Randy4ut

Just took a few pics from the backyard and thought I would update everyone interested in how this summer has gone here in SE TN. It was a colder and wetter winter than any I have endured since getting into this type of gardening/landscaping. Mix that with a cool spring and summer compared to the past 3 years, everything started off slowly. But on the plus side, we have enjoyed more rain than I have seen here is many years over the summer. Bananas are not up to their usual overall height, but still did pretty good. Here is a few pics and then a link to the rest of the pics my wife took yesterday while I was at work...

Pic taken from screened in porch looking to side yard:











Here is a link of the rest of the pics:

New Additions pictures by randy4ut - Photobucket

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LilRaverBoi

Wow! Great pictures! Thanks for sharing....you have quite the jungle! I love all the colocasia/alocasia in there as well!

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BANANA RAVE!
Feel the beat from start to stop, dancin' and movin' from bottom to top!
lilraverboi@genxglow.com
RIP Tog Tan. We love you and will always remember you!
I'm Bryan with a Y! There is no 'I' in BRYAN!

sandy0225

beautiful! Nice palms too. I haven't gotten into them...yet....

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Sandy Burrell



Northern Tropics Greenhouse
1501 East Fuson Road
Muncie, IN 47302
www.northerntropics.com


specializing in bananas, heirloom tomatoes and water gardening plants~
check out our new online store at our website!

Randy4ut

Thanks, Sandy... You need to get into palms as there are at least a couple that would handle your weather with little or no protection... Needle palms and sabal minors are two that would do well for you in IN...

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austinl01

Amazing backyard, Randy. It looks like you live in the tropical islands of the Caribbean. Quite impressive, my friend.

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Austin
Arkansas River Valley

Average January Low: 31°F, Average August High: 92°F
Extreme Winter Lows: 5-15°F, Extreme Summer Highs: 100-112°F, Annual Precipitation: 52 inches

kaczercat

OMG Randy those bananas and plams and so many others are so nice , amazing pics , thnx for posting

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Matt

Bananaman88

Looks nice and lush. It's been another dry year here in the Houston area. We are about 10" below normal. Your stuff looks great!

frankthetank

Randy-
Your yard is amazing. Throw in some Plumeria, bird of paradise, maybe some mangoes/pineapples and you would think your in Hawaii or south Florida

I like the castor bean...adds some good color.


SO you think the temps have been the limiting factor on overall growth this summer? Daily? Nightly? Low humidity?

Up here in Wisconsin its been downright cold this summer. July had days not get out of the 60's and nights in the 40's (and 30's in the N part of the state). My Basjoos/Sikk/SDCs all seem to have taken the summer off!

Randy4ut

Thanks Frank... Personally I think the biggest problem the summer was the slow warm up compared to the past couple of years. It just didn't want to warm up very quickly this past spring which kept the soil temps in check until about mid June to where it usually has warmed the soil up about 2-4 weeks earlier. This is part of the things you have to deal with when you are crazy enough to try and grow the stuff we do where we are not supposed to!!!! LOL

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saltydad

I tend to agree with you here, Randy. Growth overall has been much less this year, with the exception of my basjoo. But castor bean, Calidora, etc. are much smaller and less full. As usual, I bow down to your green thumb!

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ClevelandCATHY

Loved the picture from the back porch.

sandy0225

Yeah, so much for global warming this year....notice that hasn't been talked about much on the news lately?

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Sandy Burrell



Northern Tropics Greenhouse
1501 East Fuson Road
Muncie, IN 47302
www.northerntropics.com


specializing in bananas, heirloom tomatoes and water gardening plants~
check out our new online store at our website!

LilRaverBoi

Actually global warming doesn't necessarily cause WARMER weather (contrary to popular belief). It warms the oceans which results in variant weather patterns. Therefore, even though it's global WARMING, it may result in such things as a colder winter, rainier spring, etc etc etc.

__________________
BANANA RAVE!
Feel the beat from start to stop, dancin' and movin' from bottom to top!
lilraverboi@genxglow.com
RIP Tog Tan. We love you and will always remember you!
I'm Bryan with a Y! There is no 'I' in BRYAN!

TommyMacLuckie

That is awesome! I've seen what I thought were (never could get a real close look) Orinocos right by the beginning of the Trace near Franklin, TN. So I know bananas can grow up in TN and survive the winters. Have always tried to talk my friends into getting Windmills - but there you are with some. Ever thought about getting some Sabal minors? Regardless - cool beans!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Patty in Wisc

Randy, I thought your last years' pics were great but now you out-did yourself! A really nice tropical paradise right there in your own back yard. I have what I call my "tropical island" at Mike's house - with caster bean, nanas & brugmansia etc, & those caster beans really stand out. Thanks for the seeds -- I shared some w/ others here
I took some pics earlier this summer & will take some in a few days or so & try to post them. What a diff when they all fill in!
You posted your garden pics earlier this summer before everything filled in but I can't find that post. I remember Bob posted pics of his garden there & his caster beans got 12 ft tall - better than mine. I saw it couple weeks ago but your first pics got deleted thru your photobucket source of storing your pics. I think other ppl posted their before & after summer pics there too.
Frank, we sure did have a rotten Spring/Summer weatherwise! Could you post some pics of your plants? You posted in spring when you just planted & I'm wondering what it looks like now.

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Got a lite?
Patty




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Patty in Wisc has sadly passed away 9/05/11. We will miss you Patty.

TommyMacLuckie

It's very odd but I recently saw the same kind of datura in Lansing, MI that are in those pictures. I had some double purples a while back that were actually killed by Hurricane Lili (the combination of the flooding from TS Isidore and Lili plus Lili's winds did them in). They were beautiful - but STANK! Oh the flowers are horrible.

So how come daturas are growing in Michigan like they are in TN? They don't like freezing temps as far as I recall. Do they come back after a winter?

Randy4ut

Thanks Tommy, I do have about 8-10 minors, about 6 needles, 3 butias, 6 sabal birminghams, 2-3 sabal xtexensis, 4 sabal louisianas, 1 queen, 1 bismarkia, 1 CIPD, 1 triangle palm, 1 Christmas palm, and several others that are slipping my tired mind right now... The queen, CIPD, bismarkia, triangle palm, and christmas palm, all come in for the winter, but the others stay outside year round in the ground...

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Randy4ut

Prolific seeders!!! I also have a sprawling white datura that crawls near the ground that is too cool in my simple mind!!! LOL

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TommyMacLuckie

What is a 1 CIPD? All the rest I know. Drawing a blank on that one - and I've got some palms. Although I do not have any needles - too nasty. 6 types of Chams though. Such nice palms.

It's funny how some of the palms get named. The Birminghams are just Sabal minors that evolved - they are not really any different from the literature I've read. And there is a distinct difference between Sabal minor and Sabal minor 'Louisiana' that is impressive (the LA grow much faster and bigger - they also collapse at the end of the petiole, there's a term for it that I'm also drawing a blank on).

You have any other Trachs? I know the Windmills are the hardiest.

I just got the Betrock's Cold Palms book. For whatever reason, Bismarckia nobilis are not included in the book even though they are hardy, with no damage, down to 20 degrees.

Whatever. COOL YARD! Keep it up! GET MORE!

Greenie

Very nice!