W has been great. She helps me haul pots in and out.
She especially

She especially appreciates trips in winter where palms grow wild.

Her hobby is breeding horses from where Chammies grow wild. I count three hospitilizations for the two of us in the past year from her hobby, vs none from mine. Hmmm.....

^^^^ Too funny!! (not getting hurt)

I'm trying now to plan a trip through work that I get in Feb/March to Orlando. Wife want to go to Universal Studios. I want to rent a car and check out some real nursery's!

That will be a great trip! Take some photos for us.

Sometime do a driving trip down to Texas so you can bring palms home in your car. Texas is a good place to find trunked Trachies , Sabal, Butia, etc. Wife can enjoy the big amusement parks and shopping in DFW or San Antonio.

Yeah, good point, Scott.
Nice that your wife is getting interested in the tropical look that palms provide.
You'll both enjoy that.

three hospitilizations for the two of us in the past year from her hobby, vs none from mine.

Good example, Erik.
Which hobby gets credit for the tractor up the tree? palms? or horses? 😆

H has learned to NOT roll his eyes as I show him yet more half-inch tall palm seedlings....
Conversation: "I saw them yesterday". "No you didn't, they just popped this morning." "Well then you moved other seedlings around." "Yes I did."
"But they all look the same." "But they aren't the same, just like babies all look about the same but they aren't."
😉

Barb

My wife is not much of a plant person. I wonder what causes us to enjoy plants while other people have no interest at all.

Tim,

Something to take care of?

Zone pushing. The look on a persons face..especially at a garden center...when I tell them I've been over wintering palm trees outside.

That general "tropical feel" that palms and tropical plants bring into the home. Especially for me, in land locked Nebraska!

Getting the harder to find palms, and having something different than most anyone else I know that also enjoys plants in the house.

I wonder what causes us to enjoy plants while other people have no interest at all.

I've wondered that myself, as most people have been exposed to gardening in one form or another.
Yet my friends have absolutely no interest in my hobby.
So, thank goodness for Palms North!!!!

Something to take care of

Interesting theory, Scott.
Or maybe palms/yuccas are more satisfyingto us than, say, taking a motor apart and rebuilding it.

Barb

Yea, but my mom was a HUGE plant nut...to an extreme. Every year as a little kid and as I grew dragging pots outside in the spring....then inside for the winter I SWORE I would never own a houseplant. Now look at me 😕

Even went to Menards because they had a mini shelf/greenhouse on sale for $20. Do I need it? NO...but bought it because someday I might.

I'm proud of myself though. This morning I stopped at a nursery that I've never been to before and saw a 2 gallon European Fan Palm from Monrovia for just $16.00 I was able to walk away!

Sometimes Palms are like stray dogs...they follow us home.

😆 😆

At that price, it should've followed you home.

Re your story about your mom's plants.
Same here, but my parents always gave me the crap jobs like weeding, never anything fun and stimulating and I found myself saying (under my breath) "one day I'll do the fun work like repotting, etc. my OWN plants".
Today I have more plants than they ever dreamt of...maybe that's it...a competitive streak? Nah.

Also, it was my job to wash the INSIDE of family car windows.
Found myself saying I'll never wash the inside of car windows when I own a car.
And I don't. 😕
That's a job for the palms I bring home in the car.

Barb