View Full Version : Hello everyone, from your sunny & hot Nations Capital City, Washington D.C.!!!
D.C._Palms_N_Sports_Fan
08-11-2008, 11:29 AM
Hello everyone! So glad to find this forum! what a great place!
Well, im not EXACTLY in Washington D.C. Proper, thats about 1 mile away across the Potomac River. Im slightly to the south and west of Down Town D.C., just south of National Airport in Alexandria, VA.
I might be new here, but I am definitely not new to gardening, nor Bananas! I have been gardening for about 25 years now, both outdoor and indoor plants, and I have been growing Bananas for about 5 years now, mostly in pots due to not having an actual yard. However, this year I do have some outdoor space ( not much) that sort of came along with where I am living now. So, I am going to put what I have in the ground for the winter. I currently have 1 Musa Basjoo ( with a couple small pups) and one Red Abyssinian (Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii). Ill include a photo of them below.
I am planning on digging out the 1 pup when the Basjoo goes in the ground. Both Basjoo, and Red Abyssinian are corm hardy here and come back every year. There are quite a few yards in the D.C. area, and quite a few even in my local neighborhood that are growing one or both of these, and they all get extremely large every year, pushing easily over 15' tall.
I decided to join, because I love Bananas, and you can never have too many good informational resources! Im also a big fan of cold hardy Palms, such as the Trachycarpus family of palms, as well as Sabal Minor, Rapidophyllum Hystrix ( needle palm), as well as yuccas, and cold hardy cacti.
I look foward to reading and participating in the great forum!
As promised, here are a few pics of my "garden" Including my nanners!
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g294/United_Caps_Gardenguy/2008%20Summer%20Garden/August2008/Aug50811.jpg
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g294/United_Caps_Gardenguy/2008%20Summer%20Garden/August2008/Aug50813.jpg
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g294/United_Caps_Gardenguy/2008%20Summer%20Garden/August2008/NewTrachy8608.jpg
If you would like to browse all of my albums on Photobucket, feel free. Here is the link the the 2008 summer garden albums. They are broken into sub albums by month. enjoy!
KJ's 2008 Summer Garden Photos (http://s59.photobucket.com/albums/g294/United_Caps_Gardenguy/2008%20Summer%20Garden/)
buzzwinder
08-11-2008, 11:40 AM
Welcome to the Org. :bananas_b
Dean W.
08-11-2008, 11:51 AM
Welcome lots of nice people here.:waving:
mskitty38583
08-11-2008, 03:35 PM
welcome to the org! i used to hang out in alexandria......in my younger and wilder days....ha ha ha lol! lovely nanas you have there.
saltydad
08-11-2008, 04:00 PM
Hello there! I'm in nearby Silver Spring, Md. and am also a nana and palm lover. I have basjoo that overwinters, and this season planted Cavendish (a gift from a Florida friend), Sikkim, lasciocarpus and Siam Ruby. Also a Dwarf Cavendish that is in a pot and will be moved inside. I grow T. fortunei, R. hystrix, Sabal minor and L. chinensis through the winter in the ground. I also planted a Butia eriospatha this season. If you haven't heard of it, there is a local group called DC Tropics that's a great bunch. They're on Yahoo at dctropics : DCTropics (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dctropics/).
MediaHound
08-11-2008, 08:27 PM
Welcome to the Org!
D.C._Palms_N_Sports_Fan
08-11-2008, 08:34 PM
Hey thanks everyone! I appreciate all the warm welcomes! Cheers!:nanadrink::nanadrink:
Saltydad, Thanks for the heads up on the DCTropics group. I think I had heard of it before, but I joined it today.
Just out of curiosity... have you ever heard of Holly Woods and Vines Nursery?
Just curious. Ill explain why I ask later. :)
Please forgive my signature girations, im still trying to figure out exactly which one i wanna use. LOL!
saltydad
08-11-2008, 08:38 PM
No I haven't. Googled them; I don't get over to that neck of the woods much.
D.C._Palms_N_Sports_Fan
08-11-2008, 09:26 PM
No I haven't. Googled them; I don't get over to that neck of the woods much.
HAHA! Well, you very well might want to after you read what I posted on another forum. :woohoonaner:
Slightly off topic here... Today I went with a couple friends down to a nursery about 20 minutes south of Old Town Alexandria ( for those living in and familliar with the Washington D.C. Area / Northern VA) called Holly Woods And Vines. I have not been there in about 4 years. I have to say, I was blown away and completely impressed!!!! Its cold hardy palm heaven, at least for this area.
In the past, they have always been a fairly good, larger nursery, with reasonable prices. Probably id guess one of the top 5 or so nurseries in the D.C. area at least in size. In the past, they would always have a few large mexican fan palms, a nd did have 5 sable palmettos planted at the front of the property on rt 1. ( they are just between Mt Vernon rd, and Ft. Belvoir. Anyway, so they always held somewhat of an attraction for me because of those palms. Well I was very pleasantly surprised to find today, they have finally figured out the whole cold hardy palm / yucca thing. They had at least 15-20 VERY LARGE (12-18' tall) T. Fortunei's in in large containers, running for about $850. Were talking full grown, flowering, tree size trachys! many of them were in the parking lot forming a row between lines of spaces, and several were in the front entrance along parking spaces there. They also had another 15 or so ranging in sizes from... 7-9 foot ones for $400, and some 4 to 6 foot ones for $199. Thats not a bad price for a plam that is as tall or taller than I am, and im 5'6". They also had some rather sizeable European Fan palms, about 4 of them. I was really blown away to find the next couple of things I did. They had 7 gallon Needle palms, wich were 1-2' tall clumps with several in each pot. One central large one producing fan leaves, and several other smaller "suckers" producing both strap and fan leaves. These were all $89.00. Not a bad price for such a good size and very FULL palm!
The other thing I was stunned to find, was the sheer number, and ranges in sizes of Yucca Thompsonia, and Yucca Rostrata, and many other of the "tree/ palm tree" like Yuccas, from 20' tall on down to 1' tall. I found one Rostrata that was about 4' tall of trunk, for under 100 bucks. In thier "back area" they had literally hundreds of VERY TALL Yucca's, that looked to be mainly Thompsonia and Rostrata, and some other kinds mixed in. Some were upwards of 20' or more tall. They also had back there a very large collection of very large Agaves, one of which had a 20 foot tall bloom spike on it. Then another area, also in the back, they had some VERY LARGE, maybe 15+ foot tall Sago Palms, and a couple even TALLER Widmills, probably around 20-25' tall. We did not go all the way back in, because it looked somewhat like an area that was not really "for customers" if you know what I mean.
I was very appy to see that it seems they have FINALLY caught on to all the cold hardy palm / yucca options available to us here in our area. I have been waiting for one of the big nurseries to finally figure this out, and it looks to me like they are the first ones! I plan on going back possibly tomorrow, or next weekend, and I will be taking my camera with me.
That about sums it up. Im going back there this coming weekend im pretty sure, and I will be taking MONEY with me too! You should definately check it out, its definitely worth the drive, and its a cold hardy palm/ yucca, agave...etc.. paradise...at least for the D.C. area!
Chironex
08-11-2008, 10:45 PM
Those bananas look great in your yard. You must be quite proud! Good size, too...
D.C._Palms_N_Sports_Fan
08-11-2008, 11:31 PM
Those bananas look great in your yard. You must be quite proud! Good size, too...
Thanks! very much! I always appreciate the compliments. The naners look real crappy in those photos for some reason. Trust me,... especially the Red Abyssinian looks ALOT better than that pic of it leads one to believe.
LOL! Im laughing because thats not really MY yard. I live in a ground floor apartment, and we got kinda lucky with the unit we got. The "yard" is one of the reasons I chose this unit. (we dont have balconies/ patios here) Its in the back side of the building, mainly faces south ( the windows in those pics all face due south) and parts of my place face east and west. Its out of the way, and is kinda of "fenced" off with the hedges you see in the photos. This back side faces due south, and is a fantastic micro climate, in that it really pushes a zone 8B. What little snow we have gotten in the last couple of years, has NOT stuck to the ground within about 8 feet of the building back there, and the few occasions we get frost here, it too does not form on any thing within about 8 feet or so of the building. The lowest I recorded out there a few feet away from the building was 32F, on a night when most of the surrounding areas were in the mid to upper teens, and the local weather station up the street reported 19F. Its fairly rare it goes into the teens here anymore. Im inside of the zone 8 bubble on a USDA zone map. That bubble encompasses most of downtown DC, and Arlington and Alexandria VA, which is pretty much a cold zone 8a. The rest of the D.C. Metro is really a 7b, unless you get far outside the beltway north and west. Were tempered by the urban heat island here, as well as the tidal Potomac River, which never freezes over anymore. Anyway, the manager loves what Ive done, even though technically were not "allowed" to do what I have done. But she likes it, and most all the neighbors compliment me on it and they love it. It definitely adds to the otherwise bland "landscaping" they do here.
Ive got the naners in pots for now, but they are gonna go in the ground soon. Should I ever leave, I guess ill leave whats here, and maybe take a few pups with me. The palms on the other hand, are probably gonna come with me, unless im here so long they get way too big to pot back up and move, and believe me, windmill palms can easily get 15-20' plus here, and Needle Palms (rapidophyllum hystrix)... for get moving those once they get established because they get HUGE here.:woohoonaner:
saltydad
08-12-2008, 10:38 PM
Thanks. I'll have to make an effort to go see them. Sounds good!
D.C._Palms_N_Sports_Fan
08-13-2008, 08:36 AM
Thanks. I'll have to make an effort to go see them. Sounds good!
Trust me, It will be well worth the 30 to 40 minute drive for you to come see them! I know I would drive that far, and much further for a nursery like that!
Kylie2x
08-15-2008, 08:21 PM
Hey and a Big Welcome to ya!!! Your Banana's look great! seem to like where they are living.. I Look forward to seeing you around!!:waving:
Saltydad.. I have a friend in SS she is off Aylesbury St.. Is that anywhere close???Kylie
saltydad
08-16-2008, 02:30 AM
Kylie-It's about 20 minutes away from me.
D.C._Palms_N_Sports_Fan
08-18-2008, 12:06 PM
Saltydad- I went down to Holly Woods & Vines again this weekend to pick up a nice sized Needle Palm for $70.00. Here are some pics of it, and some pics I took at the nursery, as well as a link to my photo bucket album with ALL the pics I took down there. I think you would really love that place!
The new Needle Palm:
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g294/United_Caps_Gardenguy/2008%20Summer%20Garden/August2008/NeedlePalm1.jpg
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g294/United_Caps_Gardenguy/2008%20Summer%20Garden/August2008/NeedlePalm2.jpg
Holly Woods & Vines:
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g294/United_Caps_Gardenguy/2008%20Summer%20Garden/HWAV1.jpg
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g294/United_Caps_Gardenguy/2008%20Summer%20Garden/HWAV11.jpg
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g294/United_Caps_Gardenguy/2008%20Summer%20Garden/HWAV14.jpg
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g294/United_Caps_Gardenguy/2008%20Summer%20Garden/HWAV17.jpg
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g294/United_Caps_Gardenguy/2008%20Summer%20Garden/HWAV9.jpg
Link to ALL of the photos from my trip there this past Saturday are HERE: Holly Woods & Vines Trip Photos (http://s59.photobucket.com/albums/g294/United_Caps_Gardenguy/2008%20Summer%20Garden/?start=all)
You also might want to check out your local Home Depot as well. The one here in Alexandria on S. Pickett St. just got in a big shipment of Sabal Minor, large enough to be producing FAN leaves, not just strap leaves. 2-3 plants per pot @ 23.96 per pot!
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g294/United_Caps_Gardenguy/2008%20Summer%20Garden/August2008/NewSabalMinor816081.jpg
D.C._Palms_N_Sports_Fan
12-15-2009, 03:21 PM
WOW! Its been a while! Ill make sure I dont take that long of a hiatus again! Its good to be back here! :woohoonaner:
Im also happy to let everyone here who cares know, that the small needle palm, and Sabal Minors that are pictured above that I purchased that year, are still with me and still going strong in the ground outdoors, unprotected!
Happy Holidays everyone! :nanadrink:
Welcome from N.J. Don't know how I missed your initial post but looks like you have a great collection going down there. Wish you the best of luck with them all.
D.C._Palms_N_Sports_Fan
12-15-2009, 03:52 PM
Thanks Bob! I dont think you missed it, I just happend to find and and revive it. Its a pretty old thread! That was a pretty nice garden, but, I dont live in that place anymore, and those two naners are not with me anymore. All of the other plants however, are! The Ensete froze in ground in our severe cold snap last feb, and the Basjoo I gave away to someone who could plant it in ground, and they still have it and it came back twice as much this year with about 5 new stalks too!
Heres what I have currently in terms of naners:
Musa Grand Nain (Cavendish)
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=27744&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=27744&ppuser=3982)
Musa acuminata 'Sumatrana' (Rojo) or Musa Zebrina Rojo ( They seem to be one in the same to me, are they? They sure look it!)
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=27745&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=27745&ppuser=3982)
Great looking plants! You may want to consider planting them in the ground next year if you have room, they will grow that much bigger by seasons end.
I know Alexandria well and with the right protection you'd be surprised what you may be able to overwinter there.
Taylor
12-15-2009, 04:18 PM
Go Capitals! I don't watch Hockey but my friends do, and many root for the Caps.... so... haha.
Anyway, that Ice Cream isn't Ice Cream! Looks most like a Dwarf Cavendish, but you never really know (until it blooms, most of the time).
Seaner
12-15-2009, 04:26 PM
Hello and welcome! Thanks for all the awesome shots! It looks like you're off to a super start here at the forum!
D.C._Palms_N_Sports_Fan
12-15-2009, 04:45 PM
Thanks again everyone!
Bob, I may put them out in the ground next year, but I dont technically have a "yard" of my own. as with my old place, here at my new place ( which I love much much better) I do have a "yard" kinda, but its not technically MY yard. Im on the ground floor, and the front of my place faces due south, and it is WELL protected tho, and really, I cant imagine anyone else doing anything with the little yard just outside of my windows. Ive already sort of taken it over. LOL! So far the neighbors LOVE it! We'll see. I like keeping my naners as long as I can so the tender ones I tend to keep in pots, but maybe.. just maybe... Oh, and yeah, I have seen LOTS of things overwintered here in the DC metro, including a red abyssinian, and some Serenoa Repens, which are less hardy than Pindo Palms (Butia Capiatata)!
EDIT:
Taylor, you were right, my bad. I did a quick search of my old postings on here and found THIS THREAD (http://www.bananas.org/f12/new-addition-mystery-nanner-5632.html), and now I remember very clearly, when and where I got it. The Ice Cream I bought, did not make it through the frost/ freeze. It was too far away from the building and it froze comepletely. The one in my pics we identified as a Grand Nain. Gosh my memory is REALLY going! How could I forget that? Anyway.. thanks!
Taylor
12-15-2009, 04:50 PM
Ice Cream has no red on leaves or red/black on pseudostem as yours does.
See here:
Musa Ice Cream (Blue Java - Bananas Wiki (http://www.bananas.org/wiki/Musa_Ice_Cream_(Blue_Java))
Regardless, it looks like a healthy plant, along with the Zebrina and the rest of your yard.
lorax
12-15-2009, 05:45 PM
Welcome aboard - like Bob, I'm not sure how I missed this the first time round. Must've been in the jungle at the time.
Would you mind terribly if I used your photo of the Maurelii for the upcoming issue of Bananas Quarterly?
D.C._Palms_N_Sports_Fan
12-15-2009, 05:54 PM
Welcome aboard - like Bob, I'm not sure how I missed this the first time round. Must've been in the jungle at the time.
Would you mind terribly if I used your photo of the Maurelii for the upcoming issue of Bananas Quarterly?
Hey there! No, I wouldn't mind at all. In fact Id be honored! :woohoonaner:
I wish I had a photo of him when he got to be full size. He busted out of the pot he was in, and I put him in the ground, and man it took off! Probably 15' at least. I cut him back and mulched and covered him, but alas he froze anyway when we went down to 9F (very unusually cold for here) last feb.
Thanks!
lorax
12-15-2009, 05:58 PM
Cool! Is it in your photobucket?
D.C._Palms_N_Sports_Fan
12-15-2009, 06:10 PM
Cool! Is it in your photobucket?
The photo that is in this thread, is in my photobucket. Or, I can just email it to you. I was also going to post it here in my photo gallery, so if u wanna use it from there you can do that as well. Just give me a bit and ill get it in there.
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