My favorite fig tree ALREADY has fruit

 The first fig of the season & it's only early July! Biago's Blush always produces a breba crop, which is the fruit that overwintered on last year's branches.

Staten Island in Late August - And some drone footage!

I've been SO lazy this summer, but I finally got my drone up for this update. First a few photos on the ground! 

The Cannas are massive and we've had a resident hummingbird for almost 10 years that is truly obsessed with it. 

My Adondila Christmas Palm that I've had since 2012. What an honor to still have it around!

Love this combo of Ensete and Caladium. The ensete was a discount this spring because it had no leaves. Now it's beautiful!

My largest plumeria, Salsa! I've been bringing it in since 2009

Look at that tasty fig! And the bottle palm too!

Hello from above!

I need a tower in my garden with that bloom. Look at the Trachycarpus, windmill palms!

Even higher!

For the phone viewers (honestly does anyone even look at this blog other than me HEHE)

Even higher

What a cool vantage point of the Trachycarpus

Hi!

Thanks for looking!

 

Exciting Tropical Plants in my New York City yard in May.

Hi everyone! Sorry, it's been a while.  For those of you who haven't been following - I started this tropical garden in my parent's yard when I was in high school (long before this blog started!), but I  moved away 4 years ago to the sunny south. I have my own garden now, but my parents' garden is still thriving!

The COVID-19 pandemic made it difficult to safely leave South Carolina and visit my family in New York City this past year. Fortunately,  I was able to come up in the fall to bring all my tropical plants inside the house, and I just visited for a short but sweet weekend to celebrate my dad's birthday, Mothers, day, and plant a lot of pretty things! 

It was a very mild winter for New York City. The low temperature in my yard was 16F and Newark Airport reported a similar low. That's typical for a zone 8b and is the second warmest winter minimal temperature on record (number 1 is 18F in 2002). 

Below I've shared a few things I'm really excited to see sprouting in the garden this month. Everything is coming back to life quickly after the mild winter weather. 

First, let's talk evergreens!How flawless are these Trachycarpus looking this season!? A zone 8b winter can do wonders for these palms. I'll trim off a few of the tattered older leaves during the summer. 

Aside from the ostrich ferns, to the left, this pathway looks identical in spring, summer, fall, and winter! The Daphniphyllum macropodum (aka Redneck rhododendron) is a rarity because it actually looks BETTER in the winter than the rest of the year. The evergreen foliage turns tinges of red near where the leaves meet the trunk (this is how it gets its common name). In the spring, the old foliage sheds and looks a little beaten up, but new leaves emerge fast and freshen the plant up! In front of the Redneck Rhody is a Rhodea Japconia which also keeps it's beautiful looks all year long. It reminds me of clivia, but without the pretty flowers.  

Daphniphyllum macropodum closeup of new leaves. 

I'm not too impressed with the Camellias this year, but at least I got some nice blooms! This is Kumasaka. The foliage isn't very full. Surprisingly the gardenias look MUCH better. 

Gardenia Crown Jewel and Summer Snow are both looking flawless without protection this winter. Not a surprise at all! They nearly died after a 2F low in January 2019 and haven't bloomed since. I think it will make up for it with a big show this summer!

It looks like the crown jewel gardenia is already trying to produce flower buds! 

If you're looking for an evergreen fern, Tassle ferns are a must-have in zone 7! It looks like a baby tree fern. It's so furry! Even during cold winters, the fronds stay green and look really good. Sometimes it will look a little smooshed after heavy winter snow, but all is forgiven when it flushes out with new fronds each spring. 

Illicium floridanum is another winner if you're looking for a beautiful evergreen. It's very cold tolerant and blooms each spring. The flowers are kind of hard to see (maybe it's because I'm red-green colorblind) but they're leaves are pretty. It's known as a Florida Anise because of the spicy fragrance the leaves emit when crushed. HOWEVER, it's NOT edible! 

Red-tipped photinia is a common shrub here (I actually didn't plant it!). It's stunning in the spring when the new leaves emerge red and stays beautiful green through the winter. 

Aucuba is a gorgeous, hardy evergreen shrub that looks a lot like tropical crotons! Actually, some of the recent new cultivars coming out for crotons look like aucuba. The specks of yellow are a highly desirable trait, but there are other patterns to choose from if you're looking for an even more dramatic color. Aucuba is reliably hardy in zone 7 but probably could survive temperatures briefly below zero without issues.

If yellow is your color, Yucca filamentosa "color guard" is a stunner. It's evergreen, cold tolerant, and native to the US. It takes care of a LOT of checkboxes which is why it's so common. Not every plant has to be rare and expensive to be beautiful. The white flowers on this plant in early summer will grab anyone's attention (especially the nighttime pollinators!). 

It's cousin, yucca gloriosa is a little less cold tolerant, but has a beautiful, rigid structure to the foliage and more closely resembles an agave. My gloriosa has some weird black spotting on the foliage, but there are some beautiful specimens in the NYC area that have survived some of our coldest recent winters. I'd consider them marginal in NYC, but worth growing! 

If you're brave, you may want to try Tractor seat plants (Farfugium japconia) in the ground in zone 7. They do fantastic outdoors here in zone 8 South Carolina, but I never wanted to risk losing these pretty evergreens, so I wheel them into my garage in NY during the winter. The yellow flowers in late fall are reliable and stunning! 

I know this long leaf pine is planted way too close to this utility box. I'd just like to post this picture and apologize for my past mistakes LOL

It's a houseplant that can survive outdoors all year long in New York! Fatsia japonica is a must-have if you love funky-looking evergreen shrubs. The leaves are huge and kind of resemble a glossy, dressed-up fig. Their growth habits are totally different and while you won't get tasty fruit - you will get pretty flowers in the fall! This plant did suffer dieback when we dropped near 0F, but has recovered really nicely. I wouldn't recommend planting this without protection outside of zone 7. 

These aren't evergreen but are awesome tropical looking plants to try! 

You wouldn't be an italian in New York if you weren't growing figs. I used to see these trees covered all the time during the winter, but it's not necessary anymore. Even cold winters are only cold enough to knock most well situated figs back a bit in the NYC metro. Many are well over 2 feet tall! 

Passiflora craeula is a semi-evergreen vine during mild winters. I've lost this plant during cold years so I'd only consider it marginally cold hardy for a northern zone 7, but would probably be flawless in a southern zone 7 where winter freezes aren't as long. It's coming back with no dieback this year! 

Next to the passiflora is my American Wisteria. It puts on a beautiful show in May in New York and will rebloom again during the summertime. It's not invasive like the Japanese and Chinese species you'll see in forests. 

Bronx Fig has proven to be very cold tolerant. It was only a foot tall when I planted it back in 2015, but despite frequent pruning, it's getting big!

The figs are covered with a lot of fruit after the mild winter this year in New York. I've had total dieback during really cold winters from the Brown Turkey Fig pictured above, but the Bronx fig only had minimal dieback even when we dropped close to 0F in 2016 and in 2019.

We can't go wrong with a classic tulip! These come back reliably. 

This is my favorite plant of all time! I absolutely love hardy ground orchids. Don't let the "orchid" part scare you, Bletilla striata is very low maintenance and it comes back stronger each season. My only complaint is the short bloom time. It only blooms for about 3 weeks in mid-late spring (usually late May into early June in New York). The pretty foliage will stick around all summer, and you'll usually see some interesting seed pots, but it does fade into the background for most of the warm months. But don't let that discourage you. I planted maybe 10 stalks in 2015 6 years later have over 100! Each stalk will produce 5-10 blooms. We're talking a THOUSAND orchid blooms in New York City! There's a hardy orchid for even the coldest gardens in North America, including some gorgeous native lady slipper orchids that are a must-have for the native purists that want something a little funky in their garden. 

That's all for this week! In the meantime, you can follow my plant adventures on social media and on this blog! 

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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!!