My Yard Update -- And I Need Some Advice ...

(@wxman)

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Well, I don't know if you guys have been anxiously waiting for a FULL yard update from me... but I have to tell you -- I have been anxious to provide this update! I finally uncovered the trachys last Wednesday for the last time and today I spent the ENTIRE day today out in the yard cleaning up the beds and -- yes -- creating MORE!

Spring has sprung as today was partly sunny and 50F and looks like we'll be seeing more 50s and 60s next week.

Now on to the advice I need. I am looking to create the ultimate tropical jungle up here for the summer, so I need some advice on some leafy, fast growing -- and tall plants. I don't care if they die in the fall, just need them to grow fast. If I can store them for the winter, even better. Castor beans are out. I have a 3 year old that likes to put things in her mouth unexpectedly and I don't want to go down that path.

If you remember from last year, I had musa basjoo, ensete maurelii and black magic EE's out in the bed by the sidewalk. I had a circle bed that had musa orinoco in it. Here are a few pics from last year to familiarize yourself.

Today I enlarged the circle bed to an oval bed and I created a new circle bed on the other side of the maple tree.

Here is what I have in my arsenal to plant in the front yard thus far:

(4) musa basjoo (5 ft tall)
(3) ensete maurelii (4 ft tall)
(3) musa orinoco (5 ft tall)
(1) musa orinoco pup (1 ft tall)
(1) siam ruby (3 ft tall)

And finally, here is how things look today. Remember, the only protection the little trachys had was a poly box with 100 mini Christmas lights each!!!

Entire yard, looking SE.

Closeup of corner, still looking SE. The trachy on the left is the one that had spear pull. No others had spear pull.

Closeup of oval bed, still looking SE.

Now we're looking NE at the other corner of the yard. New circle bed in the background.

Closeup of circle bed, looking NE.

Here's my oldest trachy, planted in July, 2008. Bulletproof.

The other large 'leggy' trachy I planted June 2010. Hopefully it starts growing out of its legginess.

My thoughts are to put an ensete maurelii on each corner between the trachys, plant the musa basjoo in the middle by the sidewalk (where they were last year), plant the musa orinoco in either the oval or circle bed -- maybe buy thai black bananas for the other ?? The only bed that is spoken for is the bed around the maple tree. That is a perennial bed with burning bushes, hostas, ornamental grass, caladiums, etc.

Thanks for the help and sorry for the novel!

Posted : 02/04/2011 8:29 pm

TimMAz6

(@timmaz6)

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Hi Tim,

your palms looks great.....nice job protecting. I don't see much grass......a few more years and it will be all gone! 😀

I'd get a Yucca linearifolia........a full zone hardier than Trachycarpus (I'm thinking less protection for you). You can probably get a big one from www.select-seeds.com. Photo taken off web of one in native habitat.
<img src= >

Posted : 02/04/2011 9:31 pm

canadianplant

(@canadianplant)

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When you say " mini cristmas lights", do you mean the small ones that usualy blink, or the larger C3? bulbs?

They look really good... gives me tons of hope 😀

"The definition of insanity, is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results" - einstien

Check out my new Blog! http://canadianplant.wordpress.com/

Posted : 02/04/2011 9:47 pm

wxman

(@wxman)

Posts: 574

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Topic starter

When you say " mini cristmas lights", do you mean the small ones that usualy blink, or the larger C3? bulbs?

They look really good... gives me tons of hope 😀

The small ones that usually blink. I use the always on strands. They put out HARDLY any heat at all.

Posted : 02/04/2011 10:05 pm

wxman

(@wxman)

Posts: 574

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Topic starter

Hi Tim,

your palms looks great.....nice job protecting. I don't see much grass......a few more years and it will be all gone! 😀

I'd get a Yucca linearifolia........a full zone hardier than Trachycarpus (I'm thinking less protection for you). You can probably get a big one from www.select-seeds.com. Photo taken off web of one in native habitat.
<img src= >

Are you sure it is that hardy?

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/181928/

This link says no. I want something that I can protect by simply throwing a trash can over. Yucca rostrata?

Posted : 02/04/2011 10:10 pm

TerdalFarm

(@terdalfarm)

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Tim,
very impressive results! Remind me to get advice from you in September for whatever I still have then. Or earlier. I'm thinking of bringing in an electrician to wire my palm garden....

I answered your tropical foliage question on your other thread. I support your decision to forgo Ricinus. Pretty, but scary with little ones about. I do take the chance with Brugmansia, which is toxic but less fatal + my little one is 11 😀
--Erik

Posted : 02/04/2011 10:19 pm

mnpalms

(@mnpalms)

Posts: 148

Estimable Member

Wxman- Glad to see you have finally turned the corner with this crap weather and everything is uncovered (again). Mine are uncovered now too and I'll get some pics posted as soon as I can get them downloaded out of my phone.

You are on the right track as far as the fastest and biggest impact tropical look goes, at least in my opinion. Bananas! A whole bunch of them! Start out with big ones in the spring and they will get huge. Full sun, tons of Milorganite, tons of water, planted in mushroom compost soil with some sand added for better drainage. Dig them up in the fall and keep the large stalks dormant (or with leaves on in the house if you can battle spider mites) then you can hit the ground running each spring. I have several big ones indoors which will give me the instant big look in early May when they go in.

Yuccas are a good idea also but are so slow growing. Have to buy them big or else you will be old and gray by the time they grow up. I recommend y. rostrata or y. thompsoniana. I think the thompsoniana grows faster but is similar in hardiness, at least 0f and some say up to -15f. Mine is 5 1/2 feet tall and seems to like our humid summer and tolerates plenty of rain. It looks perfect coming out of winter. I think it just needs to be covered in winter, no heat, though mine gets a little heat because it is in the planter with my trachies. Rostratas are beautiful too but can get very spendy with size.

Posted : 03/04/2011 8:12 am

hardyjim

(@hardyjim)

Posts: 4697

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Tim

Here's a seller on E-bay that has the really big leaved Castor bean plant seeds-
these are really amazing in the right spot!

I would also suggest Thai giant Colocasia.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Giant-Zanzibar-Castor-Bean-7-Seeds-Ricinus-Green-Leaf-/370496331236?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item56434d5de4

Posted : 03/04/2011 11:43 am

TimMAz6

(@timmaz6)

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Hi Tim,

Yucca rostrata looks similar to Yucca linearifolia but linearifolia has thinner leaves....very interesting look. Both are equal in hardiness from the reports I get in Denmark/Germany. Thomas Boeuf of Germany has many and says they are hardy (I believe he lives in an area which typically goes down to 0F each year). Here's one in his garden. BTW Y. linearfolia is more related to Y. baccata than Y. rostrata....cool. Y. linearifolia was just 'classified' about 15 years ago, so not much is know/published about it.

Posted : 03/04/2011 12:27 pm

lucky1

(@lucky1)

Posts: 11322

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TimMAz6 took the words right out of my mouth.
I see that grass disappearing completely in a couple of years with yuccas/cactus in a huge central gravelly-desert area from the house right out to the maple tree in a curving pattern around your existing/new bed edges.

That would provide two differing and fabulous views as palms/bananas get taller...from the road, you'd see bananas and trachys, from the house you'd see desert plants with a palm backdrop.

Now that'd be tropical!
Barb

If you drink, don't drive. Don't even putt.

Posted : 03/04/2011 2:45 pm

JackLord

(@jacklord)

Posts: 300

Reputable Member

Palms looking good.

For some really cheap tropical chic, go to the grocery store and load up on Taro Root. Stick em in the ground and what grows looks like a smaller, but more appealing Elephant's Ear. You could start them inside now.

Also, get some pineapples and plant the tops. Very tropical.

Posted : 03/04/2011 5:47 pm

DesertZone

(@desertzone)

Posts: 4411

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I hope you guys find a hardy linearifolia, I tried one and had it covered and it died in the spring and no growth from the roots. 😡 They are an amazing yucca, hope someone gets one hardier than mine was. 😀

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Posted : 03/04/2011 8:40 pm