Rugosa Roses in this picture.

This is my newest rose bush. I thought the color of the blooms was too incredible to pass up! 

Some more photos of the Knockout Roses. The lack of rain has kept so many blooms in tact, the bush is literally covered in blooms!

The front steps will be filled with even more color when the prickly pear cactus start blooming in a week or 2!

Believe it or not, the pansies are still going strong!

I forget the name of this springtime bloomer so if anyone can help with the ID let me know in the comments!

Thanks for looking!

Spring Cleanup in the front yard

The weather this week really has been beautiful and I finally had my first official gardening day of 2016. It's definitely safe to officially put away all of the winter protection from the outdoor plants, assess the damage, and do some cleaning up!

Here's some pics!

Tillandsia bulbosa blooms continue!

Front yard before mulching 

Here it is with some mulch and cleaning up! 

Confederate Jasmine loving the March heat

I planted some tulips in the bottom planter back in November and some pansies this past week. It should be an awesome spring planter in another month!

Now for some front yard palm updates! Unfortunately lots of damage this past winter. It was difficult for me to keep up with the quick temperature changes throughout this winter. My sabals only received heat on the coldest night but probably did not see any lower than about 10F. So I am pretty surprised by the damage on the sabals. 

Here's my 6 year old Sabal Minor. It's still green, but it's a smaller size than ever before. My Sabal Birmingham looks almost exactly the same. Some green in the center so I'm optimistic it will survive but I don't know how much it will be growing.

My new Sabal received very minimal protection and looks great! This minor was from Triple Oaks Nursery in NJ. I think finding palms from northern sources is really important when it comes to cold tolerance.

Mediterranean fan palms are generally considered much less cold tolerant than Sabal minors, usually dying at 10F. This plant survived 3F 2 winters ago and this winter it probably saw temperatures in the low teens. It looks good! My "Redneck Rhododendron" proved it is very cold tolerant. It is completely un-phased by this past winter.

My Camellias did receive protection on the coldest night since we were forecasted to go sub zero (fortunately only got down to 2F - every degree counts!). These camellias can handle single digit temperatures as they have the past 2 winters, but I wanted the buds to develop so hopefully my protection methods worked. To the left you can see my oldest (and smallest) Trachycarpus. It's been growing in a one gallon pot for 8 years and I finally decided to plant it in the ground. It only was protected for one night. No damage! 

My loquat sailed through the winter with a few frost cloths and c-9 lights. It flowered back in December but no sign of fruit unfortunately. The foliage is beautiful enough though.

I broke a lot of rules with this Fatsia. Firstly, I planted it in September and you should always plant marginally hardy plants early in the growing season. I also got this from a very tropical source - a nursery in Newport Beach during my visit to California last August. The tender growth was damage during our first frost which was not a good sign, but it actually proved to be pretty cold hardy overall. It was protected but saw temperatures in the single digits. I expect it to get hardier as it gets older.

Finally some spring blooms! The tulips are peaking, the daffodils are budding, and the crocus are at peak bloom! I think this is the best year yet for the crocus, they really look 

The garage plants are getting some much needed air. My cordyline australis was much happier overwintering in the garage this year than in my house last year. It should have a great growing season!