as a zone stretcher, i feel that it is my reponsibility to plant things not technically hardy here, but that i think stand a chance if i baby 'em. what are yall trying this winter? in the spring and summer we can look back and see how our experiments did.
ATTENTION FELLOW ZONE STRETCHERS!!!!
I'm only tryiing one new "stretcher" this winter. Alpinia Zerumbet (var.). Going to try to keep it protected enough from frost so that it won't die back and it canl bloom next season.
Deb
i think i went overboard. this is our poinsettia's first full winter, as well as the Queeen palm's and strelitzias (both kinds).i am trying to keep the brugs from dying back as well as the erythrina herbacea. hmmm what else... oh yeah schefflera arboricola (protected) and ficus benjamina (in a pot. its older than i am... probably 18 yrs) i decorated the ficus and queen with christmas lights that i plan to keep up longer than the first week of Jan.
Diehrd, have you seen the Queen palms they planted at that new car dealership (O.C. Welch, maybe) on 278? From your house it would be on the left hand side of the road as you go towards 95. They must be convinced about global warming because they have many, many, many new Queens.
I am going to gamble (again) with my Plumerias this year.
I think the deal with the palms is simple. They cleared trees and need to replant trees to make up for the ones they removed. A queen palm won't block out the view of the dealership or the cars. As far as them doing well? No way. They won't die but I bet they have burnt fronds on them every spring. I've seen many people try to grow those around here and they just won't stay green but won't die either. Out by 95 is at least 5 degrees colder than I get so maybe they will get killed off?? Not really sure.
Ah ha, you are right, they are mitigating with the trees. Interestingly, they had some huge palms that looked a lot like Canary Island Date palms at the dealership in Beaufort that they just vacated. They took those palms with them or sold them, I am not sure which but they are no longer there.
diehard,
Are you thinking that maybe the lights may just keep the plants warm enough to keep them alive? It makes sense to me if they are the regualr outside lights because they do give off some heat....
i forgot my Queen Palm. Last winter it sat on my back porch with warming (Christmas) lights wrapped around it. Did fine but of course it wasn't exposed to frost. Last spring, I did put it in the ground so this will be it's first unprotected winter. It's vey near to the house and I plan to baby it through and I really hope it doesn't get burnt. We'll see!
Deb
This message was edited Nov 28, 2007 7:46 PM
Deb,
I dragged in and out of my greenhouse a shell ginger .. in two years it never did flower for me .. finally traded it away. Good luck on yours! If the pot it is in is not too heavy, you might try putting it on a heating pad turned on low at night.
X
Thanks X,
It's in a great big heavy pot. I've constructed a real basic frame to drape some plastic over for frosty times. Maybe I'll try the Christmas lights round the edge of the pot on top of the soil. It's such a pretty plant - the blooms would be great - but I love the foliage, too. :)
Deb
I think the Canary Island Date palms are at the new dealership. Look right at the entrance. I don't go by there very often so I might be wrong on that.
yeah, plus they have them on either side of the property. plus all those big queen palms that they planted... i really like that! oh and the dates at suncity... i think those are sylvestris
Deb; I've had Alpinia zerumbet in the ground here for the past 2 years, and it's come back from the roots both years, with no protection (hope I don't get censored for that!). It hasn't ever flowered, but it IS spreading. The single plant I put in 2 yrs. ago is now 4 plants. I just bought it for the foliage, so the lack of flowers doesn't bother me at all. It's slow to emerge in the spring, though, so don't give up on it!
Shell ginger blooms on old growth .. since it dies back in the winter it probably will never bloom .. that's why I didn't put mine in the ground and kept dragging it in and out of the greenhouse.
X
Stono:I think you're safe on the censoring thing. LOL.
Thanks for the info. I'm encouraged about it spreading. I may put mine in ground in spring.
X does yours bloom after wintering in the GH?
Deb
This message was edited Nov 29, 2007 10:03 PM
It never did .. I traded it away ... I'm on the verge of trading away my plumerias that haven't bloomed since I got 3 - 4 years ago.
X
X; Oh - of course - you did say that earlier. If mine manages to bloom it'll probably be a miracle, but I gotta give it one good try! :)
I wish you luck! I still think bottom heat in the winter would make a big difference. I think a large factor in flowering with extra tropical plants has to do with how warm the soil stays .. I think I remember reading somewhere .. can't remember where and my memory may be faulty, that certain flowering hormones stop being produced in the plant when the soil temperature is below 55-60 degrees for longer than a few weeks.
X
I would think the soil temp is very important for tropicals. It just makes sense. Where the tropical plants are native the soil probably never goes under 70-80 degrees. If you try to get tropical seeds growing I do know your best off if the temp is over 75, 24 hours a day or your seeds may not sprout. Learned that the hard way. LOL.
My A. zerumbet bloomed this year for the first time and it has been in the ground for at least 5 years. It is under a slow spreading Live Oak which offers it lots of protection but the oak also steals a lot of the moisture in the ground. (Not that we have had a lot of that lately.)
Individual flower, I think they are cool.
I haven't read nearly all of this thread yet, but try this on - Baobad trees can take much colder than the usual stated fifty-five degrees.
I had one come back extremely well after taking mid-twenties overnight (probably 4-6 hours) with a low of twenty-three.
I had it slightly covered, but it was above ground.
How about that. :)
"germinater"
germinater-do you mean baobab tree? They get a huge trunk-but I have always loved the way that they look
Yes. I'm a dumb***. :)
How about starting a petition for spell checking. :)
I'll back you up.
Thanks
lol You got it-that would be some spell checker with all these botanical names-but I sure would use it.
Here is my of my favorite pictures-its of my son in front of a baobab tree
It always amazes me to see something so big spring from something so little as a seed.
X
the tree or the baby??? lol he is 27 now!
Both actually!
X
X: For the zerumbet, I think I'll try top AND bottom heat, if I can find a heat pad that will take the weight of the thing.
Ardesia: Yours is beautiful.
Let the zone stretching begin!! :)
Deb
Deb what you could do is prop up the planter on something short so the bottom would be next to the heating pad but not sitting right on it.
X
what i do do keep the plumerias growin so they don't lose an inlo is put a small heater blowing right on the side of the pot.... of course you'll hve to water a lot more, but it works for me and the plumeria, so i'll bet it would work with the ginger
hey all!
i'm wondering if seed starting counts... I got papaya..mango..and dragon fruit seeds to try this winter. it's all new to me but sounds like fun :)
Kim
hey diehrd, we did a similar thread awhile back, but there's more NC representation there, you guys have more leverage in SC...but in case you'd like to check it out:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/676582/
I hope you did get your zingiber 'midnight' to plant out, I wonder if it would make it there
Good idea, X. Looks like I have some lifting to do this weekend. :)
Hey germinater where exactly do you live? I wouldn't mind giving a baobab tree a try but I didn't think I was even close to being able to grow one. For that matter it seems like our humid conditions would kill it off.
CoreHHI - you are probably right, but they grow them in South Florida.
For the record - I do believe that a hard freeze will kill these FOR SURE.
By a hard freeze I mean twenties or even just below freezing FOR A LONG ENOUGH PERIOD, and I think that a modest frost would probably knock the **** out of it - especially if it wasn't dormant yet.
For the record(2) - mine are all still in pots going in and out of different levels of protection. They are outside tonight.
maybe ardesia would have a better climate to try them if it appeals to her
It is funny but that is one I would love to see but I have no inclination to try and grow it. For one thing it looks like I would need to buy more property, lots more, for that monster. LOL
Tiger lily's photo of her son reminded me of photos of my boys when they were little at the base of Angel Oak on John's Island. Here is a more recent photo of that wonderful tree.
edited bacause I can't seem to remember to use the spell checker. LOL
This message was edited Dec 2, 2007 9:35 PM
What an odity of a beauty!!! Wow, thanks for sharing the pic.
yes we are very blessed to have those as a native and growing out the wazoo.( although the majority are still small, most will someday look similar to that)