Yuccas, Agaves & Mediterranean Garden Winter Update Tour
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- čas přidán 15. 07. 2024
- Today’s video is a late winter update on the arid and desert plants growing in my North Lincolnshire garden, along with a quick tour of my Mediterranean garden and raised beds filled with hardy palms & exotic plants. Whilst I have a good idea about the hardiness and wet winter tolerance of my Jubutia, Chamaerops and Trachycarpus fortunei palms, a lot of the Yuccas, Agaves and succulents I planted in the full sun and full exposure raised beds around my sunken patio firepit project were a bit experimental for me. Agave montana, ovatifolia & parryi along with Yucca rostrata, linearifolia snd more unusual hybrid plants are very tough and cold tolerant on paper, but just how hardy are they with minimal protection following a very wet UK winter? I also discuss care & planting tips for these potentially hardy, easy and low maintenance exciting exotic plants for sunny UK gardens.
0:00 Intro
1:12 Jubaea chilensis, hardy Trachycarpus palms, Dasylirion & Euphorbia Mediterranean border
3:27 Jubutia, Chamaerops humilis 'Vulcano', & hardy palms in full sun raised bed
4:03 Agave ovatifolia, Butyagrus eriospatha & winter yucca damage
7:14 Yucca gloriosa 'Citrus Twist', rostrata & thompsoniana plus Agave parryi plant hardiness
10:27 Yucca linearifolia, Brahea armata, Aloe striatula & Kniphofia northiae after wet winter
14:37 Euphorbia, Yucca rostrata and grasses - Mediterranean planting around my sunken firepit garden project
18:11 Planting tips for succulents, Mediterranean palms and desert plants for full sun in UK gardens
If you enjoy my content then any kind donations would be much appreciated and put towards equipment for creating more exciting videos: ko-fi.com/georgesjunglegarden
Thanks,
George - Jak na to + styl
Overall, pretty similar to here. Shame about the losses but on balance, far more successes
Nice one Kris, I'll be catching up with your vid tonight. Overall we really can't complain definitely and I think any younger plants especially that have come through this mix of rain and cold have certainly proven themselves in the moisture tolerance department.
George and Chris you both of not already have to watch Monty dons Spanish gardens on I player an absolute must especially episode two a real treat
Cheers again for the recommendation, there's so many incredible gardens, plants and properties on there! I'm sure @YorkshireKRIS will be watching it if he hasn't already.
Chuck a pond liner in that weird brick landscape area thingy. Nice video.
Thanks! Haha tempting, it would have filled up 10 times over this winter! I’m half way through digging it out to have a patio surrounded by bench seatings around the walls. It’ll be a proper sun trap and great place to enjoy the plants when it’s done but I’m waiting for it to dry out before I start digging again 😊
I had same thing, even down on the south coast in West sussex my yucca filifera, a lot of the leafs have died off, but the middle so far seems ok, have had it prorected as well.... my Yucca Gloriosa no issues, a long with my Adams Neddle Yucca, but my Yucca Rostrata has some of leaf ends going brown and dying... but for now the new middle leafs are ok, both my Kniphofia Northiae and Striatula all fine... so yes location wise in the UK does make a difference, but we all still have same issues... so for me being new to this way of gardening, your vids are on point and great George...
Hi Mark and sorry to hear about your damage but great to know that you've enjoyed similar successes. Agaves do seem far happier in the milder and crucially drier parts of the UK but I think you're right that we all share the issue of too much winter wet on this island! It's perfectly natural for rostrata to get a bit of damage to the leaf tips in my experience but overall the plants should get tougher and healthier as they get bigger. Thanks for your kind words and hopefully we can all enjoy some of the weather these kind of plants thrive in very soon!
Nice one George. I like your optimistic but realistic approach! Im south Lincs, so have a similar climate. The back of the house has a south facing wall, so im looking to get some more pots going with some some of these plants you've mentioned to add a bit of variety.
Thanks, it's certainly a middle ground you seem to arrive at whether you've experimented with untested plants and nature has taught you lessons or are practical from the offset and slowly evolve to try new and exciting options. Nice one, a south facing wall will suit a lot of these plants very well and a lot of these arid / Mediterranean options are very well suited to pot culture. Good luck with them in our Lincolnshire tropics!
Well, thanks for that, George. Seeing your yuccas, dasylirion, brahea etc. outside in all their glory has just reminded me that in a months time my similar plants will be coming out to play for the summer in the Edinburgh "sunshine?" The thought of moving them out to their summer positions has promped me to order a case of deep heat.....😊
Haha thanks Alan, believe me today is the first taste of anything resembling sunshine we've had down here in a while too! It'll soon be time for yours to come out to bask in the grey mist I'm sure! Get that deep heat ready and safety specs on and I'm sure you'll reap the benefits of having such an unusual and exciting collection of plants all summer...
That citrus yucca is beautiful. Never seen one here in USA and search results didn't come up with much. So if say it's uncommon here.
Thanks Ryan, it certainly is! I’m surprised they’re not more readily available for you but I hope you can get your hands on one soon. Maybe a slower grower but hopefully one that’ll get steadily more impressive over the years! 😃
Thx for the update. Lost two filiffera last year and your experience confirms they indeed hate wet winters
No worries and thanks for leaving your experiences. They’re definitely a plant which ‘in theory’ should do well but I suspect they really need some overhead shelter to thrive in gardens away from microclimates or sheltered areas. It’s a shame but hopefully others can draw from our experiences.
George garden is looking well and not to much lost ,I always joke about putting a glass roof over my whole garden 🤣
Cheers Paul, it's not bad overall and with a couple of swaps and some summer colour it'll be bigger and better than last year soon enough. Haha yes, that's the dream isn't it! A full garden retractable roof and huge underground rainwater harvesting tanks would certainly open up options!
Great piece George 👏
Thanks Dave, I appreciate it! Slowly learning to be more comfortable showing the works in progress areas!
Loving the whitish euphorbia and Mediterranean vibe that I am also adding to my garden, looks great with the new color of my house and the Italian Cypress popped in along the sidewalk...now if it would just stop raining...geez, always something, at least the bananas are starting to releaf(is that a word,lol)...good luck...!
Nice one - there's certainly a few different silvery / white Euphorbia forms that fit the look very well and seem very tough. I bet the Cypress look fantastic against the new paint! Pleased to hear your bananas are releafing (we'll make it a word) - my Tetrapanax are coming through too. A freeze last night here but on the plus side it's sunny and with beautiful blue skies today!
Good stuff George! Always nice to have a few spots open for impulse buys :D
Thanks and you're right! They may be more heavily researched and long-wished for than impulse buys this year but we'll see! Linden should be open in a few weeks so that's when the temptation comes in...
Winter has been mild but your garden is looking great
Thanks Robert. It it wasn’t for that one cold snap then it would certainly have been incredibly mild here and I’m sure everything would have been green! It’s not been bad overall though and a good place to begin growth this year. Good luck with all your spring gardening plans 😊
George looking great regardless of the casualties can’t wait to see it all finished in the future. You got to watch if you haven’t all ready Monty dons Spanish gardens a must watch amazing Mediterranean gardens palms just stunning.
Thank you very much and I'll hopefully get a good chance to make some real progress next month. Not finished as such but big visual changes and hopefully getting the stone walls in which I'm excited about. Yes, I caught up on Spanish Gardens over the weekend, there's some real beauties in there isn't there! The mix of olive groves, palms, beautiful landscaping and a touch of tropical really is a fantastic mix isn't it.
Absolutely stunning George perfect conditions for certain palms in the south of Spain ibut is mostly robustas and phenix palms would be hard to grow trackies there. Looking forward to the progress at the bottom of the garden big plans this year George for you as well as helping mark with his.
Yes, you're right. The last episode was great too - I really liked the garden with the lakes and Tetrapanax. So lush and healthy! Thanks - yes, it'll be great to progress things more down there and I've also been working on the garden close to the house so a new area of planting to share with you very soon!
Dear George, Could you spend a podcast on the type of soil(s) you use (and drainage 😬). I really love your approach to gardening at the edge of what is possible in your location 👍(in the mean time my large Tetrapanax "trees" are already producing lots of small leaves. Location: center of The Netherlands).
Hi Erik and thank you very much. I'll see what I can do, I've got a video planned on a similar subject! In terms of drainage, I stick to horticultural grit and for the yucca beds I added in sharp / grit sand as well. Thanks and I have a mixture of gardening at the edge and also a lot of surprisingly resilient plants too. Great to hear your Tetrapanax are already growing away! Mine are only small but have started pushing new leaves out - they may get chopped back in the frosts tonight but we'll see, hopefully not...
Thanks, I look forward to your next video@@GeorgesJungleGarden
Thanks, I'm looking forward to the weather improving so I can make the most of more recording opportunities! Plenty of videos planned though and I look forward to producing and sharing them with you.
My 3 agave are still young and in pots, so I am taking notes and will work out the best solution for my garden. The Montana was outside for a wet week in november and after that lost it's lower 3 leaves pretty quickly. Luckily I wasn't too late, put it inside when I spotted it and it made it :)
Nice one, happy to experiment and help! Good to hear your montana made it. In all honesty, montana is definitely my pick here overall. I've lost a couple of them over the years, one got damaged but the ones that are still going are pristine and seem far better at coping with the wetter winters (so far). Good luck with yours!
Fab video George 👍 Yucca Gloriosa citrus looking great. I also grow lemon trees, a couple of those in your Mediterranean section would do well. They’re surprisingly hardy too if they’re near a wall or fence 🙌
Thanks Gina and yes, the ‘Citrus Twist’ really holds its own with the big palms and unusual yuccas around it. I hadn’t really considered a lemon tree but could definitely see how that might work. Maybe a step too far for my frost pocket and exposed end of the garden but who knows with climate change! I’ll give it some thought thanks 😊
Arid, spikey. I'll poke your eye's out death plants are not my thing. But as a gardener I still find this video very interesting. Especially due to our wet winters.
I get you and if I had a smaller garden then this sunny end would definitely have a more leafy tropical lean. I do enjoy the spikies though and they're a lot safer raised up above the paths (or at least they will be in a couple of years!). I'm pleased you find it interesting and like everything else, this style of planting is a mix of research, 'intuition', gambles and previous lessons learnt!
Hey George. Great to see the arid plant update. Similar experiences up here.
I've found the rostratas bulletproof up here the last 6 years. Some spotting if potted but if in raised beds front and back even with small plants flawless.
Linearis hands down is the toughest one I've grown. No spotting potted or planted.
Yucca rostrata x rigida works here but does get some spotting.
Rigida is a joke here. One mild winter and it died 😂. £90 down the drain.
Ovatifolia similar experience here. Crown died on smaller plant even with overhead cover but grew back as 4 separate offsets.
I've found agaves americana standard, variagata and mediopicta practically flawless down to -6°C undercover with polycarbonate shelter.
Montana flawless.
The most interesting to hear was your experience of filifera australis. Here it's been fine over the last 4 winters bar falling over as leaning to get the sun but has responded to staking. More sheltered than yours as has the house to some extent for protection.
Finally a suggestion you asked for the space vacated by it.
Spanish bayonet yucca. I've had them 5 years here. First three years had some foliage damage but last 2 winters even with them being wet and -6°C no damage whatsoever and flawless with beautiful yellow foliage even when potted.
Really looking forward to how the firepit develops this year. Let me sign off by noting the palms, the jubutia and the jubaea look bloody fabulous 👌
Isn't 'The Spanish Bayonet' the nickname of one of your henchmen? I was hoping you'd comment and I really do value your experiences and experiments with a lot of these plants. Believe it or not, I actually had a tab open with a Spanish Bayonet / Yucca aloifolia on it and you persuaded me to make the decision to order last night! It's the plain green form but certainly fits the vibe and will hopefully prove to be as tough as yours. The exciting aspect is the potentially fast growth rate which is fantastic as obviously I want to have a slightly crazy desert area with towering yuccas in a reasonable timeframe and also so that the majority of the spikes are above head height soon enough! Thanks for the suggestion and the palmage appreciation, I'm really looking forward to getting the stone wall built up on that side so I can finish the bed off. Extra soil and the heat coming off a raised stone wall should really get those roots growing strongly.
Regarding your other experiences, I haven't tried americana in this garden but montana is certainly my best survivor. I've lost a couple over the years, one which potentially might be a hybrid suffered some damage but the survivors are pristine. I actually thought you'd got away with rigida but yeah - I'm completely done with them here and the rostrata x rigida I had perished in the first winter we had here. Beautiful colouring but less attractive when they inevitably turn brown! For me, I think the interesting thing will be how the tougher hybrids like linearifolia x treculeana develop and whether they look scrappy or like a giant version of linearis / linearifolia. I took a risk planting a few of them but they've definitely got the potential to be absolute showstoppers!
@GeorgesJungleGarden 🤣 Love the henchman idea. Works for me. The plans are great moving forwards. I think on a decent summers evening it'll absolutely class down there in the firepit zone with the yuccas looming over.
I've also got the trec hybrid from hardy palms, it's plonked in between the yucca gloriosa variagatas. I'm hoping like you it'll overtake the gloriosas forming a tall centre piece. No damage this winter either unprotected which is encouraging.
Great to hear minds think alike with the Bayonets.
I think my yucca choices have been guided so much by Nigels choices to sell in hardy palms as whatever I've bought from him has been decently priced and fab👍
Thanks, I hope so! I'm excited to see your arid display continue to evolve and grow too - your neighbours must be impressed by it?! Yes, that hybrid could really be something special and large yuccas seem to be one of those plants which currently are the preserve of warmer climates and sheltered (London!) microclimates so these hardier options are a great chance of real wow factor for us northern folk. I agree about Hardy Palms, always top plants and sold with a fantastic amount of knowledge. I've also picked some up from Victor Silver / The Palm Grower too and a lot of his are seed grown by himself. There's definitely something incredibly satisfying about getting some of these unusual and untested plants in the ground and seeing them come through winter without a blemish, hopefully onwards and upwards from here!
In spite of the few who left...I think your garden is just superb!👍🤗
I dont remember which Agave i witnessed dying (North or South of France), but in your place i would aim at
something hardier in the future. Again, many plants looks gorgeous! 🌴Thank you George!
Thank you for your kind words as always Bernard and yes, I’m definitely leaning towards hardier rather than experimental when it comes to any replacements. There’s some happy surprises though and the Yucca torreyi and Agave montanas look pristine which I’m pleased about. Another month and hopefully there’ll be some more sun to get them all growing again 😊
I grabbed some Allium Globemaster bargains from Farmer Gracy sale too. Foxes dug up most but half of them survived and started to come up. Looking forward to some big purple blooms in May/June ❤
Nice one! Sorry to hear about the foxes, that’s luckily not a problem here but I’m pleased a good few are already coming up. They’re one of those plants that always seems to come up early but still end up performing on time, I hope you get a fantastic display of those big pom-poms!
Nice mix George! I wouldn’t thought that so many yuccas would survive outside with no protection. We just had snow yesterday in Bristol. I have pulled the spears of two of my young phoenix theophrastis… pure Darvinism what we sometimes do to these plants 😅🫶
Thanks and I appreciate it! Yuccas are surprisingly hardy, at least a lot of these are, and I'd definitely rather have them growing at the baking, windswept and frost pocket end of my garden than some more tender shrubs etc. I saw the pics of the snow, wow! We just had a lot of rain. Sorry to hear about your Phoenix plants, even canariensis didn't prove hardy for me but yes, we keep on experimenting don't we!
@@GeorgesJungleGarden on that note: my left out Ensete has survived the snow Lols. (brushed it off and brought it in for the rest of the weekend, but it stays out most of the winter when it’s not freezing). Looking forward to see your update on your Mediterranean garden once it’s matured.
Wow, impressive! I guess it was relatively short lived snow and not accompanied by ridiculous cold luckily but well done. As for the Med garden, thanks - I'm sure there'll be updates throughout this year and beyond. I'll be making more progress on the hard landscaping in spring. I'm sure the feeling of the whole area will change completely as the walls get completed, the plants grow taller and crucially, we get some sun!
👌👌👌👌
Thanks for watching as always!
Yucca potosina would be a good one to try instead of filiffera. Grows very well with me. Just alitte larger looking than filiffera. Or faxoniana.
Thanks for the suggestions Henry and they're actually the two potted Yuccas I have that didn't make it into the raised beds - both had a degree of cosmetic damage following the December 2022 cold spell but that was admittedly whilst potted. The torreyi has come through OK and I'm going to try an aloifolia in the centre. I'll definitely have another look at those two yuccas though and see if there's somewhere to work them in once the walls are complete - they certainly fit the theme!
@@GeorgesJungleGarden I've found aloifolia not as hardy, although I've only tried one/two plants, I'd be interested how it fairs. I've found the spotting on the faxoniana decreases with time in the ground, literally treated harshly. Sometimes it's all about position, trying to get good at finding the sweet spot .
Ahh right, well, we shall see with aloifolia then but I note your points about faxoniana and will keep it and potosina as back up choices! I think you're completely right about the position and treatment. Even in an area which is roughly the same in terms of light and soil amendment can have large changes in drainage, soil structure, the times of day it gets light, humidity, airflow, pH etc. can't it so it's a continual experiment. As for treating them harshly, that's what my yuccas will be getting for sure. The ones on the right hand pure gravel bank will only be getting watered if there's a proper heatwave this summer, the rest will be getting nothing!
Thanks for the update, George. I saw that all the agaves were still young plants. That played a roll I think. Hopefully the survivors have stronger genotypes. I will order some seeds and try to grow A. neomexicana and bracteosa this year. They are probably one of the best to try in the UK and my country The Netherlands. Do you have any experience with azara species by the way? Or do you know of some plants that went trough heavy frosts?
Hi Tommie and thanks for your info.Yes, I think size can be a big factor but equally my montana around the same size have come through fine so they're certainly variably hardy plants worth experimenting with. Neomexicana and bracteosa should be good options too and I'll certainly consider them when it comes to replacing some of mine. I haven't had any experience of azara species unfortunately but I'll come back to this comment if I hear anything. All the best for your 2024 growing plans!
Can you put a camera up and video the 'mouse'. I would be thrilled to watch. Other than that was still great to view this video.
Thanks! There's a few holes along that top bank I built last year so whilst I don't know if they were responsible for the yucca's decline or not until I dig it out, there's definitely some activity going on. If I had a camera I could leave out for that I would - only issue is I'm not sure my wife would like to be out in the garden if they turn out to be more 'big mice' from next door!
Great update on the carnage and successes, George. Been wanting to get a dasyliron longissimum in the garden but wasn't sure it could take the winter, but if it pulled through unscathed in Lincolnshire it gives me hope. Did you cover it it any point this winter? I've read it needs covering during frosts as well as very hardy/no maintenance so quite confused.
Hi and thanks! Mine appears to have done just fine without protection this winter - I did chuck a bit of fleece over it before the cold spell as an afterthought but it blew off anyway! I'm not sure what their limits are but I would protect it more substantially whilst it's small especially during an extended Dec 2022 style freeze. Certainly tougher and hardier than many conservative websites suggest which is encouraging and light frosts won't be an issue.
@@GeorgesJungleGarden A belated thank you for the advise. I have pulled the trigger on a few and hope they fare better than my yucca rigida which is feeling sorry for itself with all the wet weather.
An even more belated acceptance of your thanks! I hope your new plants grow well l, yes, unfortunately rigida doesn’t do well in our cold, wet winters but other yuccas and arid plants should perform better.
I lost my big agave ,we have had so much rain in Cornwall but it was never Happy after moving it from pot to the ground, had it about 13 years,won't replace though, like you say it's all a experiment 😊
Sorry to hear you lost yours. They're definitely plants at the trickier end of the scale aren't they. Even in places like Cornwall where the minimum temperatures in theory shouldn't bother them, the rain can be an issue and in some places where you'd think they're a real gamble, they look pristine! I imagine going from a pot to being surrounded by wet soil might have been a shock after so long - maybe plants would be hugely grateful of the move but not Agaves! There's definitely value in persisting and trying again but there's also a good time to think you've done that, tried it and move onto something new isn't there.
Could you tell me what type agave?
@@tommiegeudens7277 it was a standard green agave,was in a big pot for about 12 years, I planted it on a slope with sycamore trees for protection, I thought it would be OK with the sycamore drying the soil,I tried to protect it with a builders bag,but alas it didn't help,I will only keep them in pots now.
Was it a plain green Agave americana @estherterrier6400 ?
@@GeorgesJungleGarden yes it was ,I have put it in my cold green house for now,maybe a baby will sprout from the roots 🤔
Is there any advantage to planting agave at 45 degrees or more to shed rain like aloe polyphylla?
Hi, I’ve tried to with a couple of mine mainly for the same reason - to allow faster drainage. It also displays them nicely too as a bonus!
I've found Agave filifera to be quite hardy for me and has similar 'threads' to Yucca filifera, but doesn't grow as big.
Hi Joe, thanks for the suggestion and it’s one I’ll certainly consider. I think moisture tolerance is the key factor over here!
@@GeorgesJungleGarden i've left it out unprotected in a pot last 3 years with almost no damage, so it seems to have good moisture tolerance. This is in Buckinghamshire.
Other Agaves that have done well outside for me are Salmiana var. crassispina, havardiana, maculosa and bracteosa.
That's good to know - thanks for the additional suggestions and I'm seeing bracteosa pop up a few times in the comments so one I'll have to consider! I think where we live being quite rural and just on the edge of the gentle hill / valley means we have quite a high level of humidity - there generally seems to be lingering fogs and mists here a lot during winter and it's that kind of moisture it's hard to protect from so experimenting and finding which Agaves I don't have to protect is my mission for this area going forwards!
@@GeorgesJungleGarden bracteosa is a good one as it often grows on north facing slopes in nature, so gets a good deal more shade and moisture than most agaves.
Thanks, that's very interesting to know - it's top of the list!
hey George quick question ?? how much did you pay for your wine palm if you don.t mind its just that i have looked at various companys and they are really trying to have my pants down on the prices i mean the palm tree company want 700 big ones for a 70 ltr !!!! surely not George is that correct !!
Hi, I bought mine back in 2017 / 2018 which is 6 or 7 years of some of the largest annual plant price increases ago and they were just under half that. The first one you see in my video was a 160lt pot grown beauty from Hardy Palms, the other a bit of a bargain from Big Plant Nursery. They're obviously slow growing and not the most commercially available palm so I can rationalise why that price is 'right' for 2024 but yes, it's a lot of money for a 70lt pot. I had a look at them and they are big plants for a 70lt pot for sure - personally I'd be looking for a younger plant for a good bit less. Yes, they'll take a long time to grow but equally, their root system won't be set back as much. Keep on eye on Martello Palms / Ed Croft over on Insta, I think he's selling some more affordable ones. Obviously if you're looking for maximum impact then I'm sure the Palm Tree Company ones will be top quality and that might unfortunately be around the price you have to pay these days.
Have your baby Trachys ever spear pull? I've noticed they don't like the cold. And all but two I have spear pulled
Hi, what temperatures did you get to? The only ones I've ever had spear pull were some young potted plants I left at the far end of the garden during the first -6 prolonged freeze not long after we moved in. The ones in the ground next to them were just fine though and even seedlings usually prove tough. Are yours potted?
@GeorgesJungleGarden The lowest this year was 15F and all of my palms are in the ground
Hi, that is cold and realistically is going to be a challenge for young Trachys without shelter. I'd be hopeful they'll bounce back relatively quickly and once they get larger they should take those temperatures without issue. I don't think you've got weak plants or anything, it's just a very cold temperature for a young 'exotic' plant to experience and spear pulling is a normal result of it unfortunately.
@GeorgesJungleGarden That is true. Since after the first snowfall I've been pouring hydrogen peroxide into the crown. My biggest trachy in the ground was in a 7 gallon pot and it was fine. No spear pull the older fronds did take damage and the new growth was fine
Nice one, it sounds you're doing the right thing and the good thing about Trachys is that they'll quickly outgrow any damage and continue growing again in spring. I hope they all make a full recovery for you and I'd imagine in a year or two they'll be big enough to cope with any similar cold in the future without any damage at all.
Hi george . As you know i hate anything spikey and thorny ! Its not that i dont like the plants, its just that i lost an eye many years ago and i have to be so carefull with what ever i do , werether i am!!!! Saying that i think yuccas are so dangerous not only to humans but animals , birds and whatever gets in its way!. All best . Steve.
Hi Steve, I didn't realise that - I can understand your concern and I don't feel like such a muppet using safety glasses when moving mine or weeding around them. Most of the spiky ones will be up and out of the way soon enough at mine but I will be doing some trimming and warning about the ones closer to the seating area. I'd like to think the birds and animals understand the spikiness of them, but yes, they're definitely not the plants I would grow close to a path or in a small garden with pets without a good bit of planning and consideration. Thanks for watching anyway and there'll be more leafy plants and lush tropical areas again very soon!