"Hi Igor, a heartly welcome from me too on this board.
Kazakh yuccas sounds interesting, let the pics come...
Would You be so kind to tell something about the weather-conditions/climate in Almaty.
What are the average temps and the highest temps in summer,
what's the average minimun-temps and absolut minimum- temps in winter.
What's about precipitation?
Do you have other exotix plants beside yucca & co?
Thanks and have a nice time here.
Wolfgang
PS: nice avatar, yourself amongst the large field of papaver"



Dear Wolfgan, thank you very much for your interest... It seems to be easier to read about my city at there: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almaty

As for my Yucca adventure it had been raising gradually since a middle of the 70th when I've seen the Yucca flaccida first time in Almaty botanical gardens. At that time the Flaccida was only a single broad leaf evergreen plant known and grown in my town. So many ages later the Flaccida was my first yucca plant started be growing in my garden. Once got traveling abroad I brought a few well known flaccida/filamentosa variegated leaves varieties which grow more or less successfully in my garden. I had a few unsuccessful attempts growing the Glauca but all plants had been bringing from Toronto have been rot finally. I think the wet soil conditions was a problem for my previous Glauca growing experience.
Since that time I had a chance meeting Tim Beham at the Palms North and started reading the "Benny's Yucca World". It has change my life dramatically! Tim was so kind sending the hybrid seeds to me and I bought a bunch of the yucca and agave seeds at the Koehres. Hope to build a succulent bed somehow so will have a chance growing my plants not only on the seedbed and in growing pots.
As for other exotic plants it seems everything I think is exotic is not the such in Western Europe since a dramatic difference in the climate conditions. Probably Gunnera manicata, Fuchsia magellanica, Muso basjo and Fatsia are the plants I'm proud growing under winter shelter conditions. That's all for the morning....

Hallo Igor,

thanks for the further information. The link with the climadata for Almaty i had found also.
But I think it's almost better to get personal information, in german we say " aus erster Hand".

Almaty is USDA Zone 8 b, while Stade, my hometown for example is Z 8a , border 7b.

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/USDA-Klimazonen

But You live at ca. 1000 m elevation, so that your local clima might be a little bit harsher (colder) as the clima-data from the official site for Almaty suggest.

However, I think You live in Zone 8 a ,eventually 7b, so that it must be possible to grow a lot of Yucca-species at your place. Annual rainfall is not to much, also good conditions for growing Agaves und Cacti. The harder Agaves as neomexicana and parryi as Opuntia and Echinocereus- species are worth to try at your place.

If you get a solid dry snow-cover in winter, than this is a perferct shelter for Cacti.

Check it out an try.

Best wishes
Wolfgang

Hi Igor

how is Y. filata 'big mama' seeds doing?

Did I send any seed to Canada this season? I've sent so many seeds all over the world I don't recall who I sent them to. If you want seed from the 2014 hybrid season let me know. Lots of rostrata genes in 2014 from Benny's fila x rostrata beauties.

More seeds pods forming in 2015, here's Thomsas B's Y. fila/flacc x rostrata X glauca ssp. stricta 'Maxwell, NE'. A good hybrid for cold areas which want some rostrata genes.


Tim

Okay, Wolfgan, if you want an information " aus erster Hand" please be kindly informed that my city USDA zone is proved as the zone 5b but my garden which is situated at a high elevation has a little bit milder winter temperature. It may vary from airport (600 m above sea level) to my place (1040 m above sea level) in 3-5 C. Once minus 30 C is registered at airport I would observe minus 26 C in my garden. During a summer hot there is a same gradient : plus 35 C at airport contra plus 31-32 C at my place. So I would say my place microclimate is more comfortable either for people or for the plants... A lot of snow cover makes the plants winter dormancy safely too. Actually there is a snow cover from beginning of December until beginning of March at my place. Even this snow blanket won't prevent Yucca gloriosa or Yucca recurvifolia from low winter temperatures. It means these particular species are just root hardy plants in my zone. That's why only the yucca hybrids would be winter hardy there. Glauca, nana, baccata are winter hardy for sure too.
There were a dozen or more species of yucca seedlings which have been overwintering in the seedbeds:

These seedbeds were covered completely with a snow for 3 month at least. As a result rigida, faxoniana, schidigera, treculeana seedlings were gone. Aloifolia and torrei are root hardy. Angustifolia, angustissima, baccata, various brevifolia, various elata, various glauca, intermedia, harrimaniae gilbernana various nana, pallida, reverchonii, rostrata, thompsoniana didn't get any damage. Various hybrid seeds yucca plants from Tim are the winners! No damage, all of them have a very strong growth. Hesperaloe funifera and parviflora have gone. Agave seedlings: there are a bulk of parryi (5303) and a few utahensis survived. Havardiana and neomexicana have gone.
There are pics of my seedbeds from yesterday:









Early spring look:

First time uncovered on March the 12th. The beds were closed and buried with a snow on November the 24th.





Yucca rigida roots at the middle of March but the plants gone anyway:



Aloifolia which survived



Thanks for looking!

Dear Tim, your filata seedlings seem to be OK. You might find them on the pics I posted today. Unfortunately all the labels your hybrids were marked have fade so I have some difficulties with identification.
The seeds you sent to my sister recently are in a long journey from Canada to Kazakhstan now. I will let you know as soon as I'll get them. Of course any seeds of any hybrids are always welcomed in my harsh climate location!!!

Hi Igor

I can't see your photos on my phone so I will try on my computer later

I thought I mailed some seeds to Canada but wasn't sure. I'm glad the seed is on its journey to your garden 😎

I can't see my pictures either in spite of checking it on my office computer. Will try fix it up.

I can't find how to edit so I re-post my previous post with invisible pictures

"Okay, Wolfgan, if you want an information " aus erster Hand" please be kindly informed that my city USDA zone is proved as the zone 5b but my garden which is situated at a high elevation has a little bit milder winter temperature. It may vary from airport (600 m above sea level) to my place (1040 m above sea level) in 3-5 C. Once minus 30 C is registered at airport I would observe minus 26 C in my garden. During a summer hot there is a same gradient : plus 35 C at airport contra plus 31-32 C at my place.

So I would say my place microclimate is more comfortable either for people or for the plants... A lot of snow cover makes the plants winter dormancy safely too. Actually there is a snow cover from beginning of December until beginning of March at my place. Even this snow blanket won't prevent Yucca gloriosa or Yucca recurvifolia from low winter temperatures. It means these particular species are just root hardy plants in my zone. That's why only the yucca hybrids would be winter hardy there. Glauca, nana, baccata are winter hardy for sure too.

There were a dozen or more species of yucca seedlings which have been overwintering in the seedbeds:


These seedbeds were covered completely with a snow for 3 month at least. As a result rigida, faxoniana, schidigera, treculeana seedlings were gone. Aloifolia and torrei are root hardy. Angustifolia, angustissima, baccata, various brevifolia, various elata, various glauca, intermedia, harrimaniae gilbernana various nana, pallida, reverchonii, rostrata, thompsoniana didn't get any damage. Various hybrid seeds yucca plants from Tim are the winners! No damage, all of them have a very strong growth. Hesperaloe funifera and parviflora have gone. Agave seedlings: there are a bulk of parryi (5303) and a few utahensis survived. Havardiana and neomexicana have gone.
There are pics of my seedbeds from yesterday:










Early spring look:










First time uncovered on March the 12th. The beds were closed and buried with a snow on November the 24th.




Yucca rigida roots at the middle of March but the plants gone anyway:



Aloifolia which survived




Thanks for looking!

Hallo Igor,

ok, Almaty is a colder place in winter as I thought.

That's why one should prefer such data better from personal communication, that tells the truth.

What a great collection of seedlings you have in this unique seedboxes.!

But don't give up to grow trunked Yuccas as gloriosa and recurvifoilia, they are marginal in your climate, but who knows.......

In my place Y. recurvifolia and gloriosa growing well over many,many years, but Y. alofoilia failed, in normal winters always dead above ground.

Thanks a lot for the information and pics.

Good luck und keep us in progress.

Many greetings vom West to East.

Wolfgang

great photos!

What are these Yuccas? Nice.

Tim, thanks for asking. The Yucca on above is most likely from your hybrid seeds:





The Yucca on a bottom is the Angustissima as it's said on a label:



There is one more yucca to be identified. It has yellowish-green very serrated and very rigid and rough leaves:



Thanks for looking!

Dear Sasha, thank you very much for identification. Thus I need to check the plants labeled as the Reverchonii in my seedbeds.

Hi Igor

did I send you any seeds with 'constricta x filamentosa' genes in them? If so, that one hybrid is likely from that cross. I have some Y. filata 'big mama' X 'constricta x filamentosa' seedlings which look similar. Every seedling from this hybrid are different from each other, truly amazing.

I agree with Sascha Y. reverchonii, could also be Y. thompsoniana form?