Thanks everyone for your advise. Jim, Thanks for your input.Your the person that sparked my interest in Trachycarpus palms.For a cold hardy palm that has a trunk you just cant beat them for growth speed and cold hardiness :) I know there are more cold hardy palms that does not have a trunk.Like S.minor,S.louisiana,S.brazoria.Which according to what I've read lately they now include all of them as different forms of S.minors.Even S.Louisiana which can have a 6ft trunk. I've got all of them and more,I like all of them.Please dont anybody take this the wrong way.When I think of a palm tree the first thing that comes to mind is a single trunk tree with the fronds around the top of the trunk. I still like Butia and Sabal palms.But they just take so long to grow into a good size tree.Sabals being the slower one of the too.That doesn't mean that I will quit growing them.I just except them for what they are. Thanks again everyone.Here's hoping for a early spring :) Randy

Hi, my neighbor and I bought green BELL pepper seeds and in the package as it turns out were yellow hot pepper seeds because that is what we now have. These are said to be very healthy to eat. So we are cooking with these now and germinating more seeds. I plan to remove some veggies to make room for more of these yellow pepper plants in the garden. My neighbor grows them very successfully in containers, but she gave me a few and they are growing well in full hot sun. These seem to be the yellow Hungarian wax peppers, semi hot. We cook them in olive oil with other vegetables and they taste wonderful. Just one of several plant surprises we got this year... I had tried to get several other kinds of hot peppers growing earlier this year, and none have grown. But these yellow ones are doing very well. Anybody else growing them in zone 10? What other hot peppers do well in Zone 10 if you know.. THANK YOU.

Hi there, here is some info from PlantzAfrica.com that will help you ... "For best results sow fresh seed in spring. Before sowing, remove the bright orange tuft of hairs attached to the seed (aril of each seed) and soak in a aqueous solution of ethrel at a concentration of 2000 ppm active constituent, for 48 hours. In practical terms this entails making up 6ml ethrel (39.5% active ingredient) to a litre of water. Sow in seedtrays filled with a well-drained soil medium at a depth of 1,5 times the size of the seed. A constant temperature of 25 C is most suitable for germination as low temperatures retard germination. Germination takes four to eight weeks. Seedlings should be a good size before transplanted (two to three leaves) into a well drained medium. Young strelitzia plants must be grown in shade, for the leaves tend to burn in direct sunlight. Regular repotting allows the young plant to develop rapidly. Restricting the root development retards growth. " Also: "To increase the amount of seed most strelitzia flowers are hand pollinated at Kirstenbosch. This is done by gently scraping the pollen off with a finger or a stick, and placing it on the tip of the stigma of another plant. It takes a few months for the seed to ripen during which the green pods are often eaten by squirrels. To prevent this, the old flower heads are covered with brown paperbags after the flowers have been pollinated and the seeds start to develop. " Source: National Botanical Institute SA Hope this helps. D

Yes, I have. They are a nuisance here but also huge biennial attractors for butterflies, so I grow them and love to tolerate. One of the best ways to get these seeds to germinate is to winter sow them and you still have time! Look at the winter sowing forums for help there. Also make sure your seed is fresh, it germinates better. If you need more contact me. SCG