How to grow cycads in the terrible heat of Phoenix, Arizona
Yes, you can grow cycads in Phoenix, Arizona, and yes it gets ridiculously hot here. It's 113 as I write this, and that's not unusual for summertime. Temperatures often get over 115 degrees, and the only time there's much mention of it being unusually hot is when it gets over 120. But in my experience, it's not the heat that causes problems for most cycads, it's the light. Or to be more specific, the lack of shade. Shade makes all of the difference! I developed a taste for tropical plants while living in Southern California, but I had lived in the Phoenix area before, going to ASU, and I knew about the terrible heat. And that's why when I bought a house, I looked carefully at the exposure, and made sure that the backyard faced east. That means morning sun, and afternoon shade. The "prime real estate" in my yard for cycads and miniature palms is in the shade of the house. It's about 5 pm, and while it's the hottest part of the day, you can see t...