January 2017 Around My Yard

January and February are what I consider the dead of winter here in New York. This winter has been a pretty mild one. Although we have gotten pretty cold (down to nearly 10F), we've averaged daytime temperatures well into the 40s so far this month.

So here is my underwhelming update of the best subtropicals in my yard in January.

 My mahonia is a reliable winter bloomer. Buds appear in the Fall and flowers open up from February through March. The flowers are yellow which are a nice bright touch to dark winter days.

Speaking of bright - even when young Silver Mediterranean Fan Palms (chamaerops humilis var. cerifera) are very colorful with beautiful silver fronds. Mine has been in the ground for 5 years with minimal protection making it one of the hardiest palms I grow. It's a very slow grower though.

I also grow the common green form, Chamaerops humilis. They can easily tolerate temperatures below 20F so there beautiful fronds can be enjoyed most of the winter even in January. I have protected it only for 2 nights so far and in it's 6 years in New York, this palm has survived a temperature of 3 degrees! 

Polystichum polyblepharum (aka Tassel Fern) is an evergreen fern hardy to zone 5. I have noticed some foliar damage with low temperatures only in the teens. So far it seems to be fully evergreen here in New York City. This fern is a beauty during the summer and not too bad looking during the winter. I recommend it!

The first of two plants that I left outside WAY longer than I wanted to, my Fatshedera lizei tree ivy. This plant is a hybrid between English Ivy and Fatsia Japconica. I left it outside in its tiny pot during an overnight low of only 10 degrees!! The whole thing was frozen solid and droopy when I took it into my unheated garage. The next morning it bounced right back. Definitely a hardy plant! 

I cannot believe that I accidentally left my Trachycarpus Nanital outside this late into the year. It saw temperatures into the teens all while inside a tiny pot. I have no doubt that the pot was basically frozen solid at some point the past few weeks... but it handled all that cold with no problem. We'll see if any damage shows up during the spring months.

My big trachys are my favorite palms in the yard. They were babies when I got them and they look good even in January!

The big appeal of gardenias is their fragrant white flowers in the spring and summer BUT they also have beautiful foliage which is a welcomed sight during the winter.

Crown Jewel Gardenias have very low growing habits. They remind me a lot of azaleas.

Frostproof Gardenias have very dense foliage. The leaves are also different than  your typical gardenia. Instead of broad, dark-green, glossy foliage, Frostproof gardenias have more lacy and light green foliage. I think it's a very attractive shrub ... and when it's in bloom it's AMAZING!

That's a great "segue" to another evergreen plant that is in bloom in January. My Loquat! This plant has seen temperatures down to 16F this year before I finally caved and gave it protection. Not only did it see some pretty significant cold weather, but there was no foliage damage and it is still holding on to healthy flower buds. Unfortunately I am not expecting any fruit from this tree. The foliage alone makes it worth growing.

My plumerias are blooming too (indoors at least). I just took a trip to South Florida and plumeria blooms were EXTREMELY hard to come by, all the trees were just about completely dormant. So I guess it's a nice accomplishment to have my largest plumeria blooming in January for 3 winters in a row now. The blooms develop normally and there are currently no pests like aphids of spider mites bothering it. I am really happy to see thriving and it's nice to smell plumeria flowers up here in the winter!

Begonias are almost too easy to grow! 

My Confederate Jamine spends most of the winter outside my front porch. It goes inside when temperatures drop below the upper teens. It starts to get damage below about 15 degrees. If I bring it inside for the winter, its beautiful blooms will happen too early in the season. It's a spring bloomer.

I'll end this post with some shots of my Crape Myrtle. I put spanish moss on my Crape Myrtles every season. Usually I take it off to overwinter the moss in my unheated garage but I am letting it be this year. It has been so wet and mild this winter here that I think it just might have a shot at surviving if we don't get too cold. The Spanish moss is definitely alive as we approach the end of January so fingers crossed. 

But even without the moss Crape Myrtles are beautiful in the wintertime. Check out the exfoliating bark! Not as dramatic as their bright blooms in the summetime, but they are one of the more attractive deciduous trees around here in the wintertime. 

Update around the yard today

Everything is slowly coming along in the yard as we already approach the end of May. So far there has not been much growth to talk about with my plants because it's been a pretty chilly month. My yard has only reached 80F 2 times this entire year, April 18th (80F) and March 10th (81F). I've noticed that consistently reaching 80F + for a high temperature and 60F + for a low temperature is needed to give the tropicals a kick. This blog post should be the ugliest of the year and some of the plants are UGLY as can be. So with that in mind, here's my yard!

Transitioning tropical plants back to life outdoors can be difficult. I've been overwintering large palms indoors for at least 6 or 7 years and I still do not have this down to a science. I've noticed that overcast and cool springs result in more sun damage to tropicals than sunny springs. This is why it's sometimes worth keeping large palms indoors for longer. In any case my bottle palm has seen better days after looking great just a few weeks ago. I may have to move it from this spot, but we will see. I do not have plans to buy any more large tropical palms so I'll be working hard at keeping this one alive and well!

Elephant ear closeup. I have relied so heavily on elephant ears as potted plants so I am a bit nervous about these planters. 

 

The plumerias look horrible but will look great in a few weeks. I love these plants because I don't have to worry about transitioning them back to outdoor life. They drop the leaves they grew indoors and quickly grow outdoor leaves. So easy! 

Plumeria "Jenny" seems to be a reliable spring bloomer. Should put on a beautiful show when the weather warms up! 

Plumeria "Crazy" is one of my favorites. It is an incredibly reliable bloomer. Last year every branch was blooming and the bloom heads lasted for up to 9 months (February to October!). Even in the tropics that is a very long life for just one plumeria inflorescence if you look carefully it is pushing up another bloom head. It should be blooming by the 4th of July.

Spanish Moss makes everything better!

In my last post you saw that I purchased a Farfugium gigantea that I was contemplating putting in the ground. I decided to put it in a large barrel pot with some fuchias. It is loving it's shady spot and the cooler weather. The interesting and large leaves compliment the philodendron in the back and break add a ton of interest to this corner of the yard.

This is the first time I was successful overwintering an Ensete Banana. It is off to a fantastic start and should be massive come Fall.  

A nice place to sit after a long day in the yard. I've had these livistona palms for 6 years now. Despite them being very hardy, I think they look more tropical than my tropical palms! 

This is my first year doing an elephant ear planter in YEARS. I usually put elephant ears in the ground, but I recently went to Gasko's Nursery in Monroe NJ and they had fantastic prices on Elephant ears so I felt comfortable getting more creative. 

As you can see the spanish moss is lacking a bit on this side of the tree. The Trachys look great though going into their 8th summer. I planted them when I was just a freshman in High School as tiny seedlings. I thought by the time I graduated college they would be absolutely massive. They might not be huge, but they hold their own at 6 feet tall. You can see my Empress Wu Hosta (the largest hosta around!) and my tiny Livistona palm (going into it's 7th summer in the ground!), my 2 new hardy gardenias, and my blood banana. Somewhere in the mix is a few elephant ears, ginger, cannas, and a sprouting Musa Basjoo 

Here's that Livistona. It's practically a die back perennial since the foliage almost completely burns during the winter due to a combination of overheating from the christmas lights I put over it and from cold weather. But it always looks nice again by the time fall rolls around and it's been in the ground since 2010. Also notice my blue med fan palm to the left. It never gets any formal protection and it's been in the ground since 2011.

Hopefully the plants in this corner will be huge in a few weeks.

Another angle from my Plumeria. As you can see it's looking pretty pathetic right now. Next week should hopefully get it growing!

Underneath my beech tree is my huge Monstera (got this as a tiny plant from the grocery store back in 2010), my rubber tree (Home depot purchase back in 2009) and some strawberry planters that I've dedicated to Bromelaids and succulents. My Alphina Ginger is looking a bit worn out after spending the winter inside my garage but it will be fine in a few weeks!

A different Angle 

My Needle palm looking fantastic after its first winter. I protected it!

My camellia not looking so fantastic. It bloomed consistently for 14+ years but the past few winters have really set it back. 

One of my favorite plant purchases this year was a Magnolia Ashei. It's a low growing form of the gigantic long leaf magnolias which is why it should be perfect in my tight NYC backyard. Underneath my magnolia is my new Garden Rainbow Azalea. The blooms change color as they age. I am excited to watch this corner continue to grow! All these plants are really hardy so I'll never worry about them during the winter.

The Magnolia Ashei looks like it has a bud already which is really exciting. 

Look at how massive the leaves are! They put some banana plants to shame. 

Here's a few surprises! 

I NEVER thought elephant ears were hardy in NYC but this is the second year I've had them sprout back from the dead after the main clump was dug up for winter storage. Black Runner elephant ears are pretty hardy! 

I have a 7 year old purple heart clump next to my livistona, but this is the first time I have seen a purple heart plant randomly overwinter in my yard. They are pretty hardy plants if they can survive my winters!

After years of looking I finally found a banana canna (canna musafolia). This canna has pretty boring blooms but incredible, massive leaves and grow to huge heights. This one is in part shade so I'm expecting really large leaves possibly at the expense of a slower growth rate. We'll see!

My largest Brugmansia (which is at least 6 years old) rotted almost to the roots this past winter while in my garage. My other brugmansia which I have only had for 1 year and was also in the garage had no die back. I have no idea why my large one decided to die back and my small one which always gives me problems is off to such a strong start, but either way both are looking good. This corner will be filled with ginger, cannas, and elephant ears as well. 

I got a fig called the "Bronx Zoo Fig" last year. There is no information at all about it on line, but it's pretty hardy. It's in a cooler spot in my yard and is growing back very vigorously. The leaves are shinier and more divided than my Brown Turkey Fig and this fig is possibly a bit hardier.

Here is my Agave Parryi. I bring it into the garage when temperatures drop below 20F and that's about it. It's an incredibly easy plant to take care of and it looks really cool.

These Earthboxes are pretty good for growing vegetables. Last year I had 4 cucuzza vines growing in 1 box. That was way too many vines so this year I just have 2.

My coconut, spouted in Spring 2009 and a cool looking Begonia.

Various mandevilla vines.

Eastern Prickly Pear ready to put on a show!

Look at all those buds!!!

I try to keep my front entrance pretty uneventful! 

While Crape Myrtles are practically becoming a staple in the city, the spanish moss is a little out of place for NYC - just the way I like it! 

My new basjoo was huge when I planted it. Hopefully this means it will be gigantic by the time fall rolls around. I'd love to be able to walk under it! My Loquat to the right side of the picture is also looking great. It survived its second winter and it bloomed all december long (there were bees surrounding it on Christmas!)

Just the Loquat

Did some underplanting next to my Southern Magnolia. Some Hostas, a ground juniper, and coral bells add some texture and color but what I think makes the area so unique are the hardy japanese ground orchids and tassel ferns. 

My Southern magnolia still in transplant shock from having to be replanted last June. It's got some flower buds and some new growing buds so hopefully it fills out. I don't think the shade from my neighbors tree helps!

My Fatsia Japconia came from a nursery in Long Beach, CA - probably one of the warmest climates in the US and therefore the worst place to buy hardy sub tropicals. But it overwintered pretty well. There was some die back, but it saw temperatures at least in the low teens and possibly the single digits and it was planted in the ground in late August. I am really happy with how it handled its first winter.

Some dwarf cannas sprouting up.

My Sabal Minor was protected believe it or not. It's growing but it looks pretty pathetic. 

My Sabal Birmingham also protected and looking sad. I am happy its still alive though! If it can grow 2 fronds this season I'd be pretty happy. 3 fronds would be amazing! 

My other sabal minor sailed trough this past winter with some protection but less protection than my nearly dead sabal minor. Goes to show the variation from specimen to specimen. In front of my sabal is a black and blue salvia. I'd consider them borderline hardy in NYC. This one did great though, it's even sending volunteer plants a few inches away from the original. The blooms are beautiful and last from June until the first very hard freeze. My clematis is brightening up the corner as well! 

Speaking of corners heres the shadiest corner in my yard. Ferns, Camellias, and a Trachycarpus are the plants of choice here.

Thanks for looking!!