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Cold Damage
During the first week of January, 2010, we experienced freezing
temperatures. Here are some photos taken around the nursery.
Predictably, the tropical plants took it the hardest, while, for the most part,
our native vegetation was relatively unaffected. That is something to keep
in mind when planning your landscape upgrades.
Below are photos of a cultivar of Acalypha wilkesiana planted in
our landscaping. Soft-wooded tropical shrubs were among the plants that were
adversely affected by the visit of arctic air. But, as you can see in the
photo at right, it has recovered to its previous level of splendor.
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August 2009 |
January
2010 |
July 2010 |
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Philodendron sp.' Burle Marx' from Brazil was not
liking the frigid temps. |
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Likewise, the Bentinckia nicobarica palms from the
Indian Ocean are exhibiting characteristics typical of many different
tropical palms. As long as the emerging frond is still green, the
palm should cast off its older fronds and be fine in a few months. Note:
The emerging fronds turned out to be brown and we had to throw all of them
away. I reckon we shan't be growing more of that one. |
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Orange bird of paradise Strelitzia reginae has
seen better days. |
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Assorted big-leafed tropical things, such as Heliconia
spp. will need to be trimmed back. They will eventually regain
the grandeur they developed during the warmer months. |
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Soft-wooded tropical shrubs, like the pua-keni-keni Fagraea
ceylanica are anxiously waiting for warmer weather. |
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Here is Leea coccinea 'Rubra' red leea, looking
more like a dead leea at the moment. |
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At right, Myrcianthes fragrans Simpson's Stopper
with no apparent damage. You have to look closely to see a little
bit of cold burn at the tips of the leaves. |
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There is no better advertisement for our local native
vegetation than documenting their steady performance through various
extreme weather events. |
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