Wagons East

[Dwarf Fan]

5 hours ago, ZPalms said:

These are great recommendations, Theirs so many varieties of bamboo and so much information it can be very overwhelming of what might do good or what might do bad, especially cold hardy varieties. SeaBreeze Bamboo looks so nice, The other ones look nice but they seem to bushy looking to me and I want something with thicker canes but 20F can be common here some winters. If the ones in town were invasive I'd just dig one up because I know they survive every winter and they have thick bold canes that aren't hard to miss

I saw on a youtube video that Gracilis Bamboo has a lean to it or it curves down? Is the curve intense or something?

My only experience with Bambusa textilis gracilis  has been at nurseries, it seems to be one of the more common varieties because most nurseries, even ones that only stock a few different Bamboo options always seem to have it in stock. So I have only seen it in container not in ground I can’t comment on the form that it will take in ground. I usually just type the Latin name of a Palm/Bamboo/Flower and then Google image search and scroll through all the pics to get an idea of how the plant will look when mature. I usually type the Common Name in after that and repeat to get more images to look through. This is how I determine if I like the mature look of a species enough to think about adding it to my yard. After that Maximum Height, Cold Hardiness, Cold Tolerance, Water Requirements, Wind Tolerance and Salt Tolerace are queried. Obviously if you don’t live near the ocean you can omit the last search.

This is how I gather my Plant info before deciding to purchase. Coincidentally, it is also how I found and joined Palm Talk.

 

[BeyondTheGarden]

I am not smart on Sabals (or anything else in fact). 

Are the smaller, more rounded crowns indicative of straight palmetto, and are the longer petioles and larger crowns indicative of something like Mexicana? 

also... there are so many Trachycarpus that look like garbage, all over town.  I have heard conflicting things as to its tolerance for sand, I know they are a no-go in Florida and I believe it was concluded that nematodes are the limiting factor.  

Symptoms include small crowns, excessive dead fronds, small fronds.  The fronds are so small that from a distance you could almost take them for wagnerianus. 

Input? 

[MattInRaleigh]

2 hours ago, Jesse PNW said:

I am not smart on Sabals (or anything else in fact). 

Are the smaller, more rounded crowns indicative of straight palmetto, and are the longer petioles and larger crowns indicative of something like Mexicana? 

also... there are so many Trachycarpus that look like garbage, all over town.  I have heard conflicting things as to its tolerance for sand, I know they are a no-go in Florida and I believe it was concluded that nematodes are the limiting factor.  

Symptoms include small crowns, excessive dead fronds, small fronds.  The fronds are so small that from a distance you could almost take them for wagnerianus. 

Input? 

Sabal palmetto varies widely in size. The most extreme example is one of Gary Hollar's sabal palmettos that he grew from Bald Head Island seed that he calls "Fat Boy".  A picture of it is below.

[BeyondTheGarden]

Good to know.  I think that may have been the place that Will Simpson had posted some pictures of.   That big boy is awesome.  I assume the fatter they are the slower they grow?

[Las Palmas Norte]

That's a perfect example of the size difference between Sabal and Trachycarpus palms.

[BeyondTheGarden]

The idea of being able to commercially purchase 12' palms is totally new to me.  Hillside Landscape Supplies has a limited supply of S palmetto, Butia sp, Trachycarpus, etc. 

10-12' S palmettos are $600-700 installed.  These are said to be regenerated and come from GA. 

"45 gal" Butias and T fortunei are $400.  

I thought $700 was pretty cheap for a 12' palmetto, but I did see someone advertising them on Facebook marketplace for quite a bit less.   They do not warranty them. 

Any opinions on this price point? 

They also have a good assortment of BIG boulders between $500-100, and all sizes down to pea gravel, and mulch, etc. 

 

 

Edited September 9, 2023 by Jesse PNW

[ZPalms]

On 9/6/2023 at 5:33 PM, Jesse PNW said:

I am not smart on Sabals (or anything else in fact). 

Are the smaller, more rounded crowns indicative of straight palmetto, and are the longer petioles and larger crowns indicative of something like Mexicana? 

also... there are so many Trachycarpus that look like garbage, all over town.  I have heard conflicting things as to its tolerance for sand, I know they are a no-go in Florida and I believe it was concluded that nematodes are the limiting factor.  

Symptoms include small crowns, excessive dead fronds, small fronds.  The fronds are so small that from a distance you could almost take them for wagnerianus. 

Input? 

bet those sabals are taking up all the water with no irrigation

[Chester B]

Butia and Trachys seem expensive, but then again I haven't purchased any palms that size in a while.  I can say the Trachys I saw at Lowes this year were twice the size of those and were only $200.  The first two Butias I bought when I moved in where around the size of those and the cost me $150 delivered and and placed into my pre dug holes.  But its all what the local going rate is.  I think the Palmettos are the best bang for your buck.  And yes definitely get those suckers planted, they'll be extremely heavy, definitely not a one person job.

Edited September 9, 2023 by Chester B

[BeyondTheGarden]

I found my new favorite urban parking lot. 

 

[BeyondTheGarden]

I'd like to document this into the thread here.  Talked with the Gary from Gary's Nursery today, to inquire about inventory and prices.  We talked for 15 minutes or so about Butia variability, Palmetto disease in Florida, Dr Merrill Wilcox's hybrids (apparently they were good friends and liked to swap seeds), growing Trachycarpus in sand, Sabal hybrids, etc.  He was very friendly and obviously loves palms as much or more than most of us here.  I apologized for taking up so much of his time and he said he could talk all day about palms.  I look forward to growing some of his palms, all of which he grows himself from seed by the sound of it.   He said he's been documenting and photographing palms all over NC for 40 years!

Anyway.  On the topic of growing Trachycarpus on the east coast, he answered my unasked question, as to why so many Trachycarpus look like garbage around town here.  He said they can handle sand but don't like it.  They do better once you leave the sandhills and get into clay, they like wet clay.  Here, they will chug on for a good number of years but the ultimate killer is nematodes.  This is consistent with previous talk of this subject here on the forum.  He said he has some with I forget how much trunk, 16 foot or something, and they're doing OK, but he anticipates they are near the end of their healthy life.  

[BeyondTheGarden]

Im really digging this bamboo. 

The rhizomes of Arundinaria are shallow, maybe 6", and this sand!  You can dig with a butter knife here.  The easiest bamboo to dig up, we'll have to see how resilient the rhizomes are to transplant... but I imagine you can't kill this stuff if you try.  

 

[ZPalms]

8 hours ago, Jesse PNW said:

Im really digging this bamboo. 

The rhizomes of Arundinaria are shallow, maybe 6", and this sand!  You can dig with a butter knife here.  The easiest bamboo to dig up, we'll have to see how resilient the rhizomes are to transplant... but I imagine you can't kill this stuff if you try.  

 

Is this arundinaria gigantea? Google shows all kinds of images that don't even closey look like this but I'm assuming this is what it's mature canes look like?

[BeyondTheGarden]

@ZPalms I'm only an amateur but I'm assuming it's tecta due to the smaller overall size and enlarged "top knot" leaves.  I did a little video on my Flora Caroliniana youtube channel.  

Thumbing through google images, gigantea seems to have a little different overall form, compared to what I see here.  I dug up this small section so I could see how difficult it was, how deep the rhizome is.  Now that I know, I'll probably get a larger section. 

Edited September 12, 2023 by Jesse PNW

[Joe NC]

On 9/11/2023 at 7:20 PM, Jesse PNW said:

The rhizomes of Arundinaria are shallow, maybe 6", and this sand!  You can dig with a butter knife here.  The easiest bamboo to dig up, we'll have to see how resilient the rhizomes are to transplant... but I imagine you can't kill this stuff if you try.  

I've moved both kinds, both have been fairly easy. For the giant river cane, I just ripped a rhizome out of the ground and cut the stem down to a stub.  It was angry for a year, but sent up new growth the following year.

[BeyondTheGarden]

Dr Moso I presume?

 

[Jeff zone 8 N.C.]

On 9/12/2023 at 3:48 AM, ZPalms said:

Is this arundinaria gigantea? Google shows all kinds of images that don't even closey look like this but I'm assuming this is what it's mature canes look like?

Looks like tecta.

[Jeff zone 8 N.C.]

17 hours ago, Jesse PNW said:

Dr Moso I presume?

 

That appears to be "henon". It is beginning to flower in Asia which means it will probably flower here in the coming years.  The original groves supposed to die after flowering and regenerate from the seeds.  It flowers every 100 to 120 years or so. The last time it flowered they said it did not form seeds yet it still exists so they assume some came back from the rhizomes. Or did a few plants make seed? Or did one particular plant not flower? The record does not say. These are all questions but yours may or may not survive. You really do not need the large canes to transplant. Just the underground rhizome. It does help though to get a very small plant.  

[BeyondTheGarden]

When I bought my original mass purchase of bamboo in 2020, P nigra "bory" flowered that very same year so I essentially wasted the $200 or whatever it was.  I would not be surprised if my fortune was the same here, all that labor for nothing.  Such is life.  That's why I have to garden with such commitment on such a large scale, only a small percentage of my efforts actually pay off.  Such is life. 

[BeyondTheGarden]

As @ZPalms mentioned in his palmetto thread, we met up and acquired some free things yesterday.  We only had a couple hours of daylight so we each got one big thing and a couple small things. 

This is unbelievable. 

Propagating the small pups seems straight forward, but I don't know about the larger pieces.  There are 3 large trunks, many medium sized and I can't count how many little pups. 

It would be very nice to separate a few of the larger trunks, I'm going to look into it but if anyone has any advice, please share. 

I know this will probably die, but it was tangled up in the Cycas roots and had to come out with the cycad.  

I don't have a pot so into the ground it went. 

[Tom in Tucson]

On 8/28/2023 at 9:50 AM, Jesse PNW said:

My house in Thurston County Washington is on the market and we got the keys to our new townhouse this morning.  Going to be quite an adjustment from the space and privacy of 2 acres in the PNW. 

Fort Liberty (formerly Bragg) NC. 

 

Brought half a truck bed full of stuff.  Lost a few things, I always expect dome attrition.  It was a week on the road and the camper shell gets hotter than ambient.  So I cooked a couple things. 

Mostly Trachycarpus, a handful of Sabals, some chamaedorea, a queen, Lytocaryum, butiagrus, a couple Mahonias, a fig and Olive i had laying around.  Probably gonna see how long it takes to kill a Jubaea with humidity.  

Speaking of humidity..  man.  The difference in climate here is staggering.  This is my 3rd time living here though wo not unexpected.  If you've ever been in the Army, ft Bragg is a wormhole.  No matter how far you move away from it, you're always moving right back toward it at the same time. 

We've had 2 offers on our WA house already but I don't like to count your chick's before they hatch so we'll see how it goes.  Breaking the lease here is surprisingly painless so we'll hopefully be getting into a proper house Lord willing.   And that means putting plants in the ground. 

It's nice to see Sabal palmetto and minor, Trachycarpus, Butias, and Cycas in-ground here.  Most of the plantings here just seem so forgotten-about.  Neglected, overlooked, abandoned.  I'll probably document some local palms but I know @ZPalms has documented a good handful already. 

This is slightly OT, but even though you updated your location, did you know you can update your user name?

When I lived in San Diego my user name was Dypsis. After I moved to Tucson I thought a better user name, with my location made more sense.

Hi 103˚, Lo 68˚

[NCFM]

On 9/11/2023 at 7:02 PM, Jesse PNW said:

I'd like to document this into the thread here.  Talked with the Gary from Gary's Nursery today, to inquire about inventory and prices.  We talked for 15 minutes or so about Butia variability, Palmetto disease in Florida, Dr Merrill Wilcox's hybrids (apparently they were good friends and liked to swap seeds), growing Trachycarpus in sand, Sabal hybrids, etc.  He was very friendly and obviously loves palms as much or more than most of us here.  I apologized for taking up so much of his time and he said he could talk all day about palms.  I look forward to growing some of his palms, all of which he grows himself from seed by the sound of it.   He said he's been documenting and photographing palms all over NC for 40 years!

Anyway.  On the topic of growing Trachycarpus on the east coast, he answered my unasked question, as to why so many Trachycarpus look like garbage around town here.  He said they can handle sand but don't like it.  They do better once you leave the sandhills and get into clay, they like wet clay.  Here, they will chug on for a good number of years but the ultimate killer is nematodes.  This is consistent with previous talk of this subject here on the forum.  He said he has some with I forget how much trunk, 16 foot or something, and they're doing OK, but he anticipates they are near the end of their healthy life.  

Mr. Hollar is a national treasure, such a kind and knowledgeable man.  It's definitely worth the trip to New Bern to see his nursery and talk in person!

[Las Palmas Norte]

@Jesse PNW Looks like you're wasting no time getting to it. 😁

[BeyondTheGarden]

32 minutes ago, Las Palmas Norte said:

@Jesse PNW Looks like you're wasting no time getting to it. 😁

The world is so huge, and we have so little time here. 

[BeyondTheGarden]

Mahonia aquifolium seems to like it here. 

I think Tillandsia usneoides is obligatory if you're doing anything with plants in "the south". 

I have to thank dylan @ZPalms for hunting this down for me. I've never grown any kind of airplant and need to figure out how it works.  Need to figure out how to water and fertilize it for optimal growth. 

Edited September 22, 2023 by Jesse PNW

[ZPalms]

13 minutes ago, Jesse PNW said:

Mahonia aquifolium seems to like it here. 

I think Tillandsia usneoides is obligatory if you're doing anything with plants in "the south". 

I have to thank dylan @ZPalms for hunting this down for me. I've never grown any kind of airplant and need to figure out how it works.  Need to figure out how to water and fertilize it for optimal growth. 

It looks so good as a Halloween decoration 😂🎃

[fr8train]

On 9/6/2023 at 4:33 PM, Jesse PNW said:

I am not smart on Sabals (or anything else in fact). 

Are the smaller, more rounded crowns indicative of straight palmetto, and are the longer petioles and larger crowns indicative of something like Mexicana? 

also... there are so many Trachycarpus that look like garbage, all over town.  I have heard conflicting things as to its tolerance for sand, I know they are a no-go in Florida and I believe it was concluded that nematodes are the limiting factor.  

Symptoms include small crowns, excessive dead fronds, small fronds.  The fronds are so small that from a distance you could almost take them for wagnerianus. 

Input? 

I honestly don't think those look bad, but I've been yelled at on here for saying a stunted palmetto looks good lol

I would have guessed the smaller leaves are due to being in the intense southern sun most of the year, but I don't know about this stuff all that much either. 

I'm not a huge fan of how Trachycarpus look when they retain all of their leaves on the trunk, sometimes from the middle of the trunk up, and with the leaf bases stretched waaay out. The ones you posted kinda look like mini-Washingtonias with the dead leaves kinda looking like a skirt, and the compact crowns. 

[fr8train]

5 minutes ago, fr8train said:

I'm not a huge fan of how Trachycarpus look when they retain all of their leaves on the trunk, sometimes from the middle of the trunk up, and with the leaf bases stretched waaay out. 

Sort of like this:

[knikfar]

On 9/22/2023 at 12:59 PM, Jesse PNW said:

Mahonia aquifolium seems to like it here. 

I think Tillandsia usneoides is obligatory if you're doing anything with plants in "the south". 

I have to thank dylan @ZPalms for hunting this down for me. I've never grown any kind of airplant and need to figure out how it works.  Need to figure out how to water and fertilize it for optimal growth. 

I've had it growing in my trees in my yard, here in Raleigh, for almost four years. The only thing I do for it is right when it's being placed. I submerge the clumps in water before hanging.  And that's it. It lives just fine on its own after that. The only real challenge I've found is that robins like to build their nests with it. So I only collect large clumps that are really too large for them to pick at. They'll grab whispy pieces in a heartbeat. But the thicker chunks are too much work for them. Another strategy is hanging it from plants with sharp edges like hollies. The sharp points help to hold the moss in place and defend it from birds at the same time. Aside from that, I also focus on hanging it where I see it thriving in nature, specifically on my live oak and on my crepe myrtles. I believe both of those plants release chemicals the moss likes. 

[BeyondTheGarden]

FINALLY got through all the signing and closing processes and enslaved myself to the bank in exchange for them letting me stay in a home they now own!  hooray debt! 

This is quite different from what I had expected.  99% of homes now adays are what I call "HOA modern" style.  I think you can imagine what I mean, drive through an HOA and all the homes have this 21st century, non-symmetrical thing going.  Just random rectangles shoved together with varying gables sticking out to make it more interesting.  Which is of course a very nice style and lends itself well to landscape and certainly palmscaping.  

This house is much more traditional, symmetrical, I think farm-house is the appropriate style description.  Landscaping is going to be different from what I had imagined as I'd like to maintain a more symmetrical, formal, and southern-farm-house appearance.  I've got a magnolia and crape myrtle and of course long leaf pine.  I need to plant a live oak from which I will hang spanish moss although they take forever to get big.  Some existing Acuba japonica also.  

I have the money to purchase palms now, but being so late in the season (we had frost twice this week), I think I should wait until spring.  Better weather and dealers will be fresh on inventory.  Gives me some time to get to know the nuances of the exterior and lay a plan.   The front actually faces north, so the shadows at the bottom of the brick, and in the nook beside the garage seem to be ever-present.  But being at a southern latitude, the sun comes down from a much steeper angle than it did in Washington.

Maximizing bang-for-buck meant getting a house that needed some elbow grease; this was a rental for years so it needs some TLC. 

Edited October 27, 2023 by Jesse PNW

[JohnAndSancho]

Congrats on the new house! 

[ZPalms]

House looks amazing, can't wait to see your garden come together

[MattInRaleigh]

You have a beautiful home! Please keep us posted on your landscaping (even if it isn't palms)!

[knikfar]

On 10/27/2023 at 7:33 PM, Jesse PNW said:

FINALLY got through all the signing and closing processes and enslaved myself to the bank in exchange for them letting me stay in a home they now own!  hooray debt! 

This is quite different from what I had expected.  99% of homes now adays are what I call "HOA modern" style.  I think you can imagine what I mean, drive through an HOA and all the homes have this 21st century, non-symmetrical thing going.  Just random rectangles shoved together with varying gables sticking out to make it more interesting.  Which is of course a very nice style and lends itself well to landscape and certainly palmscaping.  

This house is much more traditional, symmetrical, I think farm-house is the appropriate style description.  Landscaping is going to be different from what I had imagined as I'd like to maintain a more symmetrical, formal, and southern-farm-house appearance.  I've got a magnolia and crape myrtle and of course long leaf pine.  I need to plant a live oak from which I will hang spanish moss although they take forever to get big.  Some existing Acuba japonica also.  

I have the money to purchase palms now, but being so late in the season (we had frost twice this week), I think I should wait until spring.  Better weather and dealers will be fresh on inventory.  Gives me some time to get to know the nuances of the exterior and lay a plan.   The front actually faces north, so the shadows at the bottom of the brick, and in the nook beside the garage seem to be ever-present.  But being at a southern latitude, the sun comes down from a much steeper angle than it did in Washington.

Maximizing bang-for-buck meant getting a house that needed some elbow grease; this was a rental for years so it needs some TLC. 

Beautiful! Congratulations! Are you sure you've had two frosts? I haven't had frost in my yard in Raleigh yet but I think that's about to change tonight/tomorrow morning. 

[BeyondTheGarden]

Positive.  I had to wait for the windshield to defrost to take my daughter to school.  We had two relatively minor frost accumulations a few weeks ago, when I was still at the townhouse, although the temp sensors didn't register any freezing temps.   But then last week we saw 27 and 25 consecutive nights at my new house, but the nights have been mild since, and daytime temps into the high 70's and low 80's.   There are still some bananas around the area that look relatively unphased.  A neighbor has a big stand of Alocasias that are all knocked dead.  

I don't like digging here.  The top foot is fairly loose sand, no big deal.  But below that, the mix of clay and sand together is like trying to dig concrete.  I bought a "post hole bar" or if you're in the Army you know it as a tanker bar. 

Additionally, the big box stores don't carry compost, I can't believe it.  There are folks selling horse manure on FB marketplace but I wouldn't be able to use it til next year.  Need to head up to Raleigh and see if the garden centers up there carry compost.  I'm not going to plant anything until I have a giant mound of compost to amend the soil with.  Started buying a few things; Nandinas, Mahonia Soft Caress, some Trachelospermum asiaticum "snow in summer". 

[MattInRaleigh]

8 hours ago, Jesse PNW said:

Positive.  I had to wait for the windshield to defrost to take my daughter to school.  We had two relatively minor frost accumulations a few weeks ago, when I was still at the townhouse, although the temp sensors didn't register any freezing temps.   But then last week we saw 27 and 25 consecutive nights at my new house, but the nights have been mild since, and daytime temps into the high 70's and low 80's.   There are still some bananas around the area that look relatively unphased.  A neighbor has a big stand of Alocasias that are all knocked dead.  

I don't like digging here.  The top foot is fairly loose sand, no big deal.  But below that, the mix of clay and sand together is like trying to dig concrete.  I bought a "post hole bar" or if you're in the Army you know it as a tanker bar. 

Additionally, the big box stores don't carry compost, I can't believe it.  There are folks selling horse manure on FB marketplace but I wouldn't be able to use it til next year.  Need to head up to Raleigh and see if the garden centers up there carry compost.  I'm not going to plant anything until I have a giant mound of compost to amend the soil with.  Started buying a few things; Nandinas, Mahonia Soft Caress, some Trachelospermum asiaticum "snow in summer". 

Home Depot and Lowe’s carry bagged compost in the Raleigh area. I tend to get one called Black Kow. I’m surprised yours don’t carry it.

For bulk, I go to Triangle Landscape Supply. They also carry Permatill which is used by many botanic gardens in central NC. Not sure if you’ll need it with so much sand in your soil. I plan to try it out for my plantings this spring.

[BeyondTheGarden]

The frost killed the outer leaves of my neighbor's fig but didn't get to the inner.  Surprising considering it was 25 a few mornings ago. 

Something I've never had before is a good south facing window and adequate room to have plants inside without them crowding the place. 

[knikfar]

On 11/9/2023 at 11:22 PM, Jesse PNW said:

Positive.  I had to wait for the windshield to defrost to take my daughter to school.  We had two relatively minor frost accumulations a few weeks ago, when I was still at the townhouse, although the temp sensors didn't register any freezing temps.   But then last week we saw 27 and 25 consecutive nights at my new house, but the nights have been mild since, and daytime temps into the high 70's and low 80's.   There are still some bananas around the area that look relatively unphased.  A neighbor has a big stand of Alocasias that are all knocked dead.  

I don't like digging here.  The top foot is fairly loose sand, no big deal.  But below that, the mix of clay and sand together is like trying to dig concrete.  I bought a "post hole bar" or if you're in the Army you know it as a tanker bar. 

Additionally, the big box stores don't carry compost, I can't believe it.  There are folks selling horse manure on FB marketplace but I wouldn't be able to use it til next year.  Need to head up to Raleigh and see if the garden centers up there carry compost.  I'm not going to plant anything until I have a giant mound of compost to amend the soil with.  Started buying a few things; Nandinas, Mahonia Soft Caress, some Trachelospermum asiaticum "snow in summer". 

I have some areas of my yard where the soil is just as you described, some where that concrete layer seems to be right at the surface and other areas where its sandy so deep I feel like I could dig all the way to China. In those really tough areas, I dig a shallow hole and fill it with water. I let the water soak through, sometimes overnight. And that really makes things a lot easier. If I'm digging a really large area, I've done that over several days. As for the compost, Lowes and Home Depot both sell Black Cow. Its composted cow manure. That's all I add to my soil. You'll find it in a yellow bag, outside with all of the other soil products. 

[BeyondTheGarden]

Maybe the local big boxe's will carry compost in spring.  I found some at a little hardware store up the road.  Had to get some NPT fittings to jerry-rig my gas fireplace until I can replace the gas lines under the house.   I'm stoked my wife actually likes having palms in the living room, brightens the place up nicely.  

Picked up a couple things down in South Carolina today.  I think it's so cool that you can buy human-sized yuccas.  The most expensive one is 5' tall and was only $85.  I wish I'd had them at my last garden.    The Agave was a surprise as well, I can't believe she only wanted $60 for it.  

I thought, coming to a more humid swampy climate I'd grow more "Swamp" tropicals, but I have mostly things I associate with the desert.  Yucca, Agave, Opuntia, Cycads and Butia.  

 

 

 

Edited November 13, 2023 by Jesse PNW

[knikfar]

On 11/13/2023 at 6:53 PM, Jesse PNW said:

Maybe the local big boxe's will carry compost in spring.  I found some at a little hardware store up the road.  Had to get some NPT fittings to jerry-rig my gas fireplace until I can replace the gas lines under the house.   I'm stoked my wife actually likes having palms in the living room, brightens the place up nicely.  

Picked up a couple things down in South Carolina today.  I think it's so cool that you can buy human-sized yuccas.  The most expensive one is 5' tall and was only $85.  I wish I'd had them at my last garden.    The Agave was a surprise as well, I can't believe she only wanted $60 for it.  

I thought, coming to a more humid swampy climate I'd grow more "Swamp" tropicals, but I have mostly things I associate with the desert.  Yucca, Agave, Opuntia, Cycads and Butia.  

 

 

 

Those dry climate plants go a LOOOONG way in helping us create a tropical looking environment here in NC. While weather data will tell you we get a lot of rain every year, much of that comes through heavy downpours, often associated with tropical storms or hurricanes in the late summer and fall. But its also stupid hot here during those periods so the moisture that falls dries up quickly. Then we have weeks with no rain at all. I feel like its Seattle in the winter and Dubai in the summer. 

 

[BeyondTheGarden]

3 hours ago, knikfar said:

Those dry climate plants go a LOOOONG way in helping us create a tropical looking environment here in NC. While weather data will tell you we get a lot of rain every year, much of that comes through heavy downpours, often associated with tropical storms or hurricanes in the late summer and fall. But its also stupid hot here during those periods so the moisture that falls dries up quickly. Then we have weeks with no rain at all. I feel like its Seattle in the winter and Dubai in the summer. 

 

That is one thing I really missed when I was living in WA.  I love storms, thunder, lightning, torrential downpours. 

I know all of those exotics are sun-lovers.  I have seen Yucca aloifolia growing in basically full shade but I don't think the Agave or Opuntia could handle that?  I'm guessing sun requirement goes in this order; Agave needs the most, Opuntia can take some shade, and Yucca can handle the most of those three?  

My place in WA got a lot of shade.  My whole backyard here is the same way; my property is butted up against a tall pine forest that shade out the majority of the backyard for the majority of the day.  I like shade gardens but you have to design accordingly.   I think my backyard will work well for Arundinaria- planning to run it all around the fence line.  I planted my Phyllostachys on the far north side which is full shade.  We'll see how it does. 

Edited November 15, 2023 by Jesse PNW