Here's a picture of it from April/2008-it is the one on the right,
the one on the left(sold as gloriosa)turned out to be var Aloifolia
and was moved farther away. 😀

........and another from this year...3 summers

Not bad for 3 years!

Ya jim... hopefully you can get that to trunk a bit next year. Im assuming you protect it?

Hey Jim,
Looks like I'm a little late to the rodeo on this one 😆 Everything looks fantastic! I really like the picture of your large trachy growing out of the old trunk, that's pretty cool.

I can't wait to see some pictures of those new takils 😀

Bill

Ya jim... hopefully you can get that to trunk a bit next year. Im assuming you protect it?

I protect everything! 😉

I think you have some palm pics coming up to Bill! 😯

Hi Jim,
That is a lot of work you gotta put on.Your beautiful palm paradise is worth that hard work.
I noticed that you are growing the red banana which is quite attractive, what is the variety ? Is is every green and cold hardy?

The one in the last sequence of pics is an Abyssinian.

I also have Rowe red and Siam ruby that are reddish in color.

Basjoos(for sure),Yunnanensis,Black Thai may also be hardy with enough mulch.

Rajapuri and Lasiocarpa may also be hardy(if mulched),I will be digging these 2 up for storage
in the hopes of getting blooms next year.

I got a musella too. The only sprout, out of 20 seeds ( 10 velutina, and 10 musella). Im pretty sure its musella, due to the leaf shape ( longer, and not as wide as the other bananas ive seen). Its only had 5 leaves so far.

From my research on it, ive found a few cases of it surviving zone 5 heavily multched. Im gonna plant it in the spring, and dig it up when it dies back and treat it liek a canna lily.

Too bad its so hard to find any musa ( besides basjoo) up here, other then starting from seed....

When do you start geting everything ready or the winter down there ??

Canadian- I've got a bunch of small Y. gloriosa planted from seed (sown 2008). Hoping to select for hardy forms (if any survive). Of these there are maybe 15 that came through last winter (remember it was VERY mild last winter), hoping to reduce that down to 1 or 2 this year. Interestingly I have only ~3 Yucca recurvfolia remaining from a similar sized experiment with that sp. In the past I've had gloriosa 'variegata' survive one winter (top-killed) unprotected. It died completely the following winter. I still have 1 'larger' Yucca recurvfolia which top killed the first year (2008/09) but was largely undamaged last year (2009/10). Long story short, if you want to grow them be prepared to protect if temps drop below 0 to -5f (~-18 to -20C). I do wonder if someone was able to get one established in zone 5, how much additional cold it could take? Oh, and the seeds were form Tennessee grown plants, which, according to some anecdotal evidence, are able to handle a little more cold.

Jim- Thanks for the pics! Very inspiring!

Thanks paul. The furthest north ive heard of these growing is novascotia. But ive been told that the plant has been misidentified. I got a feeling these last few worm winters are becomming the norm. Plant can be a good indication of that i guess. I know a few elderly people that said theyd never think of there being azalea and rhodies here, but there are ( due to half selective breeding/ breeding technques ( in this case cold hardiness) and changing climate here in canada).

Who knows what well be growing in 10 years 😈

PS... Jim, i bet my alocasia odora will out grow your thai giant next year LOL 😈

Canadian- I can vouch for only Yucca glauca and Yucca filamentosa in Nova Scotia. I have no doubt that Y. recurvfolia and gloriosa would survive in the zone 7 areas in the Southwest of the province, they can get away with some incredible plants there!

I also think that both Spp. are being grown in Niagara, but I've only seen Y. recurvfolia there.

To get back to Jim- What's the lowest temperature that your gloriosa saw in the past 3 winters?

Single digits Paul 0-9F

It depends on the plant Jesse.....

Obviously the Bananas/Thai giant,etc are the most tender.

Of the stuff staying out in the ground,the C.cooperi is probably the most tender,then some of the other T.ferns
and then the Washys.

The Cactus usually get a rain cover starting Oct 1 but since it hasn't rained in 3 weeks-no need.

Jim,
Yeah, wow!

I keep designing my succulent bed but haven't put anything in the ground yet but Heserpaloe so no help there.

I have grown Musella. I had two for a few years; only one came through this past winter. Still no blooms. I'm frustrated with them. Canna (any variety) are much better.

I want in to the "Thai Giant" competition for 2011. I have a spot in mind. 😀
--Erik

Jim,
Y
I want in to the "Thai Giant" competition for 2011. I have a spot in mind. 😀
--Erik

Should be fun!

Don't worry Erik your in!

Like I said before I'll be sending the control plants all at once for the competition in early April. I'll start a post at the end of winter, I'll find a way to get them to Canada one way or another if anyone is interested. All I ask for is a few bucks for shipping.

Bill