Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Chinese Yellow Bananas at Cornell Farms Nursery

When I visited Cornell Farms for the first time last November I vowed to go back in the spring to see how they shaped up, “in-season.” I stopped by last week and was wandering around soaking it all in. While things were looking good I hadn’t really seen any plants that I needed to photograph, that was until I saw these....

Chinese Yellow Bananas (Musella lasiocarpa)...blooming!!!
I stood there admiring them for quite some time before realizing I should grab the camera and take a picture. Aren't they beautiful!?
Another minute or too passed and then I heard my husband speaking to me. No, he wasn't there, I was remembering a conversation we had the weekend before. He was reminiscing about our Musella lasiocarpa and said how much he missed it.

That is practically a green light to buy one of these! Right?
Moving on…
Santa Rita Prickly Pear, $44.99 (ouch)
A nice selection of Agaves from Xera Plants and others...
And those succulent planters that I worried about last fall, they appear to be just fine.

Maybe a tiny bit worse for the wear but still looking good.

These Dasylirion were 40% off back in November, poor things nobody wanted them! I wonder if they would still honor the 40% off? Or would they be full price now ($49.99)…
They are striking.

But can you imagine the injuries you would sustain removing the Oxalis?

Willow leafed Stachyurus….love it.

And finally the departing car shot. You should see the people stare as I load my car. Nobody believes that I can possibly fit the plants I buy into a Volkswagen Beetle… but where there is a will there is a way…
(yes that’s a tree fern in the backseat, we'll talk about that some otherday…)

The main trunk of our previous Musella lasiocarpa clump died after blooming (it was glorious) and the pups never were able to recover from back to back arctic events. I’ve decided this one will live in a container. An IKEA aluminum container like the others in this photo.
They are ideal for not adding weight to what is an already heavy plant, and I have an extra one on-hand. Now I just need to find the time to plant it!

26 comments:

  1. Do the Chinese Yellow Banana plants give off any fragrance? Are all Prickly Pear Cactus basically the same? I think I know where some are if you want me to see about sending you a leaf...and how hot do the aluminum pots get..hotter than galvanized or not?

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    1. I don't remember any smell at all. They sure look like they should!

      There are many different kinds of prickly pear cactus (I'd guess hundreds). And I love them all! Your offer of a leaf (or pad) is terribly sweet but believe it or not I think I've got enough! I was just looking at my "need to plant" pile and wondering where I am going to put them all. Since they aren't exactly friendly plants good placement is key. Thank you though! Oh and as for how hot they get I'd guess its about the same as galvanized steel. Not a problem around here but I guess it would be for you.

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  2. That banana bloom is awesome. Those Ikea containers are great with your garden.

    The dasylerion might need to be a container plant there. My dasylerion wheeleri got too wet over the winter here, the crown is almost gone but it's putting out two new pups at the base. Now thinking I should to move it and put in a Y. rostrata. How's my logic?

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    1. I have a love hate relationship with those IKEA containers. they have a lip around the edge which makes removing anything a nightmare. But they are inexpensive, light, and big. So I have a few.

      I've actually had 3 Dasylirion in the ground for years now, with no serious issues. One of them does have a few brown leaves at the center but there are green ones starting to push out so it should make it (I hope!). I also just planted 2 more. Hope I'm not pushing my luck. Why not keep the pups and add the Y. rostrata!?

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  3. When there's a will there's a way indeed! It's surprising how much you can fit in a VW Beetle especially if you're a plant lover :)

    Although monocarpic at least the bloom lasts for a long time, months even, and it's prolific in sending pups. Lovely haul as always!

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    1. You're right, as I recall our bloom lasted most of the summer. I did think it was a little odd they were selling a plant that is doomed to die with no warning. If you wanted instant impact and money was no object the flowering ones were great. But especially the two with no signs of pups, and no mention that the main stalk was not going to live...interesting.

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  4. I love all your nursey trips. Such a good selecion to choose from. "Cars full of Plants" would make a great blogger topic for people to submit posts to.

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    1. OMG...that would be great! We'd get to see images from all over the world.

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    2. Now you just need to come up with a logo, figure out the code to get people to link back to your page and then do a post introducing it. Then just sit back and enjoy all the cars full of plants photos.

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    3. You make it almost sound easy...except that "code" part.

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  5. I will totally admit I'm always amazed at how much you can fit into your car as well...you have some tetris-like skills there, for sure ;-) I love those planters...I may have purchased the same ones at IKEA this weekend as well...they were such a bargain!

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    1. You should have seen the Loquat I bought a couple weeks back (yes, another). I actually had a couple stop and watch. I broke two leaves but it fit!

      I know...it's the price of those planters that keeps me coming back.

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  6. Wowsers. Those bananas are really beautiful. The way they are trimmed up makes them look like some kind of giant bird of paradise. And to think you will get a bloom like that one day!! that is really great. It looks like a really cool nursery too. Whenever a place has nice agaves they score some major points in my good books. And the tree fern... I can't wait to hear about that!!! My tree fern radar went off immediately when I saw that picture.

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    1. Good eye! (for the fern). I thought they had done a really nice job of trimming the old leaves too. I hope I can keep it up.

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  7. Musella lasiocarpa?! I must have one!

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  8. Nice haul. Growing Grounds in SLO has some of those Santa Rita Opuntia and I am tempted to get one in preparation for my eventual succulent garden. I am very wary of Opuntias with Glochids though. Do you know if this type has them?

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    1. I don't know if they all do but the small one I've got does...lots of them!

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  9. So amazing, those bananas with no leaves, but strangely beautiful. Did yours have leaves while it bloomed? Cornell Farms is a nursery I have never been to. One more for the nursery bucket list! I'm loving the look of all that gorgeous spring green against your dark walls, too...

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    1. Mine did, I think these were cut back for winter storage and that's why there are no leaves. I knew ours was going to bloom because the leaves started getting smaller as they emerged, rather than larger. Ours also had pups all around it so depending on where you stood the bloom was hard to see, unlike these.

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  10. Super photos and I'm with above. Bananas with no leaves. Do they get some sort of banana? I hope yours does better this time. And yes your reasoning is right on with your husbands comment. Hee hee! What a great nursery but I agree, pretty expensive prickly pear!

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    1. I've never seen them with bananas but that means nothing, I assume they must...

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  11. Wonderful photos. I'm the horticulturist for the Asian Collections at the US National Arboretum. I'd like to use one of your pictures in my weekly letter to our volunteers to show them why we want to cage our yellow bananas for the winter and keep the cage full of leaves. We aren't quite warm enough to bring the body of the plant through the winter dependably enough for flowers but with a little protection???

    Good luck with yours!

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    1. Yes please do use one (or more) of my pictures, I hope the volunteers get inspired!

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  12. Wow, crazy, beautiful yellow plant. I think you need to open a nursery yourself!

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  13. Love that yellow banana. Have wanted one for a few years now. Tried to grow some from seed, but that project failed. Doesn't mean I won't try again! Thanks for the inspiring photos.

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