Hardy tropicals

I'm on the north edge of zone 7a. I recently saw a reference on DG to Musa basjoo, Japanese hardy banana, and discovered to my shock it is hardy to 6b. I HATE dragging in plants for the winter, so this has really gotten me excited.

So my questions:

Have your tried the Basjoo? Do you like it?

Are there other plants you like that look tropical, but that are hardy to 7a or 6b? Because if there are, I want to get some!

Be sure it or its pot are buried in the ground or you'll kill it.

Plant Delights has a slew of tropical and tropical looking plants that are hardy to zone 7. I'd never been insane enough to pay their $18 minimum (!!!!!!) shipping, but it's a good place to get ideas.

Ouch -- $18 minimum shipping? That's ridiculous! How off-putting! Does that cover a lot of plants? We could always buy cooperatively, and split the order. But I'm betting it doesn't!

Minimum shipping for this area is $18 for up to six plants. Seven or more plants are $3 each (minimum $21.) For other states, it's higher. If you live out west - ack. Anyway, joining together on an order wouldn't save you anything.

For that price, I expect the plants to arrive wrapped in genuine goosedown blankets. I flat out will not order from any place that has ridiculous shipping charges. There are quite a few of them in the plant business.

I know a while back several people were raving about Lazy S Farm. I took one look at their shipping rates and haven't bothered to look again.

I agree. I don't like to feel ripped off. What especially bothers me is websites that make it a chore to uncover their shipping/handling charges -- it's a major pet peeve of mine.

Me too Especially the ones that expect you to put items in your cart and go through the order process to get a shipping rate. Or even worse, give no clue on shipping at all.

Hazzard Greenhouse had a nice sale recently but I didn't even bother. They have no shipping information available at all. Apparently you place your order and then they let you know what shipping will be. Yeah, right. I really want to have mystery shipping.

Exactly -- especially when shipping can be 30% or more of the cost of the plants. Sometimes if prices are low it still works out ok to pay high shipping -- but as consumers there is no way to know unless the shipping and handling are disclosed. I just bought a few packs of seeds recently and was charged over $5 for shipping -- I was furious. I usually am really careful about that -- I had checked the shipping and then added (as I recall) one pack of seeds, which seemed to trigger an increase in about $1.50 in the shipping that I forgot to check before finalizing the sale. And sometimes they just wear you down -- you invest so much time in deciding what to buy that you just figure, phooey, I'll go ahead and pay. But it does not make me a repeat customer. Doesn't make good business sense to me.

No, it doesn't make good business sense. And I've mailed too many plants for trades to think that those kind of shipping rates are reasonable. And especially for something like seeds.

Happy, there's a very nice nursery up here that carries a lot of unusual varieties - the kind of things you mail order because you can't find them anywhere else. They have a half price sale every June. It would be worth the trip even from Chevy Chase, probably around an hour and a half drive non-rushhour. Also, Merrifield Garden Center in Fairfax has a good selection of the more unusual things. Most of their quart pots of perennials are around $5.

Thanks! What is the nursery near you? We love driving out to the mountains!

It's been a while since I've been to Merrifield. I usually go to American Plant Food or Behnke's, just because they are closer; sometimes to Meadow Farms. Now I'm tending more towards mail order.

American Plant Food has a 60% off perennial sale on Halloween, by the way. Don't know what they'll have left then!

Weber Nursery in Winchester. BTW, if you like hostas, they have the most monstrous hostas I've ever seen for sale anywhere.

For trees and shrubs, you can't beat Shreckhise Shrubbery in Weyers Cave. That's quite a bit further away but they have a huge selection and their prices are great, especially for the size of the plants.

A lot of people have posted good results from Crownsville Nursery. They're mail order only. I haven't ordered from them - it seems silly to pay postage for plants from a place that's about 25 miles from me. LOL They do have a lot of the more unusual perennials and theyir shipping charges aren't bad.

I've been really pleased with the plants I've gotten from Bluestone. I've had a couple that had to be replaced but generally they were very nice plants.

Thanks for all those great suggestions! I'll tuck them away for the spring.

Road trip to hart's!!! Alrighty, my friend...thinking I need to do a road trip north and south come spring/summer time!! Agree with both of you re s/h - and yes, hart, esp. now after I've shipped so many things and realize how much things actually cost. Hmph!!

Well, come on out!

I have a basjoo & a dwarf cavendish that are both going into their first cold season here, they are planted on the south side of the house w/ a windmill palm & a couple of figs that have overwintered already (I got the figs & dwarf cavendish from Paradise Nursery, who are unfortunately closing up shop this season-I'm bummed, because I've gotten all of my figs from them, I think they're such a great nursery!) I planted lantana & hypericum at the edge of this bed & they've both done well. Next year, I'd like to try out other borderline tropical plants....

Thistle5 -- I can't wait to here how your plants do. That's just what I want to try!

Hey - Don't forget me Chantell, on your way to Harts. I wanna go....I wanna go.

Ruby

Ah Ruby...no fears....couldn't forget YOU!!! How ya feeling?

Would you all be interested in doing a plant swap here in the spring? I have plenty of room and it's a beautiful drive but I am kind of out in the boonies. I'm about a half hour from Front Royal, a little bit less from Edinburg.

Not kidding about the drive. A good bit of it is through the GW National Forest.

Ahh, I'd LOVE to!! Don't mind the drive...it's 95 I hate with a passion!! LOL Maybe post that as a new thread so it doesn't get lost (unless you've done that already and I was too lazy to look) LOL

Sounds like fun -- though my schedule is always tough because my kids play a lot of sports.