How many cold climate people have a lot of tropical plants?

I live in zone 7a, it gets down to 0º F here. I'd like to ask how many tropical plants anybody who lives in a colder climate might have?

This message was edited Jul 11, 2010 5:01 PM

I live in a zone 5 and have about 300 tropicals....

Wow, where do you keep them all during the winter? What all do you have?

I have over a hundred myself. Have you found it hard to find a way to keep them all well lit and away from any pets? I even want to save the annual flowers so maybe I won't have to spend as much money next year. I don't want to lose any of my plants!

I have over 100 plants that I overwinter in my house. I have a back room that I put up 6 shop lights with the plant/aquarium bulbs in them and a fan. I treat the plants with a systematic before I bring them in for the winter. I keep the temp at around 50 degrees. This has worked for me for years.

I also over winter in the house, in past years I've crammed plants into every space I can find (with grow lights) But I just built a huge sunroom and suddenly, my plant collection seems soooo small...I wash plants with soap and water several times before bringing them in. However, I stopped putting most of them out. My cactus and succulents always go out. and the tropicals that really need that out door vacation to stay healthy ( like Allamanda, my bush morning glory, and clerodendrons )

I have probably about 50 right now, i'm building my basement up this summer to handle a decent amount this winter so I am going to let myself get some more :)

At least 300 species in NW Arkansas. All kept in an artificial "rain forest". We got down to 3 degrees F this past winter.


Steve

A view of the pond.

I'm building up my supply of tropicals, annuals that are really perennials elsewhere, and houseplants. My hubby promised me a greenhouse so I'm making sure he follows through! (LOL) Otherwise the house will be stuffed full of plants...... I've lost count - had to divide so many lately.

What types of bulbs have worked best for any of you for wintering over indoors?

My favorite are bulbs, I winter EVERYTHING over indoors :) My most tender bulbs like the Blue Amaryllis and Griffinia, Watsonias andsome other South Africans are just easier to pot up considering a lot of them are evergreen. As for the ones that go dormant, they're super easy to just dig up, put in a paper bag with dried wood chips or perlite :)

I was thinking more about what light bulbs have worked best? And while I would love amaryllis bulbs, I am as of yet, sadly, deprived of those so far. I have a small room that I'm converting to a plant room in case I don't get that greenhouse in time..(he's got so many projects) and while it has a south facing window, I know I'll need more light, especially for those not directly in front of the window. I have several crotons that are pretty picky about light and humidity. The humidity issue will be easy - I'll just add a plug-in humidifier to the room. I also have about a dozen african violets that will certainly want more light.

The supplemental light, well I got this idea from a great person here on DG, buy daylight *6500* Compact fluorescence bulbs and get those *heavy duty clip on light lamps* the lamps will be in the hardware section! You can get 4 of the bulbs for 10 dollars and the clip on lamps are like 5 a piece!

That sounds cheap enough. I wasn't sure if I would need the special grow bulbs, but I guess with the plants getting some natural sunlight, I probably wouldn't. Great idea Josh! thanks.

Yep Yep :)

Thoes compact flour. are called *Daylight* make sure to get the 6500 tho!

Hi everyone, I've a sizable collection of tropicals here in zone 7b. Minimum low temp. of 10F here in during winter for short duration and intervals. And yes, I like many others have to haul them indoor. My overwinter - makeshift greenhouse is my basement. Ordinary florescent lights have been adequate to keep most of my tropical plants semi-dormant, 'til I take them back out door in early Spring. The hard labor does pay off. Here is Kahilii ginger (in containers) in the heat of summer down South.

Duranta among other annuals such as Milkweeds for butterflies.

Ofcourse, if you are fond of tropical Brugmansias are among our must-haves collection. Most often Brugs can be grown outdoor here in my zone, with the exception of last winter (due to the prolonged cold period). Most of the outdoor brugs struggled to make a come back but has yet made flowers. This one was overwintered indoor. (and brought back out in early spring).

Other tropicals include Gloriosa lilies;

Allamanda 'Cherry Jubilee';

Single bloom, tropical Hibiscus.

Semi-double bloom tropical hibiscus;

This semi-double blooming tropical hibiscus is my all- time fav. I brought this plant in a small hanging basket. Over the years, it has grown to be 7-8 feet tall in a big container.

But the frame work of the temperate garden still belongs to the hardy perennials such as hydrangeas, Azaleas, Camellias ect. Here is 'Lime Light' hydrangea hardy perennial outdoor.

Happy Gardening. ^_^

I'm so glad I found this thread. This will be my third year bringing my Meyer lemon inside for the winter. I also added a Bearss lime last summer. I have a lot of trouble with pests in late winter and they lose most of their foliage. It's a real struggle to keep the soil dry enough but the foliage moist enough with indoor heating.

I've read that citrus will hibernate if you keep them 50-60 degrees and then I could keep them very dry. How do you control the heat in the plant room? I'm currently living in an apartment but I'm shopping for my first house and I think about these things when I house hunt. :) (Should we add that to "you know you're a plantaholic when" list?) It gets so cold here I don't think they would survive the garage even if it was heated.

My citrus are outside now and they love Iowa summers. Moderate heat and lots of humidity, heaven for tropicals!

TL

I'm in 6A and have brugs, plumeria, epiphyllum, clerodendrum, passiflora, Aristolochia, etc, etc etc, too many to count.
Roxanne

I had about 100 when I lived in North Dakota. I had a 3rd bedroom that had southern and western facing windows that I kept the blinds opened all the time and then I used 2 warm mist humidifiers for moisture. I had a palm flower in there in the middle of December there.

I can't even imagine how many I have.. as most everything is a tropical..it would be easier to list what I have that isn't..I've about 80 Brugmancias now that I got my latest three..a dozen plumerias.. got a nice flower on one of 4 night blooming cereuses tonight.. pictures with first light.. I'll o with 300 also
everything comes inside.. I've 3 400 watt MH lights.. on a 6'....and a 10' motorised track running through the house.. a 6 bulb.. a 4 bulb and a couple of single bulb T-5 flourescents with plant bulbs.. and a bunch of plant spots.. and all the 6... 150 watt ceiling lights in the house.. are color balanced for sunlight.. lots live here and in front of the 6 windows... I also make a cool room out of 2" thick foam.. outside.. about a 10' x 12' room.. 10 tall... that I keep @ 45- 50* F.. so they re near dormancy.. it helps cut down on their upkeep.. I break down the room each year.. and reuse the foam as building elements.. and planters.. with a acrylic stucco finish.. I'm looking into an inflatable building for this year.. I'm thinking of like a greenhouse.. with a doube wall with the air inbetween.. in chanels like a series of air mattresses fuzed together.. giving insulation and structural support.. an just deflate in the spring and store.. but there's a market for 100's of these just on dave's.. with all his tropical nuts..
I really have to grow tropicals.. [ honest ] as the roof gets up to 145- 165* F every day...it's hot out..

Thank God I am not the only person who moves out essentials to put the tropicals inside for the winter months. I have a greenhouse but I keep my cuttings and some of my more "fussy" plants since I can keep the humidity up in their easier than I can in the sun room.
I started to propagate gardenias and jasmine, christmas cactus and a few others as a hobby a few years ago. When I get too many, I sell them on DG and eBay as starter plants. I have had so much fun over the years adding to my experiments that it has kept me young at my old age of 82. This is the first year I have had to use the sun/bird room for the larger gardenia stock plants. I just do not have space for two 5 and 6 ft. gardenia trees.
They are the Gardenia Jasminoid Aimee and what a pleasure they are to have. I also have two large camellias inside this year, along with a few dozen others I want to start to take cuttings from. Thank you for letting me pop in and say hello to my fellow tropical plant lovers here in the cooler climates. Have a great Winter.
Here is a pic of my one Aimee stock plants. JB

Very nice!!

Yes... very lovely gardenia... they are real difficult for me.. your leaves look pristine and flawless... good going there.....oh the flowers are a knock out also... any tips on growing these i can think of next time..

Despite the Vieques tag, we actually live full time here in DC (6a?), with probably 50 tropicals --we overwinter some indoors, in warm and/or sunny spots, most in the "Pool Bubble Greenhouse"

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/939786/

Crotons refuse to survive in there, but most everything else seems to do just fine, considering the temperatures through the dark of Winter routinely get down to the low 40sF, and into the 30s on occasion.

ive grown a few elephant ears from yr to yr.. added canna musafolia couple yrs ago..and they bloomed again this yr !!!!
this yr i went wild and have about 14 bananas.. several kinds.. and some super elephant ears(colocasia & alocasia)..
my cannas are huge rhizomes now.. last yr i think the biggest weighed over 30#.. this yr i cut it up into smaller pieces..
when i dig up the bananas and elephant ears.. i will be storing them in a back room i close off and keep a window slightly open.. keeps air
circulation good..and room stays about 45.. so nothing comes out of dormancy..
next yr i plan to put in even more bananas.. elephant ears.. big and small.. gingers, crotons, and thinking of some kind of pillar
wire and coco coir to put epiphytes on... orchids,philodendrons.. ???
its great fun to try.. if it doesnt work.. find a way that it might...
great to see others working around mother nature .. if its just a seasonal thing with growing tropicals...

I feel like a lightweight. :) I've only got fifteen to bring in, but many of them I actually expose to the first few nights of frost/freeze to encourage them to bloom heavier the next year. The poet's jasmine, the confederate jasmine, and the Kleim's hardy gardenia appreciate this cold treatment.

-Joe

More than a few thousand tropicals here in Kentucky.

Yes.. and what you do overwintering so many is a work of art...
like a fine ballet...
OK... places everyone...

Here is my living wall project. I built it late summer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPSYqG6-8yo

OMG! That is fantastic! I wish I was in a warmer zone.
Roxanne

I am a zone 6. All the plants on the wall stay out for winter.

I have a greenhouse where all my "stuff" goes. The g'house is large: 30x64, so I overwinter large tropicals for others in it. Helps pay the LP bill.

Since it has a 12 foot peak, can let my brugs get big in there. I usually don't, tho, keep the foliage stripped off and let them keep growing about April 1st.

In the fall when I have to move everything back in, I wonder "WHY" on earth do I have so many? And so big? Those 20 inch pots with monster plants are a bear to move. And I do most of it myself. Oh, with the help of the Spousal Unit's loader tractor. LOL