Island, I also have this cultivar. I may be chopping it down this year! I have about a half dozen cultivars of grandiflora--this one is quite different from any of the others. It grows maybe twice as fast if not more than the others It branches densely, even to ground level Green on the underside (as you noted) Lighter green leaves Leaf shape is almost avocado-like Mine does not burn as harshly has yours, but it burns more than the others Biggest problem are its poor tolerance for any snow or ice, while the others look fine. My poor guy suffered collateral damage from other downed trees in the hurricane and just took another hit. It even got attacked by deer this past November. I have always identified it as 'Green Giant'. Sure it would try to recoup but hate seeing the damage.

Nice pics! Thanks for sharing! My Crape is beginning to leaf out also no signs from my Kopper King Hibiscus yet, but my fig is leafing out. Things are definitely ahead of schedule here. Saucer mags and bradford pears are already well passed peak bloom and have most of their leaves now! Great pics at the Masters, Columbia, and the West! I really like aerial shots. I wish they would let you keep a camera on while the plane took off. Some of the best picture opportunities happen right as the plane is taking off and I dont think a camera will interfere with any plane navigation systems! Still managed to get some good pics of NYC when I was last on a plane and I also got some nice nighttime shots of Baltimore and DC (which seem very close together when 25,000 feet in the air!). Im also surprised at how flat Denver is. You would think the "Mile High City" would have a lot more mountains! The Rocky Mountains are definitely beautiful. You got some nice shots of them! Thanks for sharing! -Alex

I do think so! Techinically there is a tropicalsque fourm on this site, but its not very active. But anyways heres the list of what Im growing outside year round thats considered tropical-ish Palms first... windmill palms (2 have survived 1 winter in the ground and one is newly planted in shade) sabal minor (survived 1 year in the ground and growing about 2-4 new leaves a year pindo palm (survivied 1 year in the ground and still has yet to push out a full new leaf, but no winter damage or spear pull) Medditeranean fan palm (Newly planted this spring. It already has a pup growing and is a pretty good grower) Livingstonia chinesis (Newly planted this spring. Slow growth but it has pushed 1 full leaf this spring) Sabal Domingensis (Newly planted this spring as well. Its pretty large but not very cold tolerant so we shall see) I did want to try a hardy bamboo palm but it got spear pull so now I will have to replace it with another exotic and somewhat cold tolerant palm for shade (since thats the spot I want to fill) So now onto the non-palm tropicals Camellia (at least 10 years in the ground. Its a slow grower but has never recieved protection, is not a super cold tolerant cultivator, and blooms every year (some years better than others). It is a slow growers and does get burned leaves some years. Spanish moss (only tried a little pieve of it on my tree this past winter and at least half surivived fine). Cast Iron plant (just planted a week ago, some in pots, some in the ground. We shall see how they do!) Easter lily (I left the bulbs on the deck all winter long exposed to the cold and they were still fine when spring came. I think some of it rotted when I planted it in the ground but it has plenty of offspring comming up. Also its definitely an easter lily and not some other type of lily.) Sago palm (It does go inside from mid december to early march, but its the last potted plant to go in so I think it deserves to be on my list. It handles frost with no problems at all). Frost proof gardenia (First year in the ground. Its not in the greatest spot but I think it has blooms comming up already so Its a strong plant. My tropical gardenia also is blooming but it goes inside in the winter) Cordyline australis (Kind of marginal here but they always do fine in the unheated garage. They usually are alrigt outside too if kept away from moisture. I have seen some survive 2 or 3 winters in a row and get pretty tall before dieing from a cold year). Eastern prickly pear (Not very tropical but it is rarer here even though it is native to the area. It survived in a pot evern though some of the pads didnt have roots yet. Now they all have firm roots and some have flower buds and at the least new pads). Thats about It I can think of off the top of my head. I have seen many other subtropical plants around the area and many of them are thriving (and most are very reliable in a zone 7). I plan on trying even more things out in the future but most of my plants are tropical and in pots. Good luck!

You can eat the fruits of the Lychee too, if I'm thinking of the some plant. They are white fruits, right? They are canned and you can get them in Asian grocery stores and sometimes regular stores. Those and Longons are on chinese buffets. I picked Longons and took them home when I was in Florida a few years ago. They are great fresh, but, don't keep well on a 19 hour drive back to Pa from Florida. I wanted my dad to taste them fresh, not just canned. We cut the bad parts off, I can see why they aren't in stores like fresh apricots and peaches etc. Lychees have a nice delicate flavor. I never had a fresh one, just canned too.