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. 

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! 

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!  

A few March Blooms (indoors)

March is definitely a transition month here in New York City. Often temperatures are warm enough for planting but it's way too risky to bring most of the tropical stuff outside just yet. But with the 80 degree days we have seen this week and the frost free forecast ahead, the plants around the yard will be greening up very quickly over the next few weeks! It's nice to see some the indoor plants blooming!

This orchid is a reliable bloomer for me. The flowers are very long lasting too. The buds developed outside in October and it's been blooming for 5 months now! 

This fuschia was blooming outside into the new year and it keeps on blooming indoors. A really easy plant and a beautiful one.

Confederate Jasmine is one of my favorite plants. My only complaint is that it doesn't have a longer bloom season. The scent from these tiny flowers is intoxicating. Everyone in zone 8 and up should have these by a doorway (although maybe as a potted plant as they can be aggressive in mild climates).

Tillandsia bulbosa blooming nicely. No signs of pups yet. The mother plant bloomed nearly a year ago and is still alive although it has not grown.

Speaking of waiting patiently for warmer weather my dog is really loving the milder days. She also likes getting more room around the house when the plants are outdoors for the season.