© La Palmeraie

© La Palmeraie

Late March is the period in which the ornamental grasses may be pruned again. By doing this only after the winter the plant is less prone to frost and in this period you are just before resuming the new growth. Prune as low as possible to the ground and remove all parts.

Video

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What could be more beautiful than a palm tree in your garden? The garden immediately gets an exotic and exclusive look. Planting your palm in the open also has a number of advantages. In the end, it will grow faster and grow bigger, which will make it stand out better. It also will be more hardy. Also, a palm in the open requires less care. This article offers you a visual step-by-step plan for planting your palm in your garden in 6 steps.

Which palm species?

Of course, in our climate not all palms are suitable for planting in the garden. Therefore, look at the characteristics and especially the hardiness of the palm in advance to avoid disappointments. The Trachycarpus fortunei and Trachycarpus wagnerianus are the most popular for outdoor planting because they need hardly any protection during the winter months due to their winter hardness down to -18°C (-0,4°F). But of course there are many other species that are also suitable. The more effort you are willing to do, the more choice you will have. Take also a look at the article: How to protect your palm tree during winter.

Place of planting

After choosing the species that best suits your needs, it is advisable to carefully select the place of planting. In this respect, take particular account of the factors that have a negative or positive influence on the hardiness. This will benefit the health and growth of the palm. For instance, a place in front of a south facing wall will easily warm up by several degrees compared to other places and it is best to avoid places where the soil stays too wet. Some shelter from wind will also provides a positive effect.

Period of planting

Where perennials can be planted all year round, this is not recommended for palms. After planting, the palm needs some time to settle and it is therefore not advisable to plant just  before winter. The most ideal is spring (April/May) when it no longer freezes at night. The palm thus has an entire season to adapt to its new spot.

MANUAL

Step 1

Dig a hole that is certainly larger than the root ball of the palm.

Step 2

Spread a layer of horticultural potting grit on the bottom for proper drainage and help to roots to settle.

Step 3

Partially fill the hole with good potting soil (use the composition that corresponds to the needs of your palm, a Trachycarpus for instance does not require any special soil). If necessary, mix a small handful of blood meal and bone meal granules in the soil for a healthy root growth.

Step 4

Place the palm in the planting hole. The base of the trunk must not be placed deeper than before!

Step 5

Fill the plant hole with potting soil and press the soil firmly.

Stap 6

If desired, cover the soil with a covering material such as wood chips to prevent weed and moss growth, to prevent dehydration and for insulation, then provide sufficient water to allow the soil to set in nicely around all the roots.

Aftercare

The first year it is not recommended to fertilize. The palm will generally not grow very much during this first year neither. It will put all its energy into the development of new roots. It is important to water regularly when it doesn’t rain for a while. As soon as the roots are formed, the palm will visible grow new leaves again. Now you can also fertilize with a organic fertilizer. These grains are spread at the base of the palm. However, fertilisation is not always necessary depending on the type of soil in your garden. Every new year your palm will grow a bit faster than the year before. Palms planted at a smaller size, will settle easier than bigger palms and will therefor develop a higher growth rate.

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We were asked how and where the Strelitzia seeds are made and especially if this is possible at home. This is why we describe in this article the fertilization of the Strelitzia (Bird of paradise).

Strelitzia in the wild

Who fertilizes the Strelitzia in nature is not completely clear and is still being researched. It is known that insects, including bees, do visit the flower. The flower is also visited by honeysuckers (Nectariniidae) but it seems as if this bird is able to reach the nectar without touching the fertile parts of the flower.

The flower 

On the horn-shaped horizontal sepal, 4 to 6 flowers are formed with bright orange petals. The fertile parts are in the horizontal blue’ arrow’.

The stamens become visible when the wings on the back of the blue arrow are pressed together. The stigma is the white tip at the front of the blue arrow, which becomes sticky and therefore receivable as soon as the stamens no longer spread pollen.

The fertilization

As indicated earlier, the plant cannot fertilize itself. However, the Strelitzia is often sold planted as several plants in one pot. When these different plants bloom, they can be fertilized by hand.

First the pollen must be collected. This can be done by gently opening the stamens and carefully run the tip of a straw over the stamens from base to tip. The pollen can then be stored in the refrigerator. As soon as another plant blooms and the stigmas are receptive (sticky), the collected pollen can be sprinkled onto the stigmas.

The seedpods

Approximately four weeks after successful fertilisation, a seedpod of the size of a passion fruit is formed in the horizontal sepal. This seed box is divided into three compartments and can contain up to 80 hard round black seeds with the typical orange threads. When the seed is ripe, the seed boxes burst open.

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Source:
http://culturesheet.org/strelitziaceae:strelitzia:reginae
Photos: Forest & Kim Starr

In spring, the Trachycarpus usually blossoms. Most of them will do so annually, although they sometimes skip a year. When the palm blossoms, the sex can also be determined. (See also: Trachycarpus: is it a male or a female?) Once the flowers are fully open, you can pollinate them yourself to actually get seeds. In this article we show you how!

Male and female

The Trachycarpus genus is dioecious. In other words, both male and female are needed to pollinate the flowers. With a bit of luck, you have both male and female. Otherwise, it is of course always possible to collect pollen elsewhere. Other enthusiasts will be happy to share this through various forums. It is the female palm that will carry the seeds.

Step 1

As soon as the male inflorescence is fully opened, the pollen is dispersed. You can see these fall as a yellow powder when you strike the inflorescence. Rub gently with a brush over the inflorescence and collect the pollen.

Step 2

Follow the development of the female inflorescence closely to observe when the small flowers open.

Step 3

As soon as the female flowers are opened, the pollen can be gently rubbed over the female flowers. Repeat this daily if necessary for about one week to increase the chance of success.

Step 4

If pollination is successful, the flowers will slowly change into small balls which will also become darker and darker. The seed maturing process lasts until approximately after the winter. They can be harvested when they are deep dark blue colored. If pollination fails, the flowers dry and fall off and a bare inflorescence remains.

NB. Different Trachycarpus species can be crossed with each other. Crossing a Trachycarpus with another palm genus is usually not possible.

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Exotic gardens have been very popular in recent years. A banana plant should certainly not be missing in such a garden. Banana plants grow quickly and become an ideal eye-catcher. They create this typical ‘tropics’ feeling. Banana plants are therefore more and more often part of the standard assortment of local garden centres.
Growing bananas yourself is of course also possible and even much more fun. The seeds are easy to obtain via the internet. But they are not easy to germinate, this method requires a great deal of patience. From the most popular banana plant, the Musa basjoo (Japanese fiber banana), no seeds are available. A much simpler way of propagating is to cut the offshoots. This method is also used by banana farmers. After all, it is fast and simple and gives immediate results. This step-by-step plan explains this technique in a simple way.

Offshoots

Banana plants make rhizomes. This means that at the foot of the banana plant small offshoots come above the ground. Usually this only happens when the root ball has reached a certain volume. First, the plant will always ensure a good development of its own root ball. Then the plant itself will start to grow and afterwards the offshoots will be formed. You can cut off these offshoots and transplant or replant them.

The method in 5 steps:

Step 1

First of all, the offshoot must be large enough so that sufficient roots are formed to survive. A good guideline is between 20-50cm ( 78 in – 1 ft 7 in) (depending on the species).

If you have rootless offshoots you can try to put them on water. They may form roots after all!

Step 2

Carefully dig away the soil around the offshoot. This way you can verify whether it has sufficient roots, and you can see better where you can cut. You can also decide to take the plant completely out of its pot but this is not necessary.

Step 3

Cut off the shoot with a sharp knife, as close to the mother plant as possible.

Step 4

Plant the cutting again in the garden or preferably in a pot with seeding and cutting soil.

Step 5

As soon as the offshoot start to grow again, fertilize and water for optimal growth. As soon as the cutting has a healthy root system, it can be planted in the garden again.

© La Palmeraie
Special thanks to TropiRo for the photos.

The Aloe vera is a popular ‘miracle plant’ that has been used as a medicine since ancient times. The name’ aloè’ comes from Greek and means bitter. This refers to the juice of the leaves that is nowadays used in many cosmetics products. In this article you will not only read the background but also how you can propagate this plant yourself!

Origin

The Aloe originates mainly from South Africa, where the larger species often dominate the landscape. However, a number of species are also found in other parts of Africa and Southwest Asia. The Aloe vera is also common in America, but is probably imported and has run wild.

Use

Aloe is used for the most diverse purposes and are therefore sometimes described as a “miracle plant”. For instance, this plant is used as a painkiller, laxative, anti-malaria, skin care, balsam, against small burns, pimples, cleft skin, eczema…. The possibilities seem endless. When you cut the leaves at the base, you get juice. This can be used as a light laxative agent (in small quantities). If you break the leaf and cut it open in length, you will find the famous gel for external use.

Care

Aloe grows best in a grainy well-drained soil. It goes without saying that Aloe does not need a lot of water. The larger species require wide pots to give space to the heavy root system. After all, a succulent does not form a deep going, but a broad superficial root system. In the warm summer months the Aloe can certainly be place outside. The leaves can turn greenish red in contact to the sun.

Propagation

Aloe can be sown, but it is much easier to multiply Aloe by cutting off a offshoot (formed at the base of the mother plant).

Let the offshoot dry for a couple of days.

Pot the offshoot again afterwards in a well drained potting soil. Do not over water nor let the soil dry out completely. After a couple of weeks the offshoot will start to grow again.

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Winter is on the doorstep. It is high time to take the necessary precautions. Now it is still pleasant work outdoors and so not everything has to happen overnight when it suddenly freezes. Firstly, we need to take an inventory. Which plants need protection? Which not? Which methods are there and which are best suited to your needs? Our article about the general winter protection of palms helps you on your way.

Palms planted outside in the open

In the case of palm trees in the open, protection must be provided locally. For some species it is sufficient to bind the leaves upwards only when the frost is severe and wrap a little fleece cloth around the stem and leaves. A Trachycarpus fortunei is a good example of this.

But unfortunately many palms are much more sensitive to frost. In that case, more work needs to be done on good protection in order to successfully guide the palm through the winter. The most important thing is to keep the plant dry. After all, moist is enemy number one, certainly in combination with frost.

A solid roof is the first step. Often this is supplemented with side walls of bubble wrap or fleece cloths and a light tube around the palm as a heat source. This way the temperature around the palm can be kept artificially a few degrees higher than the outside temperature.

Below you will find a construction plan of our winter protection for a Butia eriospatha. As you can see a whole investment! Both building and purchasing the materials. But much of this is only a one-time event. After the winter, the protection is only partially disassembled, so that it is easy to reassemble next year. Most materials can be used for this purpose. And don’t forget that thanks to all these efforts, you can enjoy a beautiful palm during the other months.

Some points of attention:

• What are the characteristics of the palm? Keeping a tropical specimen frost-free requires a different approach than a palm that is hardy up to -12°C.
• Use sturdy materials and anchor the protection sufficiently. After all, the building is exposed to all elements for several months. Do not underestimate the wind in particular.
• Insulate and ventilate! The warmth escapes mainly via the top side; so also provide insulation there but ventilate very regularly to prevent mold formation etc. An accessible opening simplifies the work involved.
• Provide a pitched roof. Not only the rain and snow can get away so much better, also the condensation drops on the inside will drive away to the lowest point!
• A thermometer with radio transmitter and remote switch for the heat source are ideal for monitoring and influencing conditions remotely. You don’t have to go outside on cold winter days.

Used materials:

round wooden poles (2 longer, 2 shorter)
wooden slats
pine wood beam
construction film
magnets
plastic corrugated roofing sheet_________________ €40,- local DIY store

4 metres of bubble wrap______________€20,- local garden center

light tube 10m (not LED!)________ €12,- second hand because hard to find. Heating cable will also do!

welded wire fencing___________________ recovered material

Building plan:

• The 2 longest poles are connected to each other at the top side by a sturdy pine beam. Tilt slats ensure that everything stays in place.
• On the underside a crossbar is also mounted at some distance from the ground.
• Both the front and rear poles are then hammered into the ground with their pointed ends.
• Then 2 slats are screwed at the bottom of each frame to connect the front and rear.
• Subsequently, 3 slats are placed on the pine beams at the top, then the corrugated sheet is attached to it.
• Then the sides are sealed with a sturdy plastic. By attaching the plastic with wooden strips, the plastic will not tear quickly. The front side is easy to open to easily reach the palm.

• The inside is covered with insulating bubble wrap. The front side can be rolled up for ease of access.
• The palm leaves are tied up and a the wire fence is put around at some distance.
• Finally, a light hose is wound around the wired fence (no direct contact with the palm due to risk of burns!).

Alternatively, you can also work with stretch film. This is available on a roll from the larger construction markets and via the internet. The big advantage is the low price (€9, – for 300 meters) and easy installation. Knot one end on a pole of the cubicle and then wrap the foil tightly around the cubicle by walking around it several times. The other end is also knotted again. If the temperature drops too much, bubble wrap can be temporarily attached to the outside of the cubicle.

Left with ordinary plastic, right with shrink film

© La Palmeraie

Nothing is as satisfying as enjoying the garden after a day of hard work. Too bad only that after sunset it becomes to dark to fully enjoy, except for the occasional lightning of the floodlight. Which isn’t really a great mood lighting neither we might say. As our garden is also very dark without any other external light sources, the idea of illuminating the most beautiful palms from below was therefor soon born.

Where to buy?

Which lawn lights?

Now that a cheap alternative was available, the key question came up: what spots should it be? The first choice is between 12V or 220V. We chose the last one because the distance to be covered is still quite considerable (up to 50m) and no additional adapter is needed neither. The disadvantage is that you have to work extra safely with the higher voltage. We also opted for LED because of its low consumption and durability. Next, the search for spotlights that comply with the IP68 standard to be waterproof. For the colour we opted for “warm white” so that the light does not turn out too blue. In terms of wattage, we chose 9watt for a sufficiently strong beam of light. Finally, we opted for spotlights with a spike for easy installation in the ground. In the end we paid about €5.50 per spot! (link to the spots)

What do you need?

As the spotlights are supplied with only a short cable, connection material is required. All times waterproof of course. All this material can also be found in the local construction market, but for a fraction of the price also through AliExpress.

• Connectors: to connect the spotlights to the power cable (approx. €1, – for 100 pieces)
• Heat shrink tube with glue: o make the connection to the spotlight waterproof (about €3, – for 3 meters 12.7mm)
• Waterproof T-splitter: to make underground branches (€35. – per 5 pieces)
• We did buy the cable at the local electricity shop. We chose the extra heavy-duty EXVB 3G cable especially suitable for outdoor use. This cable costs just over €1, -/meter but we do not want to save on safety.
• Here we also bought a twilight switch for automatic on/off switching of the lamps (€34, -), but that is of course optional.

In terms of tools, a crimper and a sturdy pair of pliers are especially indispensable, in addition to a cutter knife, scissors, drill, candle and a good spade.

Duration and level of difficulty

This job is not so difficult with some basic knowledge about connecting electricity so you can do it safely. Depending on the quantity of spotlights and cable/distance to be processed, it can be however very time consuming. The job took more than 1.5 days! This involved more than 80 meters of cable, 10 spotlights and various branches.

Our tip:
Make a clear plan of how you intend to build it all in advance so that you can order the right material immediately and start the job in a structured way!

Step 1

Unpack all spots and mount the spikes. The connectors can also be connected to the spotlights, now when you still work comfortably on the workbench. Carefully remove a little more from the cable sheath so that there is a better contact. Also cut a shrink tubing of about 20cm and slide it over the cable. The spotlights are now ready for installation.

Step 2

Dig the trenches to the plant to install the cable. This should normally be up to a depth of about 60cm so that it is not accidentally dug or cut. Since it concerns our own garden and we know exactly where every cable lies, we did not place them as deep but still deeper than one spade length. To do this, insert the spade deep into the ground on two sides and lift the grass out. Then dig a little deeper with and put the soil aside.

We wanted to dig at the roots as little as possible. With the help of a thick rod we created an access for the cable underneath the plastic grass edge.

The cable runs further under the gravel path where the cable and branches are also laid under the anti-root cloth. In this way, the gravel cannot crush the cables.

Step 3

After all the digging, the holes can be drilled into the border stones. A drill with the correct diameter is of course necessary. Here 12mm was needed at least to get the thick cable through.

Step 4

The spotlights can then be put in place and the cable pulled. Start at the most distant point and of course do not forget to pull the cable through the drill holes and under the grass edge before connecting. After connecting the spotlights to the cable with the connectors, we cut the cable slightly longer at the junction level. Then we connected this cable to an extension cable with two convenient Wago clamps to test if the connection is working properly. So we went one step further towards the main connection with a new test on the extension cable each time to immediately detect any wrong connections. This saves a lot of searching work if it turns out not to work afterwards.

Now the cable is in place, the lamps are neatly connected up to the main cable but are still being powered by an extension cable. This makes it easier to remove the power quickly to continue working safely.

Step 5

Now that everything is working, the shrink tubes can be shrunk to make the connection waterproof and therefore safe. A large tea light is sufficient for this if you can work without any wind. Slowly pull the heat shrink tubing through the flame so that it shrinks neatly around the cable. Please be careful that the cables do not melt completely!

Step 6

Now the cables around the base of the plant can be covered. Any surplus can be hidden underground so you will have some possibility to extend later if wanted. The soil can be pushed back into the trench and the grass can be put back in place. By jumping firmly on top they will fit right in and make good contact with the rest of the ground.

Step 7

The cable is neatly routed along the facade to an existing power supply. Here was a flootlight that we replaced by the twilight switch. After adjusting the sensitivity, it is exciting to wait until after sunset to admire the result.

© La Palmeraie