Some of them may need protected from the frost, and brought in. Others should be fine outdoors all year long. Most of my tropicals are planted on the north side of the house, or in an area with dappled sunlight all day long.

Easy

Pigmy dates and cannas are out in open without any problem. Our winters are milder than yours. Rest of the plants..I have them in containers under paloverde trees. I don't cover them in summer or winter but they do thrive well here.

I grow cannas right now... I had one, that died from neglect, that grew in the shade of our rose bushes... I have one right now that is a pond plant... very pretty... they can do well here... the bird of paradise I've seen growing are in pretty full sun... I am not growing that so don't take my word for it... I'm also growing a philodendron inside... I don't think that they would do well there... the cannas are very beautiful and colorful, try one... :)
Brittany

Usha -
What type of Cannas do you have in full sun? How much water do they need? Your pool pics are beautiful -

Wow, I am surprised those plants do so well. I looked them up in my Sunset book and it said Bird of Paradise did ok under an overhang, cannas did well in all zones, some philodendrons zones 12-24 and dwarf date palms zones 23-27. I am most surprised that those palms grow here. I suppose in Tucson it would have some trouble.

Home Depot is so misleading. It is hard for me to remember that not all of those plants like the same conditions.

Thanks for your first hand knowledge everyone.

Certainly we have our fair share of winter chill in Tucson, but aside from low laying areas where the cold air settles, we're fairly mild. Over the last 30 years the average lowest temperature Tucson International has fallen to is 25.15F. So by .15 of a degree that makes Tucson 9b. And that's at the airport which is typically a few degrees colder then deeper in the city. If you compare the size of the Bougainvillea and Jacaranda mimosifolia near the airport to those found deeper in the city you'll see the plants agree that it's warmer in town. There's a Jacaranda mimosifolia at one of the hotels near the airport that still hasn't recovered from the December of 2003 hard freeze, while all the ones in my area that also suffered damage look perfect. The U of A area is higher up the 9b ladder, as to the exact number over the last thiry year I don't recall, but I believe the average there over the past 30 years is closer to 28F +/-. So if you split the difference between those two locations I believe that's what most of us can expect in Tucson.

Since those nasty back to back nights in December of 2003 the airport hasn't dropped below 27F and the U of A hasn't dropped below 30F.

However in the summer all the plants you mentioned (Strelitzia reginae, Philodendrons, Cannas, Phoenix Roebellini) benefit from some extra water and/or some late afternoon shade.

All the plants you inquired about can also grow out of a decent amount of winter damage. So if you get them and another winter like 03 comes along, give them a chance to come back in spring. If the plant was healthy growing into the freeze, it should stand a great chance of making a quick recovery.

All these pictures were taken in Tucson.

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Lee

Gem1, all cannas with the exception of stuttgart will do well in full sun. However, don't count on flowers being displayed for long since they are in full sun. Mine are on drip system like other plants in the yard. You can also grow them in ponds as well.

in that first pic with thei birds of paradise, is there a secret to getting them to bloom and spread in the picture. I several 1 gallon plants I got at HD and they have not grown at all and they have not bloomed? any advice.

also in the last picture, what plant is that and will it grow in the phx sun?
Thanks a bunch.

Mine haven't bloomed either, but I have got them to grow and put out new shoots by fertlizing them. I used the lazy mans way. I put Oscomote around each of the plants and worked it into the soil. I like this, because then I only have to fertilize once every three months. In the spring, before I start on the Oscomote, I fertilzie them with fish emulsion from February though April. Since I mix up fish emulsion for my roses, mise well give it to all the other plants too ;) My BOP has only been in the ground for about 6 months though...so may not bloom till next year. Or who knows, maybe even longer than that. Sure do love those big glossy tropical leaves though...so even if no blooms right away love the foliage :)

Easy

Wow, Lee, thanks for all of that great info and those wonderful pictures. My house is down the street from the airport so it is good to know that it is a little colder there. Those pictures almost make me want to try to plant a tropical landscape in my yard. But I must resist. I can't afford the water bill. I might try some of those in pots on the patio though. I grew up in S. California and they remind me of my childhood home. Actually, my parents didn't like palms or birds of paradise so they ripped them out. Along with the Mulberry, vinca, olive, carob and bougainvilla. Hmmm, maybe I am trying to recreate what I lost.

But I have to know- in the bottom photo, under the giant monstera deliciosa, is that a GOOSE?

cjs111, that a Philodendron bipinnatifidum in the bottom picture. It will grow in the PHX sun but it can burn even with a lot of water. It looks best in zone 9 and 10 AZ if the afternoon sun can be kept off of it. And since you got your Strelitzia reginae at a 1 gallon size give them a few years and then they'll flower, but it will take some time.

You're certainly welcome tucson_daizy, considering try Philodendron bipinnatifidum if you like it. Even if their leaves burn in winter they will grow back from the trunk the following spring, provided we don't get to deep into the teens. And considering the last two times Tucson has officially dropped into the teens was in 2003 then way back in 1987, they're a safe bet for Tucson. A lot that I've seen around town currently have gotten as much damage from last months heat as they had from the hard freeze of Decemember 2003. Strelitzia reginae is also another easy one to grow here, and for those in the cold pockets if you throw an old blanket over them on the nights we've forecasted to drop below 28F they'll be fine. And in the worst case scenario hold onto your Home Depot receipts, I can't tell you how much money that's saved me and how many dead plants I've brought back to Home Depot and Lowes. I've never had a problem returning my dead plants to those locations.

EileenAZ, yup that's a goose under the Philodendron bipinnatifidum. That picture was taken at Reid Park Zoo. The Zoo has a bunch of really nice Philodendron bipinnatifidum that greatly benefit from all of the filtered sunlight from the nice tree canopy.

Lee