Hi Steve,

I prefer the taste of citrus to that of figs. But the (potted) citrus yield is so much less than that of figs. Which is why I am transitioning to figs.

I get more limes than figs, think the deer eat the figs

Hen and Chicks do not like wet soil. Like most succulents, they would rather be too dry, than watered as soon as the soil gets dry. I killed some by putting them in a spot that stayed too damp.

I also don't think they enjoy life indoors in the winter, they should be hardy outdoors for you there.

Thank you. I tried watering it as you suggested and will see if it improves. I know they don't like a lot of water, but if they store moisture in the leaves and this one has flat, shriveled ones, that might indicate it hasn't had enough. Very little water drained out the bottom, which also makes me think it was just thirsty.

Soil looks PEATY, PEAT is a terrible mix for succulents (yes, it is a Jade/Crassula argentea). The soil is not getting saturated, peat soils can be very hydrophobic. I would be sure to saturate it and then move it into a better mix. Leaves will revert to normal.

It would not be late winter/early spring without them.

Last year I removed a huge forsythia mess in my yard. Was probably close to 40 years old. It was constantly trying to take over everything. I found a big fairy rose growing under it. I think I planted it 20 years ago and it got swallowed. Somehow, it was very healthy. I kept it and it looks great.

Charles, I had the same experience. Our house was built in the 50s and I think the Forsythia was part of the original planting by the builder. And that was 20 years before we moved in and it was another 10 before we decided to remove it. I wasn't really gardening other than veggies at that point or I suppose I could have maintained it better.

I think the fact I have such a small garden has a lot to do with it. One quarter acre doesn't give you a lot of room and everything you grow has to earn it's keep.

I did have a neighbor who used it as a hedge and pruned it hard into horizontal lines and I just thought it was so ugly.

It was a lot of work getting it out of there, I remember.

Well, this is a 8 year old thread.

Those birds are dead and gone

Just found a beautiful nest of blue eggs from a Robin in my hanging Christmas cactus. What is the PROBLEM?!

BC is a North American Native, not DR, which is Asian. Asian climates tend to be more predictable overall. At mid latitude, winters are cold to very cold, summers ae hot to very hot. North American is more subject to extreme climatic variability (especially the middle of the country), and THAT is what DR's do not appreciate if they have started active growth. You can blame both Canada, and the Gulf of Mexico for our crazy weather swings.

Yeah, from what I've seen up here I'd probably give BC a slight hardiness edge over DR. My Shawnee Brave BC has been going along fine without any damage for about 5 years.

I love the leaves on Alta. They look so tropical and remind me of Ficus elastica.

Victoria reminds me of Ficus elastica, leaf buds are very reddish. This is a Victoria, after the new leaves emerged in June, I just LOVE this cultivar. Will try to capture the reddish new growth before leaves fully emerge this year.

It has been Spring here for over a month now, signs are Tulip Magnolias, Japanese maples leafing out, Photinia pushing new growth.

P.S. We have snow blowers here, none needed this past year.

I know spring has arrived, because I just bought my first two conifers for the season :-) :-)

Dave, T. undulatum looks right. Thanks!

It will grow to at least 10' and as much as 15-18' in a mild climate and with adequate water. It is not uncommon to see 16-18 footers in my area. If you want taller, just go with the straight species of English laurel. That will get 20 feet plus but may require frequent (annual) pruning not to get too huge. They are often grown into small to medium sized trees here. And hardy to zone 6.

"Didn't realize it grew in Eastern MA..Does it stay evergreen?"

"Eastern Mass." is anywhere from a Zone 6b to Zone 7b, it will be fully evergreen there, they also have decent heat and drought tolerance in warmer zones. I have the Skips Laurel and that one is too vigorous for my needs, can't imagine the "straight" species.

In this thread we have data. Small sample, obviously. It counts. After attention to the minute data (pH, roots, sunlight, etc.), there remains to be considered the macro data point which is height behavior for this cultivar at large. Height distribution across a large population might reveal that the variations described in this thread are not anomalous. And keep in the forefront of the pondering that yours is a cultivar.

No problems with Magnolia grandiflora growing like a week on steroids here in the North (NJ/Zone 7B). Little Gem is a dwarf and I have issues with this one in the ground, growth is too slow, so DEER will rut it ever year, non dwarves can protect themselves. I use 0 weed killer, and don't fertilize.

So are you saying that paulownias are on a notifiable list in every state? It is increasingly grown as a street tree here in the UK. I agree that knowledge of what we are planting is always worthwhile but feel increasingly uncomfortable with polarised positions used to apply to all. Might just be a response to the creeping authoritarian populism which passes for government, these days. I dunno.

Anyway, tHere are a few plants which are illegal to propagate and yep, Japanese knotweed is one. It isn't strictly true that you cannot get a mortgage with it on your property as with all these things,there are caveats...not least a definite whiff of profiteering after a single legal precedent was used to establish a law which a heap of pest control companies gleefully exploited. While there are a few mortgage lenders which remain cautious, the moral panic in urban property exchanges has diminished...which is not to say that it isn't a tremendous problem in rural and unmanaged locations (it is) we just don't have anything like as much'wilderness' in the UK and most of the problematic species have generally been riverine.

Any luck with good palm trees for dallas?

I would try Butia/Pindo palms! They grew very fast for me (in NJ), in large tubs that go into the garage in the winter.

"41North, no offense, but do your own homework."

If your argument is all the 2023 fires in CANADA were caused by ONE MAN, then, it incumbent on YOU to post the news/data, not ME! Not that complicated, no offense!

https://globalnews.ca/news/10414136/2024-wildfires-canada-preparing-for-the-worst/

Getting back to climate maps for a moment, I was aware of the Sunset ones for the rest of the country. I haven't studied them for some years, but when I did way back one, my thought was it was a good start but probably not as precise as the original western ones. They seem to agree as they are only 'officially' making ones for the west again. https://sunsetplantcollection.com/climate-zones/

"but probably not as precise as the original western ones."

How are Western ones more precise? I have an older Sunset gardening book for the nation. Textual material related to each zone communicated, lowest average minimum, average maximums and heat zone (factored in), precipitation, humidity, growing season length, soil compositional, cloud coverage, fog, soil pH..., indicator plant species, etc. I still have that book. Certainly, better than a number from 3-10 that lumps Long Island with Little Rock, Arkansas. Maybe we mostly use a number system from 3-10 to market and sell plants, and people would be incredibly confused by dozens upon dozens of gardening zones, imagine reading those gardening labels!