Hi Everyone,
My name is Dave, I live here in NEPA, near Wilkes-Barre, Pa. I am a landscape designer, working for a large, design & installation firm. I have a personal interest in growing unusal conifers, trees, as well as palms and bananas. I have grown Tracchyarpus fortunei, (Windmill Palm) for 4 years in my home garden. When I put it to bed for the winter, by the means of piling leaves around the truck and wrapping it with burlap, it had about 3'feet of truck and 11 full mature leaves. I have not checked on it since that 3rd week of December. It has made it through 3 NEPA winters so far witn only minor leaf/tip damage. This summer I am planting Needle Palms and Sabal Minors in my yard. I also grow Musa Basjoo with great success, this year it reached a height of 18 feet tall in one growing season, a sight to see! I have numerous zone 7 conifers growing in my garden and have had the benifit of being able to use them in my designs at work, all are doing well, in well selected locations. Also for all you "Zone pushers" out there, I have a large, 18' tall, Southern Magnolia growing very well in my yard, the past 3 summers, it has produced outstanding, very large white flowers. Once I figure out how to post pictures on this site, I will. The cultivar is "Edith Bogue". I would be interested in knowing if any one else is growing these plants in this part of NEPA. Please let me know, I would like to compare data and observations. Thanks, Dave