Sun sails...what a great idea.

I've seen some restaurant patios with sun sails, always wanted to try it.
What kind of fabric did W use? polypropylene for strength?

And congrats on the mister...heard it can drop temps by 10 degrees.

Looks like you're almost finished repotting?
Barb

I can definetly understand why you would use sun protection up there. Between the sun, and heat you get in the summer, it would also protect against some hail, which would decimate some plants. Not to mention it would make the yard look pimp

I think they are polyethylene but I'm not sure. They are quite strong, but we have had them damaged by wind. W tries to sew them back together but it never works for long. (Have I mentioned Oklahoma is windy? Or did you hear the song from the musical?)
They let rain through, and block a fair amount of the sun. We're going to hit 85 oF today so it will stay up for a little longer.
Oh yeah, we will also have winds to 40 mph....
--Erik
P.S. Barb, half way through my 2nd wheel barrow of home-made potting soil. Phoenix is still in the ground as I am having trouble finding a large enough pot. It grew very well. Several other plants have to be dug up in the next week or so. Alpinia nutans (a ginger) grew huge. Supposedly hardy, but I have never overwintered a ginger in the ground. Despite trying. 😥
I want to try again but W says no.

85 degrees! Wow...maybe you won't have autumn at all this year.
Ever considered a wind turbine for your obviously windy site?
BC has lousy "incentives" for green energy, but I've heard the USA offers big bucks to defray upfront costs.

my 2nd wheel barrow of home-made potting soil.

Just a reminder to go easy on the oyster shells for calcium.
No more than a handful in a full wheelbarrow mixture.
Too much calcium can lock up manganese...or was it magnesium? (started with an "m")
😕

Old garbage cans, feed, kitty litter buckets etc. work great for big-rooted plants, albeit not very pretty.

I'm with W on digging up the ginger.

Thai giant would probably enjoy a set up like that-esp if you can add some humidity.

You will definitely need a wind block.

LOL sad to say eric, the only reason i know the musical you mentioned.... is because of seasame street.....

As for the phoenix..... im putting mine in a garbage can ( 20 gallons mabey??). The tap roots on these babys are crazy ( on my roebellenii, and canariensis that is). I also suprised at how little light they can take ( especialy the canariensis, estern light, and thrived during the winter). the only thing ive noticed, is that the bigger the pot, the faster it will grow. I planted a small P canariensis into a pot 4 times bigger then the inital one, it grew 4 leaves in a few short months, slowed down int he winter, and then was much slower then the previous summer. Pheoenix is amazingly adaptable IMO too. U ever try theophrastii eric?

I was looking for " tropical plants for zone 5" on yahoo last night, and i found this awsome ginger ( hardy to zone 5):

http://www.perennialresource.com/encyclopedia/view/?plant=1438

Pretty sexy IMO 😈

CP,
thanks! I think of Alpinia and Hedychium as hardy, not Zingiber. This one you found might be the one to try.
W will still make me bring it in! 😆
As for Phoenix, I am new to them. This one is a pygmy date palm I bought cheap in April. I didn't expect much from it and so put it in poor soil and neglected it. Well, it grew great! Now I have an obligation. I'll do my best with it, but as for roots, well, I have been learning a lot about palm roots lately....
--Erik

I know, ive seen the ALpinia species aoround zone 7, which was the hardiest i can find. Theoly thing are to my knowledge, none of them in canada besides seeds. The zingiber was a nice curve ball, just very hard to find.

Ah Pygmy dates are nice, and damn neaer indestructable. I bought one that looked very healthy, just needed a new pot. So i bring it home ad try to pull it out of the pot it was in. IT took me a half hour to cut this poor palm out of its pot. The roots were growing inside the plastic, thats how rootbound it was. Yet, it still looked super heathy. ITs now in almost full shade inside, and it is doing well. Tough palms ad super easy to take care of. I know i mentioned it last post, but id look up Phoenix Theophratii ( cretean date palm). Its thought to be one of the progenitors of dactylifera. IT can get 40 feet. The only down side, is it has huge spines. The best part is its generaly concidered hardy to zone 7b!!

I only sugested the large garbage can, because the Phoenix ur taling about was growing in ground. Their roots go super deep, so u might have to get a container to accomidate the root system that it already has.

The oly thing is, you wont know till you try.

Good luck dude

LOL sad to say eric, the only reason i know the musical you mentioned.... is because of seasame street.....

As for the phoenix..... im putting mine in a garbage can ( 20 gallons mabey??). The tap roots on these babys are crazy ( on my roebellenii, and canariensis that is). I also suprised at how little light they can take ( especialy the canariensis, estern light, and thrived during the winter). the only thing ive noticed, is that the bigger the pot, the faster it will grow. I planted a small P canariensis into a pot 4 times bigger then the inital one, it grew 4 leaves in a few short months, slowed down int he winter, and then was much slower then the previous summer. Pheoenix is amazingly adaptable IMO too. U ever try theophrastii eric?

I was looking for " tropical plants for zone 5" on yahoo last night, and i found this awsome ginger ( hardy to zone 5):

http://www.perennialresource.com/encyclopedia/view/?plant=1438

Pretty sexy IMO 😈

During one of my missions to the local nursery, I stumbled upon a plant called "Hardy Tropical Ginger" that looks very similiar to that picture. Mine is more yellow, but still variegated. As it was discounted, I grabbed it and planted it on a shady slope at Waimea East. In the month and half since, it has taken well to the location. I am eager to see if it will survive winter.

Thats awsome:D. ID give it a good multching just in case.

Thanks, guys.
cp, I did a little research on that cold-hardy Cretan Phoenix last year.
Right now, when I'm digging and potting palms, I don't want to even think about another marginal palm. Sabal minor for me!
I'll let you know how digging my first Phoenix (P. roebellini) goes. I sure was surprised by the roots on the tiny Brahea armata I dug over the weekend (photo on another thread).
Jack,
the ginger wasn't in that photo. You might have seen W's potted traveller's "palm" which looks a little yellowish with my cell-phone camera.
This photo shows it today. I bought it years ago from Stoke's Tropicals. I've killed so many gingers I have lost track of what I have left. I think it is Alpinia nutans, but it has never flowered (none of my gingers have) so I am not positive.
In the foreground is a bit of the Hamellia which is about to bloom again! 😀

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href=" http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/XbCEZ_6Y6c9cjimawEnN1w?feat=embedwebsit e"><img src=" " height="478" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href=" http://picasaweb.google.com/terdalfarm/October2010?feat=embedwebsit e">October 2010</a></td></tr></table>

Its alright it di doest flower ( at least for me), the foliage is nice. AS for the phoenix.... theres always next year 😈

Sun sails, i like that idea...Good stuff!!!!!

Mike,
in your climate, them + the misters might be nice in Summer.
Something to dream about over winter....
--Erik