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After several revisions, I’m excited to share my ongoing PDF guide to cold hardy palms. This has been a long-term project and will continue to evolve as I learn more and gather new experiences. Feel free to share it anywhere by posting the link to the document — that will always point to the latest version for when I update. I am still working on some more pages in time. I truly appreciate all the support, knowledge, and friendships from this forum over the years. My goal has always been simple, help others enjoy and succeed in this hobby as much as I have. Hopefully this information will especially help others new to the hobby. While the design is AI assisted, all photos and text dictation are from my experiences. While I am aware there are a few errors still, let me know what you think TNTropics Cold Hardy Palm Guide https://drive.google.com/file/d/1w9-43MjGhgyQyqgVeQoWXU69GvRGLpdU/view?usp=sharing20 points
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I'd like to share some information and photos of the eight full days IPS'ers spent in Viet Nam. These include palms and a few shots of the cities and countryside. The hotels were super, people friendly and helpful, and the streets swarmed with tourists, many probably Americans, Europeans, or Australians. Many shops in the streets had signs in English below the Vietnamese text - I'm told that English is taught in the schools. The tour started in Hanoi and ended in Hoi An, sister city to Da Nang. Nights were spent is six separate cities. I was told that it never freezes in Viet Nam, and this permits landscapers to use many palms. Everywhere, one of the most prominent was the royal palm (Roystonea regia). There were tremendous numbers pf betelnuts (Areca catechu). Another very common sight was the coconut (Cocos nucifera). I also saw a few plantings of the Manila or Christmas palm (Adonidia merrilli) and Chinese fans (Livistona chinensis). Overall, the selection for landscaping was pretty predictable and not highly interesting. Hours of sitting by bus windows made possible many pictures of unique aspects of the environment. Here is a typical city street in Hanoi: Here is a gathering of ladies at some sort of gathering. The long dresses are an anomaly, where women dress in traditional forms to celebrate a religious holiday. Normally, men and women dress just like we do. Photo number 3 is either from Hanoi or Ninh Binh, and shows an aspect of city travel that is unlike the USA, where even the poorest person drives a car. In Viet Nam motor scooters are much more common than motor vehicles and often used by young people of both genders. Quite often, there is a passenger (friend, wife, girl friend, child) clinging to waist of the driver. Masks are more common than not - I am told (but not convinced) that it is due to air pollution in cities like Hanoi (estimated population 10 million). Crossing the countryside, the lower elevation land devoted to rice paddies, usually with a country village in the background. Occasionally, the villagers decide to sacrifice a little rice growing land to have a graveyard. These are usually filled with elaborate structures to mark the resting places that are products of the peoples real tradition and skill at monument making. I was told that the lotus is considered to be a symbol of Viet Nam (I was also told that it was a heron, also a bull).But here is a city monument, probably in Ha Tinh. The hammer and sickle to the upper left are, of course, a symbol the the Vietnamese Communist party. The government of Viet Nam has an explicit symbol in its flag, red with a yellow star. The next pic is from our tour of the Forbidden City in Hue, showing one of many elaborate monuments from Viet Nams ancient past: Now, let's turn our attention to palms. Rain, slippery mud, huge rocks to climb over, laziness, and advancing age caused me to turn back or avoid several of the field excursions. Here's yours truly with a Lanonia species on the first day, in Cuc Phuong NP. Most of my best photos are from Bach Ma NP, where we were transported to the top of a hill on a concrete road and left to walk down and look at palms in the vegetation on either side. when we had done all we wanted to we could flag down one of the minibuses going back down the hill. My first shot was of what may be Pinanga ammanensis or possibly a Nenga species - Bill Baker wasn't yet sure. His photo in Facebook several days ago is much better than mine, but the same palm. My next photo is of a palm that I think is what Dr. Baker entered in Facebook as Licuala dakrongensis. We saw many Plectocomia elongata, which I am told is the tallest rattan. Everyone got a picture of this Caryota no (Bill Baker's is best). Here are two pics of Calamus walkeri, which was highly abundant everywhere. the second vividly illustrates the thorns. Finally, I will end with a shot of Da Nang, taken from a hillside in the Son Tra Nature Reserve. Hope you enjoyed this, as I did in posting.14 points
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1. Hyophorbe indica 1.5 gallon size 2. Burretiokentias koghiensis 15 gallon 3. Caryota gigas 5 gallon 4. Butia eriospatha band size 5. Brahea clara 5 gallon 6. Brahea edulis 15 gallon 7. Brahea elegans 5 gallon 8. Coccothrinax barbadensis 15 gallon 9. Coccothrinax crinita 5 gallon 10. Cryosophila stauracantha 15 gallon 11. Dypsis baronii 5 gallon 12. Dypsis heteromorpha 5 gallon 13. Dypsis pembana 5 gallon 14. Kentiopsis olliviformis 15 gallon 15. Prestoea acuminata (montana) 5 gallon 16. Rhopalostylis baueri 15 gallon 17. Roystonea oleracea 15 gallon 18. Syagrus coronata band size. This is a small sampler of the over 200,000 palms & cycads we have at our Nursery. I think we offer the largest species selection of any Palm or Cycad Nursery in the western U.S. Visitors welcome. We give individual attention. In business in Encinitas, CA for over 40 years. Mail orders done almost daily. Delivery available on most items. And, by the way, creator and early developer (along with assistance from other IPS members) of this PalmTalk Blog multiple decades ago. Phil Bergman Owner Jungle Music Nursery 1111 Urannia Ave, Encinitas, CA 92024 Phone: 619 291 4605 Email: phil@junglemusic.net Website: www.junglemusic.net13 points
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I just couldn’t pass up on some of the plants on offer at the pacsoa show this weekend. Just a couple more for the collection! satakentia liukiuensis kentiopsis oliviformis Dypsis ambositrae Geonoma atrovirens licuala sallehana Calyptrocalyx flabellata pinanga sarawakensis loxococcus rupicola calyptronoma occidentalisDypsis sp Bill Beattie Basselina glabrata Dypsis orange crush calmus muelleri polyandrococus caudescens Calyptrocalyx yummutumecalyptrocalyx flabellata cocothrinax guargruana Mapu for the wife you know how it is fellas you gotta get the wife a gift when you spend up! Zamia pictaDypsis hetromorphusDypsis avisonii Dypsis DrannsfieldiiDioon Rio verdeDioon holmgreniiSchippia concolor All set to go in the garden for a bit more of that tropical look chamearops humillis cocothrinax eckmanii licuala fractiflexavietcha montgomerianadypsis procera12 points
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If you’re after a beautiful easy growing palm, look no further than the dasyantha. They seem to love whatever iam doing to them. A beautiful understory palm. I have a few in dappled light to deep shade to morning sun and they all seem to love growing in these conditions. They will drink as much water as you give them and a little tolerance to mild dry conditions if you miss a watering. I love them super easy to grow and not too bad on the eye, the poor man’s mapu is definitely worth growing. I even lucked up with a variegated variety from a seed batch I germinated.12 points
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Guidance has trended colder in the past 36 hours or so. This is shaping up to be a freeze for the Panhandle. NWS currently forecasting a low of 33F for Monday night. Looks like it may warm up pretty quickly after that before getting cool again to start the month of March. Being cold in Florida multiple times during the winter season is not a new thing. Y'all have gotten lucky more than anything in the past decade down south. I would be grateful to live in the areas of central Florida thats been trashed on so much in this thread. I am still thankful to be located in NW FL, where many palms can be grown. Sometimes it pays to just be thankful for what you have instead of being upset about what you cant have. My Queens are fried, my bizzy might not make it, my lady palm spear pulled, my washies are burnt, but... here is my super mule, looking like winter never happened: For that, I am thankful.12 points
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Ok I shall settle the score and start a on the potting bench thread to appease the palm gods. So it is as follows, on the potting bench you shall see what’s been growing and what reds to be potted up, freshly germinated to anything else that needs to be potted, it shall be gor reference as seedling identification. If anyone wants to identify a seedling, and also as documentation of what and how the plants are growing for the palm talk audience and for my own documentation!11 points
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Here is a preliminary cold damage to my personal palm collection. I live in Altamonte Springs, about 14 miles north of Orlando. Its a little colder than the metro Orlando area. My yard does have some good tree canopy in the back but this didn't make much difference with the winds. The first night of the freeze was 23F with 20-30mph winds all night and it was below 32F for over 10 hours. The 2nd night dropped to 28F but it was still with frost. This was the coldest freeze since the record Christmas 1989 freeze. It was also the first hard freeze with high winds the entire night. PALMS Acoelorrhaphe wrightii (4’)- no damage Aiphanes horrida x minima (6’) -100% burn, already had about 25% burn from earlier cold, it always showed damage below about 35F every year but always quickly recovered, not sure this time Archontophoenix cunninghamiana (20’) -major burn Archontophoenix purpurea (7’)- 100% burn Areca triandra (3’) -100% burn Arenga engleri (7’)- surprisingly burn on one leaf Arenga hookeriana (5’)- all tall stems 100% burned, shorter suckers green Beccariophoenix alfredii (15’, 10’)- both have severe burn but green in center Borassodendron machodonis (3’)- COVERED, no damage Brassiophoenix drymophoeoides (5’)- 100% burn Carpentaria acuminata x Adonidia merrillii (25’)- 100% burn Caryota mitis ‘Variegata’ (3’)- severe burn Chamaedorea elegans (2’)-100% burn Chamaedorea ernestii-augustii (3’)- 100% burn Chamaedorea metallica (2’)- 100% burn Chamaedorea microspadix (6’)- no damage Chambeyronia macrocarpa (3’)- all leaves burned except newest Chelyocarpus chuco (4’)- COVERED no damage Chrysalidocarpus leptocheilos (3’)- 100% burn Chrysalidocarpus lutescens ‘Nana’ (3’)- COVERED but partially blew off, 50% burn Chrysalidocarpus madagascariensis (Mahajanga form) (6’)- 100% burn Chrysalidocarous onilahensis (3’)- light burn Chrysalidocarpus pembanus (15’)- 100% burn on the 2 tall trunks, suckers have some green leaves Chrysalidocarpus psammophilus (3’)- 100% burn Chuniophoenix hainanensis (3’)- no damage Clinostigma savoryanum (4’)- 2 newest leaves have no damage, others burned Coccothrinax barbadensis (3’)- light burn Coccothrinax crinita (3’) – severe burn Coccothrinax spissa (3’)- severe burn Cocos nucifera ‘Green Malayan’ (10’, 3’ trunk)- almost 100% burn but a few green leaflets and petioles still green, already push new growth, it already had about 20% burn from frost a couple weeks prior Copernicia alba (6’)- no damage Cryosophila stauracantha (4’)- 100% burn Cyrtostachys elegans x renda (3’)- COVERED no damage Dictyosperma album (furfuraceum) (3’)- 100% burn Euterpe edulis (10’, 5’)- both have 100% burn Gaussia attenuata (7’)- 100% burn, new spear opening Gaussia maya (5’)- 100% burn Heterospathe negrosensis (4’)- light burn Howea belmoreana (3’)- severe burn Howea forsteriana (7’)- severe burn Hyophorbe verschaffeltii (6’)- 100% burn Lanonia dasyantha (2’, 3’)- no damage on either Leucothrinax morrissii (5’)- no damage Licuala kunstleri (2’)- light damage Licuala peltata (3’)- light burn Licuala ramsayi (6’)- slight damage on 1 leaf, very delayed reaction Livistona decora (10’)- no damage Livistona muelleri (4’)- moderate burn Livistona saribus (15’)- no damage Normanbya normanbyi (8’)- 100% burn Phoenix acaulis (3’)- no damage Phoenix loureiroi (Kashmir) (8’)- no damage Pinanga coronata (4’)- 100% burn Pinanga gracilis (3’)- 2 stems, 1 no damage, other 100% burn Pritchardia hillebrandii (3’)- moderate burn, still lots of green Pseudophoenix sargentii (4’)- severe burn Ptychococcus lepidotus (5’)- 100% burn Ptychococcus paradoxus (6’)- 100% burn Ptychosperma elegans (10’)- 100% burn Ptychosperma propinquum (macarthurii) (12’)- main stem 100% burn, suckers mostly brown but some green Ravenea glauca (3’)- light burn Ravenea hildebrandtii (5’)- 100% burn Ravenea rivularis (6’)- 100% burn Reinhardtia latisecta (2’)- no damage Rhapis excelsa ‘Zuiko Nishiki’ (5’)- no damage Rhapis humilis (8’)- no damage Sabal etonia x palmetto (2’)- no damage Sabal mauritiiformis (5’)- very minor burn Sabal miamiensis x maritima (6’)- no damage Sabal palmetto (10’)- no damage Sabal palmetto (Miami Rockridge form) (2’)- no damage Sabinaria magnifica (3’)- COVERED, cover partially blew off, light burn on a couple leaves, very delayed damage Schippia concolor (3’)- moderate burn Serenoa repens, silver (3’)- no damage Syagrus romanzoffiana (20’)- light burn Syagrus sancona (7’)- severe burn Syagrus weddelliana (6’)- severe burn Veitchia arecina (3’)- moderate burn Wodhyethia bifurcata (4’)- 100% burn CYCADS Bowenia spectabilis- no damage Ceratozamia hildae- no damage Cycas debaoenis- no damage Cycas thouarsii- 100% burn Encephalartos ferox- 100% burn Stangeria eriopus- light burn Zamia furfuracea – no damage, in pot and taken in Zamia integrifolia (narrow leaflet form)- no damage Zamia integrifolia (Palatka Giant)- no damage Zamia integrifolia (wide leaflet form)- no damage Zamia nesmophila- moderate burn Zamia sp. “Spots”- severe burn PANDANS Freycinetia cumingiana (4’)- main stems dead, some green shorter stems/leaves Pandanus furcatus (15’)- 100% burn but green already pushing out Pandanus letocartiorum (decumbens) (2’)- 100% burn Pandanus penangensis (monotheca) (5’)- 100% burn Pandanus polycephalus (3’)- severe burn Pandanus pygmaeus ‘Variegatus’ (2’)- moderate burn Pandanus tectorius (spineless form) (3’)- 100% burn Pandanus tectorius, dwarf spineless variegated form)- 100% burn PALM-LIKE PLANTS Cyclanthus bipartitus (4’)- 100% burn, this is root hardy, foliage dies every year as it declines around 35F but rapidly regrows in spring Dracaena arborea (4’)- severe burn Ravenala madagascariensis (15’)- 100% burn Ravenala menahirana (Honkondambo) (3’)- 100% burn, new leaf emerging Sphaeropteris cooperi (Cyathea) (10’)- 100% burn Strelitzia nicolai (10’)- 100% burn11 points
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Has anyone seen anything like this before? I can’t help but wonder which Rhopalostylis variety it might be. My first thought was Chatham Islands, but I’m starting to doubt that. It could possibly be a Great Barrier Island form instead. Or even a naturally occurring hybrid with archontophoenix cunninghamiana? It’s surrounded by them.. Anyway what caught my attention is the very open crown and the extremely dark crownshaft color. I was also looking through some older Rhopalostylis photos and I think Geoff Stein used to have a few similar plants in cultivation. Curious to hear what others think on the variety — what are your bets?11 points
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In my area up here in the Bay Area, king palms are all over the neighborhood. My own personal experience with them is that they are the easiest and fastest growing palms in the garden, sun or shade. I have groves of them as well as ones growing singularly. Seeds pop up by the thousands just as much in the winter as summer. Some of those volunteers are aver twenty feet tall. I have all the other Archontophoenix species doing well too. The first ones I planted in 2001 sailed through the 2007 freeze (26°F) with barely a scratch. Just some light bronzing on horizontal fronds and they replaced those leaves by summer’s end.11 points
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My lafazamanga caught my eye this evening, and I thought I’d share a photo of it post-transplant (which happened months ago). as far as I can tell, it’s very happy in its new location, and hasn’t missed a beat from the move.🤞 Has been such a great plant for me, so I’m hoping it will do as well in the new (equally prominent) location. 💕11 points
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In 2015 while I was working in california I bought some patrick schaffer hybrids. I was inspired by the gardens of the fathers of butia hybrids DIck Douglas(NorCal) and Merrill Wilcox(FL). I wanted some jubaea genetics in my yard but best knowledge said pure jube would not be happy here. My favorite patrick hybrid, the one that I did not give away, was a (Bx J)xJ. I had a coupole BxJ from patrick and this one just looked different, even as a small seedling in a 4" pot. It is a BxJ mother tree pollinated by a jubaea. I had it in a small 7g container for years and then upgraded it to a 20 gallon in 2020. I feared it would not deal with florida humidity and wet soil so I kept it in that 20 gal pot and infrequently watered it. I tried to give it away, no takers from the coconut and adonidia crowd in my neighborhood. I even offered it here on palmtalk, surely a nice cold tolerant hybrid would work somewhere up in northern florida or there abouts, no takers. It grew slowly over the years and a year and a half(?) ago I decided I didn't want a palm prisoner in a container so I decided to put it in the ground in a dry spot where I had removed an invasive ficus benjamina I had mistakenly planted. Well, it seems as if the palm just loved this winter and pushed out a bunch of new growth. It grows faster in winter. I also have a BxJ with 3-4' trunk that is a nice palm but this one has a symmetric beauty that I love. Now I am very happy I didnt give it away. Its not a fussy palm, I planted it in a spot where it will intercept cold NE winds off the nearby pond Anybody else have a butia, Jubaea, or syagrus hybrid out there, I know Patrick made a bunch of different hybrids, show yours if you have one.10 points
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When iam finished, or at least I think I have with my old propagation medium, I usually tip it out on the potting bench and just use it as any other additive for my soil mix. And usually there are old or what I think are dead seeds in that mix. They say never give up on old seeds but sometimes you just have to move on to new seed. So it’s a wonderful surprise when they start popping up in the potted palms. Especially licualas, not sure what these varieties are it iam sure something good, and another physokentia is most welcome in the collection. The seed is one way of getting an identification. I just tip the pot upside down and simply remove the seedling!10 points
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I shall start this thread, this way when I plant a few more things in the garden it will be found here, and what a joy it will be, theres a lot to planted! So the new plants for today are kerriodoxas and chamaedorea adscendens a little reindhardtia gracilis a philodendron hose buono and a Zamia variegata. This little batch should get the garden looking good from the deck.9 points
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I happened to be on a flight from Honolulu to Hilo yesterday, but on approach to Hilo at 2:45 pm, the pilot made an odd left turn. Then another more severe left turn and I could feel the plane climbing rather than descending. I knew something was wrong, and wondered if we were returning to Oahu. The pilot announced we were being diverted to Kona, much to the dismay of passengers. Planes don't do well flying into ash clouds, thus the inconvenience. Luckily a dear friend, BGL, came to pick me up and take me back across the island. The park was closed, visitors ordered out, and the highway approaching the park was closed. This is an exciting place! Edit: I should add, the repeated eruptions are contained within the humongous main crater up in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and notwithstanding the flying tephra, no homes or towns are in peril.9 points
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Every seed and bulb I own is now planted. I'd just like to throw that out there. Please clap. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVAn6WoDTPQ/?igsh=aWgwNHQ4aTJ3a2Y49 points
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As I sit on rock in the garden looking at what I have created iam amazed. The garden goes from a jungle canopy understory to a very dry hot intolerable in summer heat garden. Yet it all seems to work and grow in harmony with Mother Nature. You can create a garden of your taste to reflect your personality, it just takes time. All you see was basically carved out of the Australian bush, and we’re not talking about tropical cairns or Hawaii where you throw a plant over your shoulder and grows by just looking at them. Its hard country to garden in just add water! IMG_9785.mov9 points
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I like the forum format a lot more, it's too bad they're mostly dying in favor of places like facebook and instagram. It makes looking up old threads and posts a lot easier too.9 points
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Here are the 2 mature Coconuts growing across from Fashion Square Mall at the former smashburger restaurant. The one on the left is totally brown but the petioles are still green. The one on the right actually has a couple leaves in the center with green. These palms are less than a mile from the Executive Airport which has an official NWS station and recorded 24F. If both or one survives it will be the new I Drive coconut.9 points
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I have visited Fairchild Tropical Garden in Miami FL many times but always enjoy seeing new additions and checking on “old friends”. This Sabinaria caught my attention especially since it looks untouched planted outside despite the recent cold spell here. I eagerly await mine growing big enough to show off the gorgeous leaf shape and color! Below are two different Kerriodoxa elegans. Rhino beetles in Puerto Rico love these so not sure if I will get any to trunking size. I am really looking forward to seeing them in habitat in Phuket Island.Thailand on the soon to start IPS post tour. Calyptrocalyx albertisianus is a fairly new addition to my own farm after I saw a beauty at Dean Ouer’s place in HI a few years ago. Here is one at FTG reminding me that they are likely to be much taller than my other more shrub size Calyptrocalyx. I am including a striking cycad that I wish I grew. Microcycas calocoma.9 points
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I agree with the others that you’ve got an R. baueri. Incidentally, Rhopalostylis and Archontophoenix DNA is not similar and, therefore, cannot hybridize with each other.8 points
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I'd better go and tell all of mine that they are breaking the rules here in my 9b climate...and in all the cool, high altitude, wet mountain valleys I've seen them in in habitat! Be wary of blanket statements.8 points
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I learned real quick that growing palms is a huge commitment. It's not like you plant something and call it a day. Here in Texas I can't even fully enjoy the winter because my nose is glued to the NWS screen just hoping that we don't get a 2021 Palmageddon winter. It's the uncertainty that bothers me. Every hobby costs money. I'm someone that can easily let go. I don't need to live at a place where I can grow palms. I also don't have the time and willpower to build structures around zone pushed palms just to keep it alive. I see some of our members doing that every year I'm like there's no way I'm going to do that. I work many hours, physically I don't have time for that kind of stuff. I also have my wife . She's maintenance too lol. I'm just a simple palm grower and I'm cool with that.8 points
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A few of the more tender things at Naples Botanic Garden today. Not sure what the low temps were there but the vast majority of the collection seems to have avoided major damage. Areca catechu: Nypa fruticans: Pritchardia pacifica: And a few Pritchardia thurstonii for comparison, proving much more tolerant of cold compared to pacifica (as advertised)8 points
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Pretty much most of what you see , botanically speaking , is going to be things that won’t grow in the desert . The islands I have visited do have some desert areas but most areas are high humidity and warm trade winds bringing tropical rains . The growth rate of tropical or some temperate plants is about 3x the growth rate even here in Southern California . I have never been to Oahu , other than a stop over , so I can’t recommend any specific gardens . I am sure you will see plenty of palms and tropicals . Some nurseries will sell orchids and small palms , with certs, that you can bring home . The palms I brought home from Maui were growing in shredded paper and came with import certificates . They are still living in my garden 25 years later. Enjoy your trip! Harry This Pritchardia was a seedling that I carried home in my back pack! Not pictured is the Chambeyronia I brought home that is now flowering . I think I paid less than $5 for each seedling in 2002. Harry8 points
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