The Yuccado Nursery site is really a fun read for those who like to garden with the mix of plants Carl favors. I hadn't realized that they offered such a diverse selection of Dyckia bromeliads in particular, one of my favorite genera when creating a dry garden. The collection of Dyckias are in full bloom right now out at the Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek, and well worth a look to see the diversity of foliage forms and colors, colors of bloom, and how attractive they are in large clumps. They are also certainly favorites of the hummingbirds in the area. Also, there may be something to be said for taking Eric's advice about pushing the limits, as the Yuccado site certainly is recommending some plants from South Africa in particular for USDA zone 8b conditions that I wouldn't feel safe planting here in California in zone 9a conditions, such as the Lampranthus spectabilis and various Cotyledon orbiculata forms. They are much more prone to freeze damage and winter rotting with our combination of winter rains and frost than in south Texas, apparently. There must be something to the summer heat developing more winter cold resistance. I am willing to bet that Alex isn't all that interested in the spiny Agave/cactus look to develop his back yard, but they certainly can look great when planted along with softer feathery foliage such as the heat loving Calliandra, Caesalpinia, Cassia, Erythrina, Sesbania, Sophora and Tecomaria shrubs that do so well with the blistering heat of south/west Texas. Mexican Palo Verde/Parkinsonia aculeata may be considered a weed tree in Texas, but it sure turns heads when in bloom here in the San Francisco Bay Area, and makes a great tree for light shade. I would also consider using tough performers such as Brahea armata, Phoenix edulis, Brachychiton populneum, Schinus molle or x Chitalpa tashkentensis as good trees for hot windy summer areas, where water will be in short supply or expensive to apply. But I stand by my recommendation to avoid Queen palms, they will never look lush and beautiful as they do along the California coast.

Although you live in the Desert SW, growing them inside at 75 F is the main thing to consider, as long as you growing them on a window sill, exposed to the air (open tray method). A lot of plants will do well at the window sill, with their pot sitting in plastic containers of an inch or so of distilled / RO / deionized water. For example, D. spatulata, D. aliciae, D. adelae, D. capensis, D. burmannii. Even though Mexican butterworts are supposed to have a cold and dey winter, they still do well at window sills. Many bladdrworts would love the conditions - U. livida, U. sandersonii, U. bisquamata. Check Photobucket link for pictures of these plants. I can also help ya out in procuring some beginner plants. Here is a link that might be useful: CP pictures

Hi Gardnerme, Here's what produced best for me last year, and I planted late (May 1), we had weeks of 90-100+ temps starting in June, and my plants were against a solid (heat-trapping) privacy fence: Black Prince (smallish, but wildly prolific, almost to the point of being a nuisance) Earl's Faux (Enormous pink beefsteak w/Potato leaf) Sugold cherries (these were right against the fence, being the hottest and full-sun part of my garden) Everything else I planted was OK, but not super-high yield until the heat subsided. I did not, however, have a lot of blossom drop. I foliar fed religiously with Foxfarm's "tiger bloom"(2-8-4) once the plants started blossoming, alternating with aspirin water. This was the first time I ever did a foliar feed. I don't have anything to do with FF, and it didn't come recommended from anyone, I just thought I'd try it. All I know is that I had other friends with severe blossom drop last year, and I didn't. I also got some cheap ($0.50/yd) white gauzy cloth from W-Mrt to shade/reflect heat, which I attached to CRW cages with binder clips. I left it on all season once the heat cranked up, and I didn't have trouble with sunscald. Some swear by proper "shade cloth," but what I found in my local stores was dark in color (heat attracting) and VERY expensive. IMHO, potato leaf varieties seemed to do better in my garden, as they tended to provide more of their own shade. Hope this helps! Cheeers, PBL

We grow them here is San Antonio and it gets fairly cold. But in San Antonio as well as many other places their biggest issue is water and food. I've found them to be a relativley "needy" tree. They don't have a particularly big root system, so in dry climates, they must be watered. In Florida the water table is three feet below the ground, so trees never need water. In San ANtonio the tree can't find water and need water all summer, just like any other plant. They also are prone to mineral deficiencies like manganeze and magnezium. But that's easily work-able if you use supplimental palm fertilizer. And oh by the way, use the fertilizer from the get-go. Once a tree starts going bad, it may be too late. I planted three "five-footers" by my pool last year and they made it through this winter fine. Keep in mind it was a lite winter in SA, though we did have many nightly freezes. To protect them on freezing nights I made sure they had water. "I was told this should be done, no idea why it works". SO if you're willing to invest the time and money into water and food, and will watch those trees likes "hawks" in the winter, things have a good chance of working... California, Mexican fan palm or date palm would be the easy choice for you. WIth the Queens you'd have to baby-sit them much more. But in the end, you'd have a much more tropical looking tree. BTW, Queen Palms are not good looking speciman plants, they like to be planted in groups. Groups of three seem to be ideal. Good Luck!