Before the Freeze

Well, tomorrow it'll be November first, and not a sign of a pending freeze, with the Weather Channel giving us the clear sign through the 9th of November. But a freeze will certainly come, and the fruiting bananas will die, and the shelters on some of the less cold hardy palms (W. Robusta, B. Capitata) will go up. But before the freeze, one last photo of this year's growth.

S. Minor Thrives in the DC Sunshine

The S. Minors that I planted four years ago - and have never been protected - have again produced a prodigious amount of seeds. It appears the squirrels did an efficient job of scattering the seeds from last year, as my front yard is littered with S. Minor seedlings. The leaves are huge, and beautiful, as you can see from the pix. I have two of the stately palms at the front two corners of my yard.

Chinese Windmill Palm

The 5 and a half feet tall Trachycarpus Fortunei in my front yard has sent up at least 20 new fronds this year and seems well prepared for the upcoming winter. The trunk has thickened considerably this year which should provide it with the needed protection from the cold. This palm has not been protected - not even heavily mulched - in 3 years. Prior to that, I did provide a plastic-sheeted covering around it to allow it to attain a good enough size to tolerate the zone 7 cold we get here.