A few early summer photos from NYC

My parents have been updating me with photos of my yard back up in NYC now that I am living in Gainesville. Things are coming along really nicely. My gardenias up there look WAY nicer than the ones I am growing down here in Florida.
Here's a few photos. I'll have a complete update from the yard sometime in August!

If you look carefully you'll see HUNDREDS of baby plants growing on the agave stalk in front of that second window. It took about 1 year (much of that time inside the garage) for the stalk to fully mature. My Loquat is right in the center of this photo. It's getting pretty big! It had no major issues with minimal protection last winter. Definitely a great zone 8 plant! Not as hardy as Fatsia. My basjoo has grown more since this photo was taken a few weeks ago. Maybe one day it'll establish itself into a nice clump!

How amazing is this Frostproof Gardenia? I got it from home depot for 15 dollars. It's awesome!

Crown Jewel is another winner for northern yards wanting to grow gardenias.

This is the most dramatic hardy gardenia I've grown. It did not receive much protection last winter and it's as happy as it can be. This variety is "Summer Snow". It blooms all summer long and the blooms are really large. It's a very showy variety and I'm surprised it's as hardy as it is. 

My Plumeria "Jenny" never fails!

My Cordyline is probably pushing about 8 feet tall. I can't believe how fast it's grown in just 4 years. The Livistonas look happy without me, but the Adondila in the corner is overcoming some sun scorching on the fronds.

Thanks for looking!

New York Loquat (from late May)

Loquats are surprisingly hardy. Mine was really put to the test and saw temperatures in the mid teens. There was some leaf drop, but no die back.
Here's a lackluster photo of the backyard. Things are slow to come back this year with all the rain and cool weather in the Northeast, but hopefully I can come home to visit in a few weeks and clean things up for the summer. The roses are loving this weather and the spanish moss survived the winter on my Crape Myrtle which is exciting!

A few Late November Photos around the Yard

Although winter is certainly knocking on the door there are still some interesting plants to see in my yard. My Loquat gets lost under over tropical plants during the summer but it really shines this time of the year. The leathery leaves and fragrant blooms are a big hit in the yard in November. The blooms smell a bit like honey.

Not sure what cultivar of ivy this is but it is a beauty. The leaves are huge and the coloration is consistent and unusual. It is a slow grower though. 

Mahonias are great for adding some complex foliage to the winter landscape.

Soft Caress Mahonias are definitely not hardy to New York City long term. I covered them with blankets and even christmas lights on one night. Both survived but with some defoliation. It is a beautiful plant with palm - like foliage so worth a try in zone 7 but certainly a plant for 8a and up! 

Mahonia Japconia is a much hardier species of the genus and quite beautiful! Mine is thriving in nearly complete shade and blooms when the yard NEEDS the color most. If you want winter blooms and nice winter foliage, this plant just might be the most reliable for a zone 7! Mine bloomed much of last winter even in the snow. The yellow flowers contrast snow beautifully. In early summer the flowers change into blue berries which also looks very nice. All around a great plant and hardy through zone 6! 

And a wide shot with the livistonas and farfugiums

All these photos are from my phone so sorry for the lower quality. Thanks for looking!

Snow + March = Smarch?

I am not too happy to see snow in march especially after enjoying temperatures in the 70s and 80s so recently. Fortunately temperatures were mild enough to keep my less tender potted plants outside and it did make for a very nice scene. Here is proof that you can have a tropical look and still enjoy winter! 

My potted livistona palms in snow. 

Although the snow didn't stick to the ground vegetation definitely received a good coating.

My trachycarpus 

Cordyline Australias

My needle palm 

My budding Rosa Rugosa 

Yucca gigantea 

Pansies 

Loquat Tree

European Fan Palm

Daffodils 

Thanks for looking!

A few March Blooms

March is a very transitional month here in NYC. We've had our share of warm Marches where it's warm enough to start taking the plants back outside - and we've had our share of cold Marches, that feel like an extension of February.
This march has been pretty mild overall so far and definitely mild enough to make planting pansies a worthwhile effort.

Potted Hyacinth slowly waking up. 

The Daffodils are blooming in full force! 

My loquat providing some green as my other trees start to bud 

Things are doing well indoors too. My Gardenia and Confederate Jasmine have brought the scents of spring in the southeast into our living room. 

My coconut palm looks happy but I am sure it is looking forward to the hot and humid days of summer!

My various other tropicals are also definitely ready for summer also. My Spindle Palm looks like it is ready for a great season. This will be it's 4th summer which is the longest I have kept a spindle palm healthy for! 

Thanks for looking! 

November Pics Around My Yard

Remember that frost scare I talked about in my October Post? Well it hasn't really gotten any colder since. All the plants that survived through that are still doing great.

Here's my mekong Giant. It will be overwintering outdoors. I hope it survives!



A restaurant down the block landscaped with coconut palms this year. Here they are around Thanksgiving time still looking green. Could you believe that Coconut palms could co-exist with christmas decorations in NYC!


My Washingtonia Palm is still very green as are my cannas. No hard freezes in the front yard yet!


I am in complete disbelief with this one. My Kopper King Hibiscus is actually still blooming despite it being late November! Anyone who grows hardy hibiscus know to only expect blooms during the hottest weeks of the year. These are newly planted though (I planted them in September) and I guess the greenhouses they were grown in threw them off schedule. We'll find out their real blooming schedule next summer!



Although crape myrtles are generally associated with the southern states, they compete with the fall foliage of northern trees easily! My crape is definitely one of the more colorful trees on the block (Keep in mind people mostly plant bradford pears on my block and their foliage isn't too spectacular in my opinion).



Fall foliage with palms.



My Loquat is blooming. This tree is marginally hardy here in NYC (I'll be protecting it anyway). These blooms are about the most fall color you'll see from them. Their appeal this far north is their leathery evergreen leaves. Down south they are growing for their tasty fruit!


A couple of angles from the front yard.




Here's a closeup of my Washingtonia.




It's amazing to be greeted with mandevilla vines after Thanksgiving.



My Sabal Minor and Black and Blue salvia still looking like summertime. They will be going through their first winter this year. My begonias are still looking great in November too (you can see the edge of that planter to the very right of this picture).



I've definitely started to associate fall with butterfly ginger. If I'm lucky the blooms will begin to open up in August, but they'll always be enough buds from summer to last into the first frost. There are still plenty of blooms in November. The blooms are beautiful but the fragrance is what makes this plant really incredible. I actually bought these plants as tiny roots in Hawaii at a tourist shop. They were really easy to grow!











Thanks for looking!