November 2022 came in with incredible warmth in New York City. Temperatures soared into the 70s for 5 days, topping off near 80F. I had true tropicals like plumeria and Adondila palms outside thriving into the middle of November along with other tropicals like croton, ti plants, and monstera. Can you BELIEVE this was my view during some of the shortest days of the year?
 |
| Begonia going strong |
 |
| It felt like a pool day |
 |
| Sabal minor |
 |
| Blooming roses and gorgeous crape myrtle foliage in early November |
 |
| The cherry tree on the left lost its leaves before the plumeria! |
 |
| Can you believe my Plumeria "Divine" is still blooming in November? |
 |
| Happy in the November sunshine |
 |
| Adondila and cannas surviving despite a few nights in the 30s. |
 |
| Mexican Sunflower hanging in for a few more moments |
 |
| The Trachycarpus are ready to shine before they are wrapped for the coldest weeks of winter in January and February |
 |
| Another view of my plumeria |
 |
| This Fatsia Japconia is unprotected. It does suffer minor dieback when temperatures get closer to 0F. It's a reliable bloomer! |
The first freeze here on Staten Island was on November 18th. A few days prior, I moved all the tropical plants into the house. They'll be very cozy there for the winter!
The good news is there are still plenty of gorgeous sub-tropicals that don't mind a little winter chill. Yucca gigantea is cold tolerant down to the mid 20sF (briefly) and Oleander can handle even colder. These plants sailed through a 25F morning low and several other nights in the upper 20s.
 |
| Chamadorea microspadix is a must! |
I generally bring all these plants along with my European fan palm into the unheated garage when temperatures drop below the mid 20s outside or are below freezing for an extended period of time. That last part is really important. Gardeners who push plants to their limit tend to focus on the minimum lowest temperature a plant can handle, but the duration of time below freezing is the biggest factor - especially for potted plants.
