Jim -

Outstanding pics and yard. I love how big all your bananas got. And I love that Thai Giant. I'm getting one next year!! It sucks though that someone cut off its biggest leaf. I would want to cut their arm off and see how they like it!! LOL. Question for you... My siam rubies didn't do well in my yard this year, so I dug them up and they both died to the ground. When I dug them I noticed their roots were mushy and brown. It's been a warm summer as you know, so I don't know if my climate isn't warm enough for them? I know you were in the 90s a lot more than me. I had mostly mid to upper 80s during the day and upper 60s at night. One resprouted a pup and I'm still waiting to see if the other will do anything. Now on to the question, do you think musa red rowe is less touchy than the siam ruby? I love how that banana looks and if its as simple to grow as a basjoo, maurelii or orinoco, I'm gonna get me some next spring. I might also try musa thai black as that looks like it will do well in our type of summers.

I will try to post pics this weekend - I'm waiting for a couple leaves to open on my bananas since I had storm damage a few weeks back and they looked pretty pathetic for a bit...had to cut some totally damaged leaves off as they broke at the stem.

Your yard looks great,looks like your going to be busy come fall!!!what is your method for overwintering your itinerans???

Jim,
Looking Great as usual! Your yard has filled in really nicely this year with all your favorable weather (for tropical plants at least) It's nice to see your trachy making a nice recovery to, it will have plenty of carbs to go through winter this year.

I think my favorite picture is the one from the right side of your front yard looking left right before the pictures of the ferns. (which look great too) That give a good perspective on the size of most of the bananas and others.

Maybe I like the genera the best 😆 I had to write that after Erik has been so patiently waiting for a picture of it 😈

Keep up the good work!

Bill

Wx-

Sorry to hear your Siam's are pooching it,all the variegated Bananas can be finicky(IMO) and seem to need heat/humidity to
thrive.
They can be tough inside too because of this and I had no luck overwintering in the basement -so,
I guess that beast is coming inside! 😯

I would try again with the Siam but that's just because they are my favorite after Ae Ae!

Willy

I cut off some pups that I will bring in,the big ones get mulched,they are supposed to be
(possibly)as hardy as Basjoo,to-0!!!!!

However these are probably not Itinerans as they are said to pup very far away from the mother plant
and these pup right off the stalk,so much so they are VERY difficult to split away with any roots!

I guess I will find out,doing the same with the Thai blacks!

Bill

It's to bad it drops off so much to that part of the yard (by a couple feet),you wouldn't
know it from the pics but that is the tallest banana-to the right of the Rowe red!

I think I have a more straight on shot of the yard and some more cactus bed shots.

I highly recommend doing a cactus bed,they are way less fuss and extremely rewarding!

Some more pics-

Fern frond-from 3 weeks ago

Cactus bed-

Castor bean forest

Thai black banana

Holy crap dude........ Everything looks like it exploded:D

Did you guys cool off like we did? IT was 19C here for 2 days, then back up to 30C, still no rain since a week n a half ago.

Whats the hardiness on that Y Gloriosa??

Looks right good dude GJ:D

Very pretty. Great gardens. 😀

Jim,
I just keep going back and looking. I'm replying merely to say, "thanks!"
About the siam red banana discussion, I saw my first one at the Tulsa Zoo and it looked amazing in the sun. I'll grow one next year. Anyway, keep posting your photos for us. --Erik

Thanks Guys

Yea it cooled off here for about 4 days(mostly the humidity was buch lower with dewpoints in the 50s)
a welcome relief!

The desert bed has still been in the 100s though which is great!

Gloriosa is said to be hardy to 0 F and has showed no ill effects-that I have seen-
from mid single digits,I hope it keeps growing after flowering.

I will have to get a new pic of the flower stalk soon.

Growth really has 'exploded' this season with 3+ months avg low 70s to 90 and above-
and over 35" of rain,very fortunate not to have to water at all this summer-although I did.......
3 times.

Iowa Botanical Gardens. Simpy fantastic.

Question- in your cactus garden, what is that plant with the thin stem/stalk to the left of the banana? Looks like a minature prehistoric palm.

That is Pachypodium Lamerei -a.k.a.

Madagascar palm

That is Pachypodium Lamerei -a.k.a.

Madagascar palm

Cool. Do you dig it up or build a shelter around it?

I sunk it in the pot to give some height in that area since the Yucca fell over last spring.

M/palm is fairly tender and begins to suffer from temps lower than 40F

It's(Yucca) filling in well now!

Is that a pachypodium? ANd does it stay outside in the winter??