“Cactus King”

[Meangreen94z]

Yesterday I happened to be nearby and decided to stop in and see the xeric nursery “Cactus King”. They aren’t cheap, and I recommend only buying in person, but their stock varies and is interesting. Here’s a few photos.

[Swolte]

Thanks, most of that would freeze to death in my part of Texas but I did see some that might be viable. Great selection indeed!

[Jubaea]

Are those Dracaena draco and other plants grown outside unprotected in Texas?

[Meangreen94z]

15 hours ago, Jubaea said:

Are those Dracaena draco and other plants grown outside unprotected in Texas?

You could possibly grow Draco on the coastal Islands including Galveston(30 year low is currently 25*F) or from Corpus Christi heading south along the coast. Coconuts have been viable for the last 30 years in the Rio Grande Valley(Brownsville etc.). I’m not sure where all of these plants end up.

[necturus]

Been going there for years. They have some nice stuff for sure. A lot stays out year around, but they do move things around in the winter. The owner is a nut and not a reliable source of information. He told me Aloe "Hercules" was safe here... yeah right. It was an interesting visit after the last bad freeze. Looked like a massacre. 

[Merlyn]

15 hours ago, necturus said:

Been going there for years. They have some nice stuff for sure. A lot stays out year around, but they do move things around in the winter. The owner is a nut and not a reliable source of information. He told me Aloe "Hercules" was safe here... yeah right. It was an interesting visit after the last bad freeze. Looked like a massacre. 

That sure is a wild collection!  I have "Hercules" listed as 26-28F in my spreadsheet.  I'm not sure where the actual bottom end is on Hercules, but I read that Barberae is severely damaged under 28F.

I have a small Dracaena Draco here in the Orlando area, it wasn't bothered much by two dips to ~33F last year, but has been a consistent non-grower for me.  When they say 8-10 years to reach 3 feet tall, I think that's pretty accurate!

[necturus]

I think a happy Hercules can take a little more cold than that. Probably A. barbarae too. A. dichotoma of course is reported to be the toughest, but from my experience I think it's a no-go with our rainfall. The freeze duration is the real wild card.

I am growing Hercules in the ground here, but I am under no illusion that it won't require serious protection in one of our bad freezes. I had a large one in a pot on the west side of a large apartment complex that froze around 20 degrees. It would not have been outside if I had realized we would dip so low for so long.