Clare_CA

It's a very warm October, and it could be a warm November too. Sometimes it doesn't even get cold until January. It doesn't freeze here, but it does drop into the 40's a night and even down to the mid- to high-30's for a few hours before sunrise.

I'm told that it will be a El Nino winter this year -- warmer temps than usual with more rain. I don't know if that's true, but we definately can use more rain.

I have some very precious pups coming -- variegated ones that I don't want to lose.

I do have a small greenhouse erected for my adeniums and smaller plumerias which have inflo's so I can see them bloom.

I did just plant some bananas in the ground the other day, and I know that they'll be fine, but I am not so certain about the variegated ones since they are so much more fussy about growing conditions.

My soil is very sandy here. There are even shells in the soil that you can find when you dig. I think this area was once a river bed. I do add MiracleGro garden soil when I plant, and I do have a big bag of Perlite.

I guess my question is whether I should pot my variegated pups (one is a sword pup by the way) or whether I should go ahead and plant them in the ground, taking special care to add Perlite to the planting hole. What would you do?

I really want to start an area like Greenie and Brian have planted because I think it will look really beautiful. They will go in behind two Foxtail palms that I just planted, an area that gets morning sun (about six hours) and afternoon shade.