They all do look great, and were in the home stretch now! I've only totally uncovered my 3 Needles, and just took the top cover off the three Trachy's and one Mexican Fan Palm I have in the ground. Amazingly two potted Mexican's, a large European fan palm and Chinese fan palm all in the garage are showing some decent growth by being in there.

Jim, Do you leave your Black Bamboo totally uncovered over the winter?

I brought my 9ft potted one inside(my first year with it) and not sure it likes being inside even though I keep soil damp and higher than normal humidity inside as well.

Holy crow, Jim, everything looks so much better than it EVER has after a winter... 😀 😀

Looks like Agave and Yucca grew inside the cactus hut...

The sabals look pristine too...didn't look this good last year!!!!!
can't wait for my S.McCurtain seeds to pop.
-4F for your McCurtain...that's going to be one fine palm very soon.

And your graptopetalum...succulent similar, in a way, to my echeveria.
Those droopy mushy leaves don't "recover", and fall off as new leaves replace them.
That's what my echeveria did anyway, and they're probably similar.

The Princeps...well, what can I say, looks like a textbook photo.
They have one of the most beautiful palm leaves of any variety. OK, maybe Waggie...
My princeps had better look like yours or there'll be hell to pay 😆 😆

Amazing that your tree fern grew a leaf...the joys of the right amount of heat, plus clear wrap.
Well done, Jim.

OK...Waggies not getting any air????? hmmm.

Don't water the Sequoia next summer, ha ha, it's never looked better!~

I brought my potted Trachies out today...camera batteries fried AGAIN.

Nice work Jim.
Won't be long until you can store all that crap until November. 😀

Barb

well I didn't know you left a cooperi out all winter..my jaw about dropped. I recently got one and have had it in the house and all the leaves have dried up and died. hope it can make it till summer. everything else looks prestine wonderful job again. maybe if this week holds out I'll uncover a few next week. where do you get the little hut protections at? I have seen them in yards but never for sale. they might work on some of my smaller stuff.

Mike, My first year with the Australian Tree Fern is much like your experience for the winter. Still alive..but fronds unfurl then dry up. Have it in master bath tub with some other palms that are higher humidity requiring trying to keep it going until I can get it back outside.

Don't know how Jim keeps his going outside over the winter like he does. Amazing.

Thanks you guys/gals 🙂

The little white covers are rose cones,the others I made....

Barb

I thought about uncovering the bigger Trachys but there is some
decent rain forecast and I don't want them to get to wet and then have to cover...
I will be looking to get them uncovered in the next couple weeks or so though....

The T.ferns are never damaged in winter,always the 1 blown forecast in fall that gets them
as has happened the last 2 years now-they forecast upper 20s and you hit 20F,they are lucky
to be alive,the growth this winter is amazing to see as I was not sure they survived at all.

Whats really sad is I had these growing for a couple years-the small one in front
was a C.Brownii,these are unreal-they can get 20' leaves and this one went from 6"
leaves to over 3' in one summer,unfortunately a forecasted low of 28F turned out to be
22F and possibly as low as 18F.

They never recovered-

<a href=" " target="_blank"><img src=" " border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

This Cooperi had an almost 8' wingspan-pretty heartbreaking to see them go in fall,
the centers hung on the next year but could not recover from the damage the fall before.

That is a yellow 5g bucket for scale.....

<a href=" " target="_blank"><img src=" " border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

If we have a wet year the little ones may be about half that big,so maybe next fall (2014)

Yeah, I remember those 2 pics, Jim.
So beautiful.
20 foot leaves...it'll be going through the front door.

So...never trust the weather f/cast.

Wise to keep the Trachys from getting rained on...but it'll be good to see them again.

Getting the soil temp probe ready?
A bit of sun on that dark mulch, presto, spring.

Barb

Looking good Jim. Great work!

Thanks Honoh

Yea Barb,it will be fun to see the Trachys back out-looks like winter wants to hang on a little bit(it is still early Feb after all)
but hopefully in about 3 weeks or so they can be back out there again-the Needles and Sabals can be covered with a trash
can if it gets down in the teens again soon,anything close to 10F> and I may just cover them again,pretty easy to throw the
covers back on really-no so with the Trachys but they are tough...no reason to be impatient with them at this point though...

Jim,

We've been having it pretty good so far here in the Midwest haven't we? It's been nice leaving the tops and cans off the palms this week here as well. Talking about rain Saturday night, so will cover them during the rain, then uncover for all of next week as it looks nice pretty good weather temp wise and no precep.

So you think you will totally uncover your Trachy's at the end of Feb? I'm still new to the timing of it all. I know I'll leave the basic side protection still up for my Mexican Fan Palm.

Hi Jim,

nice update...........your Sequoiadendron is getting HUGE. How tall is it now and how much did it grow last season?

no reason to be impatient with them at this point though

Yeah, good point, but I've left the door to the palm hut open for the last week.
Unplugged the thermocube.
Min temps have been about -4C 24.8F

The roof and 3 sides are plenty at this point.

I think the Squirrel has been living in there. 😐

Barb

Jim,

We've been having it pretty good so far here in the Midwest haven't we? It's been nice leaving the tops and cans off the palms this week here as well. Talking about rain Saturday night, so will cover them during the rain, then uncover for all of next week as it looks nice pretty good weather temp wise and no precep.

So you think you will totally uncover your Trachy's at the end of Feb? I'm still new to the timing of it all. I know I'll leave the basic side protection still up for my Mexican Fan Palm.

Only uncovering the bigger ones that I know can take down to 10F and a few days below freezing...the small ones are way less hardy-the Princeps will be spoiled.

Tim

I think the Sequoia is around 6' it only grew about 2' last year but we had a severe drought,I am sure it could do 3'+ in a wet year..

Barb

I think a cat tore the cover of the cactus cover the first week it was up-it hasn't made that mistake again

a cat tore the cover of the cactus cover the first week it was up

That happened to KNNN (Steve) one winter when it was -5 F unfortunately.
He lost a beautiful palm as a result.

Barb

Timing is everything.....I have been lucky that any damage has occurred during mild weather.