Cold Climate Tropical Garden?! | The Barefooted Gardener 

Tropical Plant Party Haha, Thank you! I'll look for the Chinese Fan Palm video.

Thanks so much Rob!

You’re welcome! Glad you enjoyed it!

Thanks Nicole! I just try to learn from nature.

Darren Arni Thank you! Let me know if you have relevant video ideas. Thanks for watching!

You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it!

Thanks Lilytt!

Thanks so much!

Thanks Dwight!

Thank you so much!

Thanks Brad!

Thank you!

You’re welcome!

Sus?! 😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳

xiwen dai 'y

Plant A Plant Studio Thank you! Glad to help; I’ll keep an eye out for your vlogs. Remember with your pond, to use a lot of boulders, as big as you can handle. Also, dig the pond and stream large enough to accommodate the rocks. Lastly, have 2 stones on either side, the same height as your waterfall. I’m going to make pond videos once the weather gets better. In the mean time, the pond digger on RU-vid is a great place to start.

+Jah Roos Thank you, glad you like it!

The Barefooted Gardener can you tell me what type of pump you used to make the water fall ✌🏿🇯🇲👍

Hey Jah Roos, It's an Aquasurge 3000 from Aquascape, and it's in an Aquascape microskimmer.

+Tropisch Hoogerheide thank you!

Yeah I have noticed they do make pups, in pots even, but to me, they’d make a great privacy screen.

Can do.

Great idea! I’ll probably do that during winter sometime when the plants are all inside.

Hi Victoria, I’m in zone 6b. Thank you for the sub! I’m glad you enjoyed the video and cheers.

Thank you! Let me know how it grows...

Never heard that before. Interesting.

I hear ya Souky Phetsinor. I love the jungle look, but the wife also liked the modern and clean look. Clash of the titans lol. Keep your tropical hand strong my friend 🌴 💪

@@northeasthardytropicals541 for sure lol, until she put her foot down

Souky Phetsinor Lol I hear ya brotha

Chamaerops will take damage at 20F and be outright killed at 10F. A particularly wet freeze can be fatal at 15F. For those reasons, Chamaerops are only really suitable for temperate/oceanic climates such as the PNW and UK. No chance of getting them through winter in places like New York, Washington DC, or the Mid-West for instance.

@@petyrbaelish1718 Thanks Petyr. Trachycarpus and Chamaerops are the hardiest palms I know ....however, it makes sense to plant species endemic to one's own area instead of trying to grow plants that just don't like too much cold :)

Awesome! My Turtlehead is awesome, you will love it. I haven’t grown Fatsia previously only because it’s hardy to zone 7, but I was thinking it may be able to dieback and regrow?

Ahh woops I forgot it is hardy to zone 7. It is a tough plant so I could see it regrowing. I'm not sure if it would be able to put on enough growth in one season to be impressive though. I guess tetrapanax papyrifer would be a better bet because it has similar leaves but can grow extremely fast. I have been enjoying mine since they are creating their own forest which is something I can't get my bananas or canna to do.

MinxFox Tetrapanax would definitely work. Thanks for the tip. I bet running bamboo would give the effect you want as well, I have a video about how to control bamboo. What kind of bananas and canna do you grow?

I do love the look of running bamboo. I control my clumping bamboo by breaking off the new shoots and I know you can do the same with running bamboo, but I still worry about it getting out of hand. I'm horrible at growing cannas and bananas. Most of the ones I have were given to me by people so I am unsure of the varieties. The poor canna that I have gets a yellow flower with an orange center and splotches around the sides. It might be a florence vaughn. Most of the bananas I have I'm not sure what variety they are. I did get some Orinoco bananas from a local after spotting his Craigslist add. He gets bananas from his most years. At this point I don't care if I get fruit or not. I just want my bananas to pop up everywhere. We pass by a house that has tons of bananas in the front yard and I can only dream of mine creating a grove like that. Probably just means I have a lot more to learn haha.

Hello, thank you! Absolutely I’ll leave you a link to my pond design video. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-yfGM2n8OGs8.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ZRulEcXwTfY.html

Haha, that’s awesome! Lucky bugger is right!😂 amending soil with Biochar and compost will help. Thanks for watching!

JP Thank you, I saw you had a video from 2014, how is your garden?

The Barefooted Gardener my plants are doing great! Although I have this fascination with palms and currently have a house full of them. Last summer I acquired a few cold hardy palms (Trachycarpus fortunei and Washingtonia robusta) That are still outside protected in an insulated enclosed box with C9 Christmas lights and a thermo cube switch. I keep wanting to make another video of my garden during the growing season but never have the time. Maybe I'll do a short video of how I overwinter my plants soon. Love your landscape design you have a good eye it looks awesome! 👍🌴🌴🌴

JP Good to hear! I got into palms this year, too... Amazon has some good sized Needle Palms. (Believe it or not) They’re super cold hardy. I sprayed mine with wilt pruf and have a lot of leaves around the base. Thank you! 😀Landscape design is definitely a passion!🌴🌊🌺 I started setting reminders during winter for next season in my phone. I’d be curious to see how it goes in your garden, just have to get through winter first...

JP Good to hear! I got into palms this year, too... Amazon has some good sized Needle Palms. (Believe it or not) They’re super cold hardy. I sprayed mine with wilt pruf and have a lot of leaves around the base. Thank you! 😀Landscape design is definitely a passion!🌴🌊🌺 I started setting reminders during winter for next season in my phone. I’d be curious to see how it goes in your garden, just have to get through winter first...

Hi Chanda, Thank you so much! Yes, I bring in all the plants not hardy to zone 6. Just do you know, I’m going to be uploading a new garden tour soon!

The red bananas are perennials zone 8 (7b in the right microclimate) and further south. I dig them up after frost and store dry and potted for the winter. Thanks for the sub!

Thank you! I’m in NY, zone 6a!

Thanks Louise! I minimize clean up in autumn, and then mulch in May, so the snails have plenty of decaying matter to eat. The leaf mulch also draws in birds, who hunt the snails and other critters.

Definitely, cooler water is important. That can be achieved with good circulation and shading the pond with appropriate plants.

Hi Anamika, Thank you! It’s not a big garden at all, probably barely over a tenth of an acre.

Thank you! So as far as tropical plants... that could mean tropical looking but very hardy, like Musa basjoo, or truly tropical like my Areca palm. Given that, I’d be happy to list my plants, but I grow over a hundred varieties of plants, so I’d like to narrow it down.

Hi Hannah, Thanks! Yes, you can absolutely grow a killer tropical garden in the PNW. The best thing you can do is look for warm spots at your new house, and find tropical looking plants which grow in similar climates elsewhere. Sunny areas will definitely help you a lot too. There are definitely some plants which will do well, like Chinese Windmill Palms (trachycarpus fortunei) especially when you plant them larger. Just remember that in some cases (especially with palms & shrubs) larger plants will be hardier. The hardy banana plants will get big & grow well too, but they don’t die back as much as in colder climates. Clumping bamboo like Fargesia robusta will grow well too (in shade) I’m in zone 6a, Western New York.

That’s cool! I didn’t know why it’s called popcorn plant. Eucomis kinda smells like popcorn butter too!

Thank you! Hardy Bananas don’t need a ton of water after the first season, but regular water will always help growth, and adding organic matter (like compost) to the soil every spring (or manures in fall) And mulching thick are a few ways to keep bananas happy. Healthy soil is essential for success. They will probably need some supplemental water. You could grow fruiting bananas in zone 10 if you wanted.

It would spread about 4’ a year if I didn’t rhizome prune! I’ll make updates in garden tours. 😉

I have a clumping bamboo and it has spread out a good bit throughout the years.

Eddy Feyen Those are a Sweet Potato Vine (Ipomoea 'Ace of Spades') They are an awesome plant, annual/ tropical. thanks for watching!

Thanks Nic! This garden has been improving for years. It can be done right, and inexpensively if you’re patient. I focused on improving soil, and got most plants small, with the exception of a few focal plants and trees. As a gardener, watching plants grow over time is more gratifying, but instant gardens can be cool too.

Hi Augh, Yes! Pineapple lilies would love a climate like that. They’re probably at the northern end of their climate up here in zone 6. I think that white spotted elephant ear is Colocasia ‘Ele paio’ Definitely! Small gardens can be some of the most charming & beautiful spaces!

@@TheBarefootedGardener Thank you for the name! I have yet seeing it. It must be nice to see it grow up to optimum size! Most of my plants, I put it in pots though.

Augh Bable you’re welcome! It is a very nice plant. It’ll grow okay in a big pot!

Hey Andres, Cool! Try Plant Delights Nursery, Bamboo Garden, and Brighter Blooms Nursery; Don’t forget to add native plants to reduce maintenance and watering, especially in areas that are not front and center.

The Barefooted Gardener Thanks !

Hello, I got most of my elephant ears from Brian’s Botanicals.

Hi René, Thank you! The low groundcover with rounded leaves is creeping Charlie or ground ivy. Gets a little purple flower from mid April into May in the northeast.

Yes, they are hardy to about 0°F unprotected, but they can survive -15°F air temp (and probably colder) with a heavy coat of mulch and also snow piled up for the winter.

Not at all, I’ve even planted some that were listed as zone 8, and it seems like as long as they have full sun, and good drainage, they’ll come back no problem. Snow is a great insulator, as are autumn leaves.

Midwest Banana Farms Thank you! I’m in zone 6a.

Someday...

Hi Nic, I did, be sure to check out this video too. I’ve got a few out on how to build ponds and waterfalls. The Secret(s) to Designing Ponds Like a PRO! | The Barefooted Gardener ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-yfGM2n8OGs8.html

That’s creeping Charlie, or ground ivy. Ridiculously tough groundcover with nice flowers in spring.

For me, a warm winter is one that stays above 12°F; it used to get below 0°F every winter. Sounds like you’re in a zone 8b? So you could have a lot of choices, especially with perennials which die back in winter.

I add compost and bagged cow manure to the soil every fall. Mushroom compost works great too. When the plants are indoors I use potting soil mixed with coffee grounds and compost. I use coffee grounds on top of the soil as well, during summer; it’s a great organic source of nitrogen.

What’s going on with your Colocasia?

I think they’d rip if you needed to use a knife, but maybe. I’ve heard people use them for grilling.

Hey Ola, It depends. Which plants caught your eye? I’ll let you know the hardiness and such.

Hi Nadu, I live in zone 6a. It’s tough to have tropical perennials in zone 4. There are some native and cold hardy plants that look tropical such as Giant Hostas. Plant your tropicals in key areas of the garden. They will get dug up in fall. Elephant ears, the typical green ones are a great place to start (Colocasia). The south wall of the house is a bit warmer than other areas, but a nice deep pond is a better way to enhance microclimates. Having full or part sun is important the further north you live. Healthy soil, abundant with compost is crucial anywhere.

@@TheBarefootedGardener is a garden pond really able to enhance the microclimate? Making nights milder? Usually it takes very large lakes.

Yeah, ponds can keep the surrounding area a few degrees warmer, but that may be just enough protection for some plants. Also if the pond is below the frost line, that’s better yet. I guess you could think if it as proportional: the bigger body of water, the bigger the area it affects.

@@TheBarefootedGardener Yea sure but seems like very small a difference, I live close to a lake that is about 1 mile by 5 miles and it doesn't hold the temperatures noticably warmer in the evening while out by the coast it is noticably warmer in the evenings by several degrees.

Thanks Craig!