Neighbours talking over the garden gate has long been a tradition. They share gardening tips, complain about the weather and pests yet are ever eager to discuss their gardens. That is what I had in mind when creating this blog. So stop by my garden gate to find out the latest happenings in my garden.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
"All my life through, the new sights of Nature made me rejoice like a child." ~ Madame Marie Curie"

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Back Home


Palms Cypress House, Key West
January 16, 2007

We arrived back safe and sound 5 am Thursday morning from our much needed vacation to the sunny south. We stayed at the historical Cypress House bed & breakfast in Key West, Florida for a few days then in a condo in Hallandale, Florida. The gardens at Cypress House were filled with lush tropical vegetation and talk palm trees. Wood decking formed pathways through the gardens allowing guests to stroll under the shady canopy of the palms.

Palms are generally viewed as being tropical plants but did you know there are some cold hardy palms? There are even palms that will grow in Michigan. The Needle Palm Rhapidophyllum hystrixcan withstand temperatures to -10ºF even though the growing zones are listed as Zones 8 to 10. According to the National Arbor Day Foundation hardiness map that is US Hardiness Zone 6 -10ºF. Well, that gives me the idea to try growing a Needle Palm just to see if I can. We live in Canadian Hardiness Zone 6A but have a warming effect because we are on the water so it just might work. I will likely have to find a Needle Palm online and hopefully it will clear customs. Wish me luck and I'll report back.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2007


Posted by Garden Gnome at 6:13 PM
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6 comments:

  1. Anonymous8:46 AM

    Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  2. CatHerder11:49 AM

    Oh Lucky You!!! I LOVE Key West, its one of my very fave places..as for the palms...im in jersey..and have a BASEMENT FULL of palms just waiting to be repotted and go out on the patio...i cant wait till spring.....love your blog

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous8:26 AM

    Just clicked through on blogexplosion. Your post reminded me of a fantastic vacation with my family in the keys about four years ago. Great memories.

    Keep up the outstanding blogging!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Garden Gnome11:49 AM

    Thank-you for the lovely compliment Andrew. The Keys are beautiful! I'm looking forward to another vacation there next year.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Garden Gnome12:25 PM

    I would love to have a basement full of palms. They are gorgeous! We really enjoyed our visit to Key West.

    Thanks for visiting my blog. I'm glad you enjoy it.

    Take care

    ReplyDelete
  6. Garden Gnome1:16 PM

    Thanks Lauren, I'm going to need all the luck I can get with this little critter.

    ReplyDelete

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