Thoughts & Texans Plant Purchases Since the Big Freeze

[Collectorpalms]

What have you purchased since the historic freeze? Palms and other Plants.

What died to the freeze? What about your neighbors?

What do you want to change about your landscape?

Edited May 24, 2021 by Collectorpalms

[smatofu]

I haven't purchased anything because of a poor selection at home centers near me.

Fortunately, all my palms and palm-like plants have survived. 

(I had to do a lot of landscaping to control soil erosion {even weeds don't grow in compacted clay  }, to improve lawns, replace shrubs etc. )

Edited May 24, 2021 by smatofu

[Xenon]

Hmm...king palm, star fruit and longan tree 

It's more fun growing cheap and fast growing crownshaft palms than Sabals imo. Just replace when they die and meanwhile you get a leaf making machine.

I collect tropical perennial edible plants and what surprised me is that nearly everything eventually came roaring back from the ground. Ficus racemosa is already 3 feet tall and across and Syzygium antisepticum from Malaysia has tons of new growth from the ground too. Even a volunteer jackfruit seedling has a foot of new growth.

So more expendable tropical plants and stuff that will come back from the ground. 

[Fusca]

For my San Antonio yard I've obtained a 7-gal Washingtonia filifera and 3-gal mule palm.  Non palms I've purchased stevia, oregano and lavender.  In addition I've planted Livistona decora, Phoenix dactylifera and Trithrinax acanthocoma seedlings that I've germinated and grown from seed.  Losses: 10' mule, Copernicia prunifera (green), Phoenix dactylifera, theophrasti, canariensis, sylvestris hybrid, Rhapis excelsa, Brahea calcarea, Arenga engleri, Washingtonia filibusta.

For my rental property in Rio Hondo I've purchased 3-gal Hyphaene thebaica and petersiana, 3-gal Medemia argun (thanks Daniel!), 7-gal mule palm, 5-gal Brahea 'super silver', 5-gal Copernicia prunifera blue (thanks Joe!), 1-gal Hyophorbe verschaffeltii, 1-gal Dypsis pembana, 3-gal Kentiopsis oliviformis, 1-gal Dypsis prestoniana plus liner Lytocarium weddelliana, Roystonia oleracea, and Encephalartos lehmannii (thanks Mark!).  Losses: Cocos nucifera, Archontophoenix cunninghamiana 'illawarra', Beccariophoenix alfredii.

Edited May 24, 2021 by Fusca

[Teegurr]

1 hour ago, Xenon said:

Hmm...king palm, star fruit and longan tree 

It's more fun growing cheap and fast growing crownshaft palms than Sabals imo. Just replace when they die and meanwhile you get a leaf making machine.

I collect tropical perennial edible plants and what surprised me is that nearly everything eventually came roaring back from the ground. Ficus racemosa is already 3 feet tall and across and Syzygium antisepticum from Malaysia has tons of new growth from the ground too. Even a volunteer jackfruit seedling has a foot of new growth.

So more expendable tropical plants and stuff that will come back from the ground. 

I'm going to push a Yucca gigantea. 

 

[PricklyPearSATC]

3 hours ago, Teegurr said:

I'm going to push a Yucca gigantea. 

 

They're fairly hardy.  (I'm thinking zone 8..8b..who knows??)
Odds are it will take another freeze like this to knock them out.  My friend's eventually returned from the roots. 

[amh]

I lost a kumquat, about 10 trifoliate oranges, and a few pride of Barbados. It appears that my direct neighbors cycads have all survived, but non pool adjacent washingtonias and Sabal mexicanas  will not return. I've only purchase a Meyer lemon because it is not grafted and some tropical fruit trees for container growing. My changes will be no more grafted plants in the ground.

[Swolte]

In general, I don't foresee a large change of course. I did take extreme weather events into account when choosing plants so I didn't lose too much. I was also able to protect everything without any heat sources which gave me confidence moving forward. 

In terms of palms after the freeze, I have been planting BxJ and JxB hybrids, a Trithinax Campestris, Trachycarpus 'Taylor', and Sabal Mexicana, Palmetto 'Bald head', and Riverside.  Each of those should be good to go for a straight zone 8 (not all for a zone 7b winter, probably, but I hope we won't see that for a long while).

For shrubsels, I am excited trying Xylosma congestum, some Choisya, hardy esperanza's, and the giant Milkweed (I know... probably will die). For the rest, I planted some weed suppressing Ajuga's and Sarcococca and a host of other things!

[Keys6505]

New: 3 S. Mexicana ranging from 2-6'ct, 2 Filifera about 4-5'ct, a "13 gallon" Lowe's mule, S. Lisa, a King, a Majesty, a replacement Bizzy, and a Chamaerops Humilis "Cerifera" that's about 6' overall.  A L. Decora and a Brahea Clara moved from the container ranch into the ground too.  I've bought tons of landscapey plants so far this spring, nothing super cool, "Cousin Itt" Acacia, Arundo Donax "Peppermint Stick", a bunch of hardy hibiscus, Brugmansia, C. Cooperi are some of my favorites.  I BOUGHT a 25g Brachychiton Rupestris but some assbag ripped the sold tag off and re-bought it before it was delivered to me so that didn't happen.

Dead: 5 Decora, 2 Queens, 3 smallish L. Chinensis, a Bizzy, a W. Bifurcata, and a Royal.

My biggest change is that we decided we're probably not going to be here for much more than another year or 2 so I put a halt on anything that's not going to mature in that timeframe.  So I'm likely done as far as any new in-ground palms here, but the container ranch grows on....

[JohnAndSancho]

All I lost was a little Calathea that dried out while I was living at work. I brought everything else inside and despite my neighbors telling me indoor temps in their apartments dropped into the low 40s/high 30s, everything pulled through. 

 

I've bought a clump of C. Plumosa (which is going absolutely wild on my patio), a C. Benezeii(which is also growing well), a Patrick hybrid Butia/L. Weddellanium, another clump of Kentias, and some Archie Tuckerii seedlings. I'm trying really hard to talk myself out of 2 more C. Plumosa pots just because they're growing stupid fast, maybe try one in the office(even though I know it'll grow slower indoors)

[Teegurr]

51 minutes ago, Swolte said:

In general, I don't foresee a large change of course. I did take extreme weather events into account when choosing plants so I didn't lose too much. I was also able to protect everything without any heat sources which gave me confidence moving forward. 

In terms of palms after the freeze, I have been planting BxJ and JxB hybrids, a Trithinax Campestris, Trachycarpus 'Taylor', and Sabal Mexicana, Palmetto 'Bald head', and Riverside.  Each of those should be good to go for a straight zone 8 (not all for a zone 7b winter, probably, but I hope we won't see that for a long while).

For shrubsels, I am excited trying Xylosma congestum, some Choisya, hardy esperanza's, and the giant Milkweed (I know... probably will die). For the rest, I planted some weed suppressing Ajuga's and Sarcococca and a host of other things!

Cool stuff! Where'd you get the hybrids and the T. Campestris? Have you tried Coral Honeysuckle? Totally totally bulletproof and tropical.

[Swolte]

22 minutes ago, Teegurr said:

Cool stuff! Where'd you get the hybrids and the T. Campestris? Have you tried Coral Honeysuckle? Totally totally bulletproof and tropical.

Got the hybrids from Patrick (I think he's mostly out of large ones now) and the Campestris from Jungle Music (Phil should have some left).

YES, I want the honeysuckle! I try the major wheeler honeysuckle every year but it appears cursed in my yard. In between deer, wrong planting time, lack of water, etc... there are multiple reasons for its failure. This year I faithfully did put one in the ground again at the beginning of spring, watered it, talked to it, etc... but then the main stem got bent somehow and broke and I am already down to one tiny leaf (it will probably drown with all the rain now... ). 

Oh... forgot, try to get the Giant Rudbeckia! Fantastic plant and seemingly made of steel [Pictured]

Edited May 25, 2021 by Swolte

[Keys6505]

2 minutes ago, Swolte said:

Got the hybrids from Patrick (I think he's mostly out of large ones now) and the Campestris from Jungle Music (Phil should have some left).

YES, I want the honeysuckle! I try the major wheeler honeysuckle every year but it appears cursed in my yard. In between deer, wrong planting time, lack of water, etc... there are multiple reasons of its failure. This year I faithfully did put one in the ground again at the beginning of spring, watered it, talked to it, etc... but then the main stem was bent somehow and broke and I am already down to one tiny leaf (it will probably drown with all the rain now... ). 

Oh... forgot, try to get the Giant Rudbeckia! Fantastic plant and seemingly made of steel [Pictured]

I think I'm equally as impressed with the lack of weeds in those beds as I am with the plants.

[Swolte]

Just now, Keys6505 said:

I think I'm equally as impressed with the lack of weeds in those beds as I am with the plants.

I collect bags and bags and bags of oak leaves from neighbors for free in the fall and just throw several feet of it down. Throw a bit of mulch on top and I have a bed that is practically weed free for a year or two (or more, post oak leaves are perfect as they break down so slowly). When I plant, I usually mound it anyway. I am planning decomposed granite for the paths (which look messy now) at some point but its not a budget priority (trees first!). 

[strongbad635]

On 5/24/2021 at 4:45 AM, Collectorpalms said:

What have you purchased since the historic freeze? Palms and other Plants.

What died to the freeze? What about your neighbors?

What do you want to change about your landscape?

I've purchased a 10-gallon robusta, going very well so far.

Around town, most queens died (with a few surprise survivors, especially in the Loop).  Robustas range from 50/50 outside the Beltway and up north to 80% inside the Loop and SE of town.  Phoenix species actually did significantly better.

I want to see Houston plant a lot more Phoenix species, as they seem to be frond tender but MORE trunk hardy than robustas.  The ones that don't fall victim to Texas Phoenix Palm Decline have roared back from the freeze, for the most part, with even 70-80% survival out west and more than 50% survival north of town.