May 2023 Palm Tree Update

Lets start with an update on the hardy palms at my parent's house on Staten Island. These palms have been in the ground since March 2009, 24 years ago. One of them is blooming for the second year.

It's a boy! These are protected with cloths and lights when temperatures drop below 15F. 

Sabal minor is totally unprotected. Love the way the roses and rhododendron are framing the palm with color.

My European Fan Palms go in the unheated garage when nights drop below 20F along with Yucca gigantea and cordylines. I have had success outside with these palms in the ground with protection too!

Onto the tropical plants. The bottle palm and Adondila have been in those pots for more than 10 years. They always look a little tired in early summer after a long winter indoors. They fill out beautifully by 4th of July.

Another surprisingly easy palm in pots -My flamethower palm aka Chambeyronia macrocarpa. The new fronds open up deep red and it looks pretty even in green! 

Licuala grandis is a slow-growing palm that doesn't handle cold well, but it did great in a very sunny window over the winter. I've had it for 5 years.

Livistona chinensis is cold hardy into the low 20s without damage. It's the most cold tolerant "tropical annual" palm that you'll easily find for sale in NY.

My Needle palm is a bit wind tattered but alive and well after its first winter.

I've had this bottle palm in the same pot for 10 years. It grows about 2 fronds over the course of the summer, but they're huge! The Adondila has been in the same pot for 11 years. They always look a little beat up until mid-summer, but it's worth the wait. To the far right is my tallest plumeria. I got it off ebay in 2009!! 

Back on Long Island, I'm nursing an Adondila back to health. It was left out in the cold by a local nursery last year. It's growing healthy new fronds and should look good in a few months. 

My old man palm is keeping my windmill palm company! 

Thanks for looking!

Rhododendron in my tropical yard - Long Island NY zone 7

I love my tropical plants, but this post will show you why there's nothing wrong with planting "common" shrubs in your exotic garden paradise. 

Rain or shine (in the first photo - clearly rain) I can't get enough of my rhododendron bush. The blooms last only a month and usually are at their best in late May. 

I'm really enjoying the flowery background behind tropical plants like my Gaussia princeps and Licuala grandis palms, alongside other tropicals like Ti Plant "Singapore Twist" and False Agave. 

This Rhododendron species isn't fragrant

But my Potted Owari Satsuma Mandarin Citrus is! 

My Siam Ruby Banana is growing quickly despite our cool late spring weather. This red banana is a heat lover.

Inside the house

At my parents house on Staten Island, NY (zone 7 also!) Knockout Roses and Rhododendron make a gorgeous frame against my 13 year old Sabal Minor.

The Sabal Minor is completely unprotected. This past winter we reached 6F and it had no damage. The Yucca Recurvifolia to the right was planted by birds about 20 years ago.