Butia

As it is coming upto Xmas time, it's my turn for my yearly treats
My list of exotics is becoming ever increasingly larger.
I know it's a good time to look for bargains
My list is
Cycad revolta
Dicksonia Antarctica
Butia capitata
Musa basjoo

Having seen one of these on holiday last week I've got to have one.
Found a butia capitata on ebay (www.bigplantnursery.co.uk)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/301017755519?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
Mailed them about the palm size and there selling the ones in the pic.
Anyone else growing one of these?

 

you are welcome to get few musa of me ;~)

for the cycad , Kristen know a good seller
dicksonia how big do you want it ?
for the butia I can suggest to wait after xmas as usual amulree have half price sale and they have some really big plants .....got mine for £20 in the half price sale at my local , but they have all gone .

 

Thx @sal73 for the kind offer I might take you up on that
The tree fern I can stretch to a 2 footer around £40ish
Cycad seen some in B&Q earlier this year around £20

 

I bought a Butia capitata when B&Q were still pushing them as a hardy palm, was about 4 or 5 yrs ago now, it was frozen solid and we had just had a couple of minus 6c nights.
I've grown it on in pots since then but finally had to plant out this summer.

I dont think they are totally hardy, mainly due to the wet freezing in the growing point, but I'm hoping with a little protection I can get it through this winter, I've grown it "hard" since I've had it, so its used to the cold.
Unlike any thing you might purchase that looks very impressive and leafy.
So I would say, yes get as large as you can afford, but be wary that it was probably grown a bit soft and aclimatation is likely to be needed.

As a PS, I do find them fairly slow in our climate but hoping planting it out might speed things up.

 

I was going to grow it in a pot anyway @pete for the first few years anyway and bury the pot in the soil and bring in winter.
Same goes for the cycad

 

This is it this summer.

 

this one is mine , is in the a pot , but I sank it in the soil , at the moment it`s just mulched , but I`m planning to give a better protection and try to keep the roots dry .


on the left hand side you can see the cycad as well

 

That's a nice size @pete , looks healthy too me
The cycad in B&Q was a little smaller than that @sal73 and your butia has that lovely blue tinged leaves.

 

True why mine is what we call blue green and Pete butia is green ???? are them the same or 2 different variety?

 

I think the colour varies depending on sunlight and growing conditions.
My thoughts are that the bluish look is caused by the white coating on the fronds, it wears off after a while.
My pic was taken after dark using a flash.

 

ps about the dicksonia

half price

 

I might have to pop into homebase tomorrow to have a look now

 

http://www.ebay.de/sch/palmen3103/m.html

but read the threads about the seller. He's just stack-high-sell-cheap and some people have been disappointed, but most have been happy to get a bargain. You are often buying "seconds" - rejected by Ikea and the like.

Here's the one I bought:
http://gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/threads/cycas-revoluta.45806/#post-582601

I bought a small one ... its still tiny (even tough it has flushed every year). Get a reasonably sized one or you will be disappointed / have wasted your money

For example:
http://www.ebay.de/itm/Cycas-revolutia-im-26-cm-Topf-/251274552818
is £43 including shipping to UK.

Plant height up to 40 cm, "bulb" up to 16 cm, Pot diameter 26 cm / 10 L

I'd be thoughtful about buying one now. Will have come over in the spring, with all its fronds chopped off, then sprouted and possibly been in shops, poorly watered, all year. I would buy tree ferns in the Spring direct from importer, immediately after the new batch arrive. It won't have any fronds, but you can look after it properly from day one. If you buy one (from an importer) later in the year they will chop off all its fronds before shipping it (unless you collect) so the plant will be stressed by being asked to produce new fronds twice in that year, not to mention the length of time it has been in transit.

All my tree ferns have come from Seagraves. Discounts can get up to 50% around the turn of the year ... although perhaps not for a small value order.

http://www.seagravenurseries.co.uk/home/tree-ferns

 

wow Kristen , the last one it`s a real attempt to my wallet ....

funny enough , the Spanish seller got some strelitzia augusta for sale , I wanted a strelizia Nicolaii for a while and this summer someone gave 2 small plant and I belived they where 2 nicholaii , just to find out later that was one augusta and one alba ......I was happly disappointed.

 

@sal73 if got the time to grow seeds are here if you want I can order you some when I order some ensete ventricosum
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/25-Seeds-...arden_PlantsSeedsBulbs_JN&hash=item20d83be636