Experience is the best teacher!!

[Bullwinkle]

After the past two years I will have to realize that easthetic reasons are not paramount in garden planning,we must consider our placement of items.
#1 (No fiji fan palms,kerridoxa elegans,pigafetta etc) in NW exposed locations
#2 (If you have a choice pick a cold resistant species,as I look around at my shredded pigafetta etc I realize that they were many other choices that I could have picked (carpoxylon,satakentia etc)
#3 Slow growing big leaf crotons should have all been located in protected positions were they get no NW winds.
I will be doing some digging when the weather warms up and make some changes for next year.

 

[Moose]

The beautiful thing about crotons is that they are relatively easy to transplant. Palms generally do not like to be transplanted and have a recovery period restablishing roots. Your Kerridoxa elegans is pretty cold hardy, you are probably seeing wind burn damage.

Ron.

 

[koki]

I always liked the look of crotons peeking over a picket fence, and planted several along the north fence near the street. After two years of battering from strong, gusty winter wind, I moved them to a more protected location. Now the north fence has a combination of hardy plants that create a nice windbreak.

 

[Bullwinkle]

Many of my plantings were also done on simialr reasons,I have a grouping of cold/wind tender items that I will move in the spring.My pair of Kerridoxa will be moved along with my half dead Fiji fan,the piggafetta is toast(carpoxylon,attalea to replace).My small leafed crotons (pinnochio,batik etc will will replace the slow big leafed varieties in exposed locations.


I always liked the look of crotons peeking over a picket fence, and planted several along the north fence near the street. After two years of battering from strong, gusty winter wind, I moved them to a more protected location. Now the north fence has a combination of hardy plants that create a nice windbreak.

 

[Moose]

My Pritchardia pacifica and Pritchardia thurstonii (fiji) are pretty beat up. The smaller and slower growing Pritchardia remota and Pritchardia hillebrandii look good so far. These are some pretty cold sensitive palms.

The crotons in the ground in that area look ok.

By the way, if you are not making mistakes in your garden, then you are probably not doing anything.

Onward through the fog...

 

[Bullwinkle]

My Pritchardia pacifica and Pritchardia thurstonii (fiji) are pretty beat up. The smaller and slower growing Pritchardia remota and Pritchardia hillebrandii look good so far. These are some pretty cold sensitive palms.

The crotons in the ground in that area look ok.


I am tired of seeing mine look beat up for 6 months every year.They will be moved or given away once they look a little better.Another mistake not to repeated is DO NOT PLANT A SCREW PINE IN FRONT AREA!! Now that mine has gotten big I regret this planting every day when I have to go out and pick up discarded leaves (the fruit are also beggining to become a major hassle)I might move this one in March also.

 

[Jeff Searle]

I'm sorry to hear about all your losses and damaged plants. We all have experienced some ourselves,so your not alone. I will be starting our 29th year in business next year and have heard countless times when plants are placed in the wrong spot by our customers. We've all done it.

At our two big sales a year, were always trying to help people plant their palms and other plants in the correct area of their yard. Light, wind, cold temp's and size of maturity all should be considered before picking a place in the yard to plant something.

 

[Croton Guru]

You may or not like this idea but its a sure fix. This is what i did being i didnt have lots of money and i had little room. I planted 96 Ficus Plants, I bordered my back yard with them. Only reason I used Ficus which are a real pain is because they grow very fast. I let them get almost 10ft high. The Larger palms went next to them and Crotons went in the center. I removed half of my yard (Grass) and sent my 2 sons to the Neighbors house to rake up all there Oak tree leaves. I used cypress mulch and leaves from the oak to plant my crotons in. Crotons love the acidity of the decomposing oak leafs. That stoped lots of wind from entering my yard and privacy also So maybe a barrier on your land borders of some sort i choose Ficus because i needed instant Gradification without spending tons of money. Just a Thought.