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. 

It's April, but it feels like summer!

Long Island is usually pretty chilly in the springtime. It's only 20 miles wide and sticks out into the Atlantic Ocean. Water temperatures are always slow to warm up this time of the year, so usually, when a warm airmass moves over the northeast, we're one of the cooler spots ... usually. That was not the case this week! 

High temperatures soared into the 80s and 90s in my backyard. Here are the highs/lows for the three warmest days this week. 

WED, APR 12  84°F / 63°F
THU, APR 13   93°F / 61°F
FRI, APR 14     93°F / 64°F

Honestly, it was plain hot. On Wednesday I actually suffered from a heat migraine. I was doing my normal springtime chores, but I couldn't handle it in the heat. Within a half hour I went from feeling fine to a severe migraine with nausea and sensitivity to light. I slept for a solid 11 hours. I drank plenty of water but did not listen to my body when it was looking for a break. Take it easy out there guys! 

The average last freeze is in mid-April, so I took a chance and brought ALL of the tropical plants outside. Between the ones at my house and my parents, I have probably more than 100 large potted plants and countless seedlings. It was a lot of work, but it's so nice to have my house back. 

I love the color the Furcraea foetida 'Variegata' gives this space. Last year I had it in full sun, but I think I will keep it here. It really brightens the spot! To the right is an Old Man Palm. Right of that is a Singapore Twist Ti Plant. 

The Ladies ... Lady Palms that is! The Variegated Lady Palm has been incredibly hardy and is a pretty looking palm! 

My Hibiscus tiliaceus that I purchased from Logees in January grew well over the winter on the windowsill and now it's ready for the big time. 

Dipladaneas make a cheap annual. I figured it would make a nice compliment to the Hibiscus tiliaceus since this particular species of hibiscus is not a frequent bloomer, at least not until it's older!

I rescued that Adondila palm last November from a nursery so it's looking a little rough, but all the new growth is very healthy. I think it'll look fantastic later this summer

The Queen Emma Crinum I snuck on a plane during my visit to Florida last year overwintered well in the house. It did suffer some sun burn going outside for the season, but I'm optimistic it will grow out of it quickly! 

The Licuala grandis did surprisingly well in the house this winter. They're tough to grow indoors because of their high humidity requirements. I am really disappointed to see how poorly the Hydriastele beguinii "obi island" do so poorly in the house, but at least it's growing!

This banana was sold to me as Viente Cohol, which is one of the fastest-ripening bananas out there. It's nearly big enough to fruit. Maybe this summer will be the one! 

Time to wake up!

It's the moment of truth! Things are coming back to life and it's time to see just how well some of my plants did. 

This Musa Basjoo has been painful to watch over the past 2 years. It's been sitting in a pot. overwintering in the garage. The primary stem dies every year after a poor season of growth and weak pups try to take over.I think the underground root system is getting choked out by its pot so I decided to plant it in the ground. 

LAST SUMMER: On the far right, my musa basjoo  (sad I know!)

April 8, 2023 - in the ground and ready to go! 

I covered this Southern Jasmine with cloth, but it received no additional heat this winter. It suffered very little leaf drop and new growth is quickly sprouting. I'm so excited about this!

The fragrance is incredible! This variety is called "Madison" and is supposed to be more cold tolerant than the average star jasmine.

Cleome seedings in the yellow tray, and various cannas and elephant ears waking up. 

April 5 - Colocasia Mojito

April 5

My Owari Satstuma Mandarin did fantastic this winter in the garage! It experienced sub-freezing temperatures a few times throughout the winter. There was no leaf drop and new leaves and flower buds are emerging!

Closeup on the new citrus growth. This Owari Satsuma did significantly better than my Kumquat and Meyer Lemon

My Dahlias and Musa sikkimensis are planted for the season. You can barely see the Dahlia sprouts toward the left of the banana plant, but hopefully, that will change in a few weeks. I have Tahitian Sunrise in the front and a Cactus Flowered Dahlia variety in the back. 

Below, you'll see a few winter survivors. They did not receive any protection or additional mulch, but are planted close to the foundation of my house. This dark leaf canna musafolia was a surprise because I thought I dug up the clump. The second photo is of a Calla 'Swartberg Giant'. Our winter low was 3F, which is unusual cold. However, we had very few freezes this winter and I think that made all the difference.