Hardy Palm and Subtropical Board

Hardy Palm and Subtropical Board
[ Hardy Palm and Subtropical Board ]

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A very tropical garden in Gainesville, FL

Posted by Alex NYC <iframe src='https://members3.boardhost.com/HardyPalm/info/user=Alex+NYC' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on 2/23/2019, 11:55 am

I toured a garden with a lot of large tropical plants in Gainesville, FL. Here's the video that shows the beautiful space at the Florida Museum on campus at the University of Florida.
Pushing the Limits with Tropical Plants in Gainesville .

The garden is growing in the "Butterfly Rainforest" which is a screened enclosure (kind of like a giant pool cage) with hundreds of butterflies flying among all the tropical plants. It was amazing to see a huge Alexander and Fishtail Palm doing well in a zone 9a! The fishtail palm survived the bad freezes in 2010. It must have seen temperatures drop into the teens. The gardener at the museum says the fishtail palm completely defoliated twice in the 15 years they've had it, but it always came back. You can see some damage on the Alexander palm from last winter, but I think it'll be very full this summer.

They're also growing a nice Silk Floss Tree, Jamaican Poinsettia, Rainbow Eucalyptus, fruiting Monsteras, 10-foot tall begonias, and plenty of flowers. They told me they only cover the smaller tender shrubs and the flowers (the flowers have to stay in bloom to feed the butterflies even during cold snaps through the winter). I'm sure the screened enclosure and the heated water feature provide a little bit of protection. It goes to show what you can do with the right microclimate.

Next week I'm working on a video that shows off some of the plants on campus at the University of Florida. They have a nice sized Norfolk Island Pine, a very large fruiting papaya, and lots of other cool finds all growing in a protected courtyard.

See UPDATED pics of my tropical plants in on my Blog!
http://tropicalsinzone7.blogspot.com
NOW: Gainesville, FL; zone 9a
WAS: New York City; zone 7b

Re: A very tropical garden in Gainesville, FL

Posted by WSimpson NC <iframe src='https://members3.boardhost.com/HardyPalm/info/user=WSimpson+NC' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on 2/24/2019, 1:32 pm, in reply to "A very tropical garden in Gainesville, FL"

Nice video Alex .
Lots of interesting plants and butterflies there , and more to come .
Will

Winston-Salem
Ten year lows: 20F 5F 4F 15F 7F 8F 14F 19F 16F 16F(2022)
10 Year Average Winter Lowest Low 12.4F ; 30 Year 12.3F
Profession:Trachy Defiberer and Palm Spear Puller (free estimates)

Re: A very tropical garden in Gainesville, FL

Posted by Stan Hayward CA <iframe src='https://members3.boardhost.com/HardyPalm/info/user=Stan+Hayward+CA' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on 2/24/2019, 6:55 pm, in reply to "A very tropical garden in Gainesville, FL"

I should have planted Silk Floss..big mistake on my part. King palms are hardier than Alex palms. But,Alex palms might like the hot and humid summers even better than the King. Not sure on that.
The Orchid tree is great. Another I should chance.
Even the far north Florida is running to the tropics with warmer winters by the year.

Re: A very tropical garden in Gainesville, FL

Posted by Rob Cookeville Tn <iframe src='https://members3.boardhost.com/HardyPalm/info/user=Rob+Cookeville+Tn' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on 2/24/2019, 8:04 pm, in reply to "A very tropical garden in Gainesville, FL"

Alex that was an awesome video. Thanks for sharing it. I just never did think North Central Florida endured winters like the Panhandle but it can happen I guess. Hope you will post more. Thanks

part of this community for 28 years

Rob Cookeville Tn since (2013)
Robz7a Cumberland Plateau (2000-2013)
Rob z6b TN (1996-2000)

Re: A very tropical garden in Gainesville, FL

Posted by Alex NYC <iframe src='https://members3.boardhost.com/HardyPalm/info/user=Alex+NYC' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on 2/25/2019, 9:49 pm, in reply to "Re: A very tropical garden in Gainesville, FL"

Thanks Will! It is a very cool find. One thing I love about Florida is seeing butterflies all year long. I'm still not used to that!

See UPDATED pics of my tropical plants in on my Blog!
http://tropicalsinzone7.blogspot.com
NOW: Gainesville, FL; zone 9a
WAS: New York City; zone 7b

Re: A very tropical garden in Gainesville, FL

Posted by Alex NYC <iframe src='https://members3.boardhost.com/HardyPalm/info/user=Alex+NYC' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on 2/25/2019, 9:51 pm, in reply to "Re: A very tropical garden in Gainesville, FL"

Silk Floss trees are so cool! I'm not sure why they decided to go with the Alex palm, but they did say it was an 8 dollar buy so I bet that had something to do with it.
And I am definitely noticing more and more tropical plants in north Florida. It's starting to look more like Central Florida!

See UPDATED pics of my tropical plants in on my Blog!
http://tropicalsinzone7.blogspot.com
NOW: Gainesville, FL; zone 9a
WAS: New York City; zone 7b

Re: A very tropical garden in Gainesville, FL

Posted by Alex NYC <iframe src='https://members3.boardhost.com/HardyPalm/info/user=Alex+NYC' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on 2/25/2019, 9:52 pm, in reply to "Re: A very tropical garden in Gainesville, FL"

Thanks for watching Rob! The panhandle seems to be a little bit colder than North Central Florida, but everything north of Orlando can get pretty chilly during a cold snap. Things are looking great this winter though!
I'll post more soon!!
Thanks again!

See UPDATED pics of my tropical plants in on my Blog!
http://tropicalsinzone7.blogspot.com
NOW: Gainesville, FL; zone 9a
WAS: New York City; zone 7b

Re: A very tropical garden in Gainesville, FL

Posted by Tommy Nashville-Miami <iframe src='https://members3.boardhost.com/HardyPalm/info/user=Tommy+Nashville-Miami' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on 2/26/2019, 7:17 am, in reply to "A very tropical garden in Gainesville, FL"

Wait, YOU are Alex that I already know? The same Alex NYC is the Alex I already know. I never connect the dots. Great video!

"Oh, Dixie Land, I hope you understand
When I miss my Tennessee Home
And I've been away way too long
I can't see this world unless I go
Outside my Southern Comfort Zone"- Brad Paisley

Re: A very tropical garden in Gainesville, FL

Posted by Alex NYC <iframe src='https://members3.boardhost.com/HardyPalm/info/user=Alex+NYC' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on 2/27/2019, 9:44 pm, in reply to "Re: A very tropical garden in Gainesville, FL"

Haha I'm glad we were able to connect on social media. Thanks for watching!!

See UPDATED pics of my tropical plants in on my Blog!
http://tropicalsinzone7.blogspot.com
NOW: Gainesville, FL; zone 9a
WAS: New York City; zone 7b

Re: A very tropical garden in Gainesville, FL

Posted by Krishna Ocala FL <iframe src='https://members3.boardhost.com/HardyPalm/info/user=Krishna+Ocala+FL' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on 2/28/2019, 10:47 am, in reply to "A very tropical garden in Gainesville, FL"

They will quickly die just a few feet outside of that enclosure. I live just a little south of that area and have been there many times. The design of the building and the heat they put into the water keeps it much warmer in there for our brief freezes in Florida. The real area that you start seeing things do much better is Ocala and south. I have a large Silk floss tree Ive grown from a seedling since like 2008

Ocala, FL
Warmer than our official airport data
8b/9a whacked out climate!

Re: A very tropical garden in Gainesville, FL

Posted by Alex NYC <iframe src='https://members3.boardhost.com/HardyPalm/info/user=Alex+NYC' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on 3/4/2019, 8:34 pm, in reply to "Re: A very tropical garden in Gainesville, FL"

The enclosure definitely gives them a few more degrees at night. I think that helps a lot. There are some very tender plants growing around campus in warmer microclimates though so some of these plants would be worth trying outside the enclosure. I know of a nice fishtail palm that probably was around during the 2010 freeze and I've seen tree ferns, monsteras, and pothos that are all well established around town. I have not seen huge begonias or alexander palms in Gainesville though!

Ocala is definitely where things start to look more like "Florida". There are a lot more Queen palms in Ocala and there's a huge bismarkia on I-75 just south of Ocala. I am so excited to hear you've had luck with silk floss trees. If you have some pics I would love to see them!

See UPDATED pics of my tropical plants in on my Blog!
http://tropicalsinzone7.blogspot.com
NOW: Gainesville, FL; zone 9a
WAS: New York City; zone 7b

Re: A very tropical garden in Gainesville, FL

Posted by Krishna Ocala FL <iframe src='https://members3.boardhost.com/HardyPalm/info/user=Krishna+Ocala+FL' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on 3/5/2019, 8:29 pm, in reply to "Re: A very tropical garden in Gainesville, FL"

No recent pics of the Silk Floss but I recently posted some updated photos on a Palm website Im a member of. Not sure I remember how to post pics here, Im not on often

Ocala, FL
Warmer than our official airport data
8b/9a whacked out climate!

Re: A very tropical garden in Gainesville, FL

Posted by Alex NYC <iframe src='https://members3.boardhost.com/HardyPalm/info/user=Alex+NYC' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on 3/9/2019, 2:14 pm, in reply to "Re: A very tropical garden in Gainesville, FL"

It is a pain to post pics on here. I usually post to flickr and copy the link!

See UPDATED pics of my tropical plants in on my Blog!
http://tropicalsinzone7.blogspot.com
NOW: Gainesville, FL; zone 9a
WAS: New York City; zone 7b

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[ Hardy Palm and Subtropical Board ]