Post #160893 by Lake Surfer on Mon, May 23, 2005 8:45 AM

I'm in zone 5 and have had some success with many different tropicals. I'm currently giving my first Dwarf Cavendish Banana a go in a container. Yesterday was the first full day in the sun and I think it went into a little shock as it has been in a greenhouse and then my house for the last few weeks. But now with a little more water it seems to have bounced back.

For the upper midwest, I agree with keeping the more fragile in containers and bringing them out during the warmer months. Bringing them back in for the winter is less hassle that way too. Over the last 5 years I have kept Bird of Paradise, Cane Palms, Yucca, Sago Palms and Pygmy Date palms year round. Never much success with Fan palms and Majesty Palms... they seem to be a bit more touchy. Failed miserably at keeping plumeria going. Have had success with Hibiscus outdoors during summer, then they tend to go dormant indoors for me in the fall and winter. Last year in spring it came back to life though.
On the way home from Hukilau I picked up a coconut palm but that didn't last long... I either overwatered it or it got too dry.

I have found that a tough part of keeping some tropicals going in the Midwest over the winter is the lack of humidity in the air... during the winter heating the air gets very dry. I tend to mist my plants at least daily, have a table fountain going or use a humidifier on for a while nearby. Oh yea... and there is the little problem with the 2 days of sun we get during the winter. I hang a grow tube over the sun starved plants and have that on for a few hours on gloomy days.