Hi Marc,
Thanks for posting those pics...try the "Img" button next time, instead of the "URL"...that should embed the pics into your post.

Good end of season buys; they do need water (big time!).
While mulch keeps soil from drying out, newly planted specimens should be watered thoroughly before mulch is applied.
Otherwise mulch just absorbs the water (especially bark chips) without letting much of it trickle down into the root zone.

Agree with IDs, except the cycad looks like a Dioon Spinulosum (also a nice find).

Keep us posted on how they all recover.
Barb

I am probably a couple of hours from you. Its warmer here, but we share the same clay soil. No matter what I plant, I always amend it with peat, coffee grounds, other bits of compost, some leaves, and maybe garden soil. Even after the plant or tree is established, I continue to bury my coffee grounds around the circumference to make it more fertile and give them a nitrogen fix.

Re Winter: As someone else said, put a thick layer of pine bark mulch around the trunks. That will insulate the ground and roots, clay or no clay. Then put a layer of dry leaves. Finally, the plastic enclosure or a leaf cage. As Jim said, and I myself have recently learned, keep the inside dry. That has been my one mistake, although no fatalaties resulted.

Dry is the secret for winter along with moderate=cool temps.

Barb-I thought the same thing about the Cycad but didn't see any
of the signature spines on the leaves like Spinulosum. 😕

So Bill's i.d. may be correct.

The individual leaves on the cycad definitely have spines on them, I'll get some closeups when I get home. I had to use thick gloves to transplant it into this pot.

The individual leaves on the cycad definitely have spines on them, I'll get some closeups when I get home. I had to use thick gloves to transplant it into this pot.

Barbs got it right then

Here's that closeup picture

I'm going to put this in the ground next year. After it flushes again, I'm probably going to cut off these horrendous leaves. I think a lack of proper care was to blame for this. It flushed in the house and the growth was very tender, and I put it outside in direct sunlight right away, probably should of acclimated it first. 🙁 🙁

Marc,
that definitely is a D.spinulosum, but it wasn't happy in the sun.
I'd recommend no hot sun at all.
After overwintering indoors, they're sensitive to sun (which I learned the hard way).

Mine is in only morning sun for a couple of hours.

Yours will be a fine specimen soon.
Barb

Barb,
Thanks for the advice, I have the perfect shaded spot next spring where I'll plant it. I have 2 small dwarf cavendish bananas there that I don't have any pics of yet and they look beautiful compared to the ones I posted the pics of. They're just smaller because of the lack of sunlight but at least they aren't burned to a crisp!!

Marc, moving your bananas into the sun will do the trick.